Gospel Queen Shirley Caesar Responds to the ‘U Name It Challenge’ That Samples Her Song

Move over, Mannequin Challenge — there’s a new social media sensation taking off just in time for Thanksgiving called the #UNameItChallenge. It features a snippet of a song by Grammy-winning gospel queen Shirley Caesar listing several foods in response to the question, “Grandma, what are you cooking for Thanksgiving?” People dance to a funky beat as Caesar chants, “I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes … you name it!” Check out one of many versions below.

Singer Chris Brown even got in on the action.

The 78-year-old pastor went on The Willie Moore Jr. syndicated radio show to talk about what it’s like to be part of a wacky Internet craze.

“I was out in the middle of the ocean, and one of the members from our church showed it to me,” she said.

When asked if she was glad people were being influenced by her message, even tangentially, she said, “Yeah, I am, but it’s so strange. I’ve been doing it for years. … They took it from the end of the song ‘Hold My Mule.'”

Caesar may like the reach but wouldn’t mind if some of those taking part in the #UNameItChallenge toned down their dancing moves a bit, lest they scandalize her more. When Moore joked that Caesar’s song was about to hit No. 1 on the hip-hop charts, she replied: “Oh Lord … I was so shocked to see that and see them dancing and boogeying. I was shocked to see it, Willie.”

In case you want to get your church on, here’s the original version of Caesar’s “Hold My Mule” performance the clip was sampled from. There’s plenty of choreography in the original as well, and the part in question kicks in at about the 5:45 mark.

You have to love the Internet for combining the parochial and the secular for a rollicking good time.