'Jersey Club' style is making a comeback on social media following its success on the music scene
Like fashion, internet and music trends often tend to be cyclical, with truly new concepts popping up much less often than new takes on old ideas. One of those trends is “Jersey Club,” which is a music style that’s hip-hop-adjacent. Jersey Club remixes often take songs, speed them up and add a consistent drum pattern.
A few years ago, major players in the music industry and on social media began to see mainstream success from the Jersey Club style, and now TikTokers are continuing to gravitate toward the popular sound.
What is 'Jersey Club' music?
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Jersey Club music — originally branded as Brick City Music — was created by DJ Tameil (@DJTameil) in Newark, N.J. Jersey Club has direct influences from House music but can be easily tied to Baltimore club music — which was a specialty of DJ Tameil. Baltimore club music is known for its fast tempos, sample chops and house-adjacent drums, whereas Jersey Club is defined by its fast tempos and aggressive bass drum patterns, creating an instantly recognizable groove.
Although the genre was created over 20 years ago, its resurgence gathered steam in the late 2010s and into the 2020s, with artists such as Ciara and Lil Uzi Vert using the style in their songs. For Ciara, Jersey Club was an integral part of her song “Level Up,” which has over 358 million views on YouTube and reached No. 59 on the Billboard Top 100.
“It’s no secret: Jersey Club is rapidly becoming one of the most influential sounds of 2023,” journalist Ana Lamond wrote for Clash Music in 2023. ”The style of music is experiencing a renaissance since emerging in the late ’90s, continuously evolving across the underground and commercial landscapes.”
Nicki Minaj, who released her latest album, Pink Friday 2, in December, used Jersey Club elements for her song “Everybody” — which is currently sitting at No. 25 on the Billboard Top 100.
Jersey Club’s impact on TikTok
Jersey Club’s impact on pop culture is arguably strong right now, and its reach has extended to TikTok.
In 2021, creator Fyb.eli (@fyb.eli_) posted a Jersey Club remix of Brent Faiyaz’s “Wish You Well.” The song has over 2 million views on YouTube. It was also a soundtrack to the #wishyouwellchallenge on TikTok and has over 2 million videos attached to the dance challenge trend.
“I Don’t Do Jersey But I Tried‼️ Am I Valid?,” wrote @_minimayhem.
The Jersey Club influence from that challenge is still trending on the social media platform, and some users have made dancing to that style of music their brand.
Joey Lepinski, known as Jersey Joe on TikTok (@jerseyyjoe), has nearly 3 million followers who watch him create dances to Jersey Club remixes. In 2023, he started an 18-video playlist with posts of him dancing to the viral remix of “Epiphany (I’m Leaving)” by Chrisette Michelle.
“The jersey joe theme song,” commented @skisloading.
Joe has parlayed his fame from Jersey Club remixes into launching more dance trends, including his routine to the trending “I Wouldn’t Mind” by He is We.
Yahoo News reached out to Lepinski but didn’t receive a response.
Right now, the hashtag #jerseyclub has over 2.8 billion views on TikTok, as users can’t seem to get enough of the East Coast sound.
