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“Raptor Foot” is the dancehall soundtrack for the NBA’s champion city

General Genius’s song gave Toronto strength throughout the Playoffs.

June 14, 2019

The Toronto Raptors secured their first-ever NBA Championship last night against the Golden State Warriors, a heroic end to a valiant season for a team often dismissed as lightweights. In that way, the rise of General Genius' "Raptor Foot" parallels the ascent of the team it was inspired by: what started as a humble downtown street performance went viral and gave fans hope.

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It began in late May, when reported Sean Leathong of CTV News captured the General busking in downtown Toronto before Game 1 of the Finals. It's simple, yet addictive: yell "Raptor Foot" with a selector's rhythm, and step like you're trying hit a cockroach. The reporter was immediately hypnotized, and uploaded a clip to Twitter:

The chant gained traction when it was used by Canadian skit creator Trésor Gray for his own song. He's a bit younger than General Genius, so naturally, he's worked in a Drake reference. Released on June 5, @IAmTresor's version has already been viewed nearly 100K times.

About two days after @IAmTresor's General Genius-inspired "Raptor Foot" began spreading around, Genius released a song inspired by the chant he started. The expanded version is Caribana-ready and after last night's victory, has been alchemized from rallying cry to a triumphant celebration. It's hard to imagine Monday's parade being complete without the General on a float, getting the entire city from Front to Steeles doing the Raptor Foot.