Grand Theft Auto V, now available across two platform generations with a version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S on the way, refuses to die. The game’s latest contribution to the online zeitgeist is the short scene in which the supporting character Lamar Davis roasts protagonist Franklin Clinton, who has become the basis of an extraordinarily popular meme.
This morning, PlayStation Haven uploaded a YouTube video featuring Black Jesus star Gerald “Slink” Johnson and Shawn Fonteno re-enact their roles as Lamar and Franklin.
(This is the part where I vote for the unspoken NSFW warning that accompanies the most car theft footage. Discretion is advised by the viewer.)
No one knows how to hurt you like friends and family.
Although it was the logical end point for the joke format, model swaps and sometimes even amateur voice acting replaced Lamar with all of Kermit the frog on Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu over the last few months. Again, many of these videos are NSFW, but there’s just something to it Spongebob Squarepants says “yee yee-ass haircut” begging to be watched.
It’s hard to pinpoint one important detail or moment that makes this scene appeal to the creators and online audiences. The whole thing is hilarious, which is a big plus, but Lamar also helps complement an almost lyrical outburst with a sing-song insult. Personally, I always look forward to Franklin’s bewildered “What ?!” at the end, especially when Lamar has been replaced by someone who is not as out of place as Darth Vader or Snow White.
Either way, we have at least one more thing to distract ourselves from the Hell World.