21/04/2023
This is a slang term that I noticed has been used a lot by various people online and people I know and I’m sure some of you probably use it too but funny enough I bet some of you probably don’t know where this phrase came. The most popular meme to use the phrase is actually an image from Kingdom Hearts III which features Toy Story’s Woody Holding Sora Back with a snapchat banner reading, "hollup… let him cook." The earliest known use of the image is a from a December 6th tweet reply posted by on December 6th, 2022, gathering over 400 likes. On December 20th, 2022, Instagram page posted a version of the meme that gathered over 80,000 likes in over a month. From then on tons of variation of the meme has been created featuring different characters from various series. One that comes to mind is a SpongeBob meme that says "WHY DID Y'ALL LET HIM COOK" Aside from memes, I’ve heard/seen this term being used in conversations as a way to give someone the space to plot, strategize, hone their craft or even theorize. Technically the phrase "Let Him Cook" originated from the catchphrase "Let that boy cook" and was coined by rapper Lil B. The earliest known use of the phrase "Let that boy cook" on the internet is from a YouTube fan video set to a Lil B song uploaded on July 14th, 2010. The video is titled, "LIL B BASED COOKING (LET THAT BOY COOK)," and features YouTuber Jordan Collier doing a stirring motion with his hand as he dances to one of Lil B's tracks. The video has gathered over 80,000 views in the 12 years since its upload. So while the Woody and Sora meme might have not originated the praise, it definitely popularize it. Just like Deadpool isn’t the first fictional character to break the fourth wall but he’s definitely the most popular example of that in modern times. Technically the She Hulk comics was doing that before Deadpool ever was. It’s just that at some point she stopped doing it. However neither characters can say they were the first nor the last do it as tons of other characters in various media have done it. So yeah I’ve been aware of both this phrase and the KH meme for a while now but never really connected the two for some reason. It was only after one of my fav KH YouTubers, The Gamers Joint recently made a video about it that I even realized that a Kingdom Hearts meme is the reason why this term is even trending and even commonly used in real life. And since I am a big time KH fan, I think it’s really cool. I recommend checking the video out, he goes a little bit more in-detail about the whole thing and he’s hilarious.
https://youtu.be/L3s4WKP7yc4 ~Denie