Justin Bieber’s declaration that he’s “standing on business” against the paparazzi unintentionally turned the singer into a meme.
Bieber was leaving Malibu’s Soho House last Friday (June 12) when he misused African American Vernacular English (AAVE) while confronting a photographer.
“I’m a dad, I’m a husband,” Bieber told the camera in the viral clip. “You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
The pop artist’s slang was met with the mockery of social media users.
“Black folks really have other groups of people sounding crazy trying to keep up,” journalist Nicolas-Tyrell Scott wrote.
While “standing on business” originated decades ago, it was popularized on 2023 Drake track “Daylight,” with comedian Druski often using the phrase thereafter. “Clocking,” which means “noticing,” is also used in the transgender and nonbinary communities to mean detecting a person as a trans.
Bieber’s run-ins with paparazzi have increased since earlier this year, with the singer warning photographers of his “boundaries” and that he’s “not to be fucked with.” Bieber has also brushed off concerns about his mental health, telling fans to worry about themselves.
