The Harlem Shakeover

**The Harlem Shakeover**
	Logo ; Banner ;
Type of event	Takeover; Anniversary
	Host; Ajit Pai
During	Season 6
Start date	May 22, 2022
End date	June 1, 2022
Chronology
Previous	Ninomae Ina'nis's Birthday 2022
Next	Mari Ohara's Birthday

The Harlem Shakeover was a channel event in 2022 where Ajit Pai took over SiIvaGunner. It began on the tenth anniversary of the release of "Harlem Shake".

Background

Ajit Pai was a contestant in the King for a Day tournaments. In the first tournament, he lost to Thanos and was promptly snapped out of existence. He then returned in the second tournament as Metal Ajit Pai, but was defeated once again. As seen in "Hello :)", he returned yet again after his ashes were scattered over the SiIvaGunner mainframe, resulting in him reincarnating as a virtual assistant on SiIvaGunner's computer and forcefully taking over the channel.

Prior to this event, the name "The Harlem Shakeover" had been mentioned several times, including directly after his inclusion in the first tournament was announced,^[1] in the title for Ajit's first promotional rip, and a few more times on the King for Another Day Tournament MOJO!!.^[2]^[3]

Theme

The channel banner was changed to have two added images of Ajit Pai from the infamous "PSA from Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai" video and the sky and the inside of the lighthouse colored orange, while the channel's avatar was changed to a 2018 portrait of Ajit. The channel description was changed to:

Hi, I'm Ajit Pai. Former chairman of the FCC. Recently there's been quite a bit of conversation about my plan to execute the Harlem Shakeover. Here are just a few of the things you'll still be able to do on the SiIvaGunner channel after after the KFAD-era regulations have been repealed:

- You can still upload high quality video game rips
- You can still submit mashups
- You can still download albums
- You can still binge your favorite rips
- You can still laugh at your favorite jokes
- You can still drive memes right into the ground

And everything else you ever did on SiIvaGunner.
Like, everything.
All of it.
ALL OF IT.

(All content is willingly submitted by a team of content creators; if you use a video for your content, please credit the channel, and do not monetize it if said content consists primarily of/is centered around the video in question.)

Additionally, the @GiIvaSunner Twitter account was changed to have an image of the caricatured Ajit as its avatar, its location changed to Harlem, and its bio changed to an edited version of what was the real Ajit Pai's bio at the time:^[4]

Former FCC Chairman, now host of SiIvaGunner. Indian-American, Kansan, husband, dad, Chiefs fan. I own a high quality mug.

Starting on May 28, the channel's avatar was regularly changed to become progressively more zoomed-in. After the upload of "PSA from Former Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai", the channel returned to normal 4 hours later while the Twitter account returned to normal on June 2. The channel's featured video was changed back to "Athletic Theme (PAL Version) - Super Mario World" sometime later.

The first YouTube avatar, first used on May 22.
The second YouTube avatar, first used on May 28.
The third YouTube avatar, first used on May 30.
The fourth YouTube avatar, first used on May 30.
The fifth YouTube avatar, first used on May 31.
The sixth YouTube avatar, first used on May 31.
The seventh YouTube avatar, first used on June 1.
The eighth and final YouTube avatar, first used on June 1.
The @GiIvaSunner avatar used during the event.

Rips uploaded

All rips uploaded during this event feature "Harlem Shake", a song included in Ajit Pai's King for a Day tournament source lists as a reference to the "PSA from Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai" video. Certain videos related to "Harlem Shake" were regularly referenced, such as the opening segment of "FILTHY COMPILATION #6 - SMELL MY FINGERS" by DizastaMusic (the very first "Harlem Shake" video), "The Harlem Shake v1 (TSCS original)" by TheSunnyCoastSkate (the video that started the "Harlem Shake" meme), and "SpongeBob,Patrick,Mr Krabs & Squidward Does The Harlem Shake" (a YTPMV fad). The catchphrase was changed to "You can still read the channel description."

Rips were initially uploaded every two hours. This was changed to every hour on May 24, then to every 30 minutes on May 27, then every 15 minutes on May 29. On May 30, the rip "Athletic Theme (PAL Mix) - Super Mario World" was set as the channel's featured video after being uploaded, replacing "Athletic Theme (PAL Version) - Super Mario World". Near the end of May 30, several rips of VVVVVV were uploaded, all under the mix name "PS Vita Version", ending with the release of HHHHHH, a mod for the game that replaces its soundtrack with the event's rips. The upload rate then returned to hourly on May 31, during which most rips uploaded were related to boss battle themes. At the end of the day, "Trailer Theme - Kolo Terorita" was uploaded to announce the release of Kolo Terorita, an original video game based on the event. The event then concluded on June 1 with the release of the album The Harlem Shakeover.

Three brief pauses occurred during the event after certain uploads, possibly as fake-outs to make it seem like the event had ended:

On May 27, after the release of "Sneed - Friday Night Funkin': VS. /v/ (Zord Edition)".
On May 29, after the premiere of "Main Theme - SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake".
On May 31, after the release of "Don't Forget (OST Version) - Deltarune".

Timeline

May 22

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

May 27

May 28

May 29

May 30

May 31

June 1

PSA from Former Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai

Tweets

Image	Tweet	Date	Notes
	:) #siivagunner	May 23	A retweet from @circunflexonoa.
	SiIvaGunner x NowDoTheHarlemShake would be a hilarious ship!	May 23	A retweet from @randomshipsbot.
	Nerf This? Why not get yourself a nice NERF blaster instead? I hear Christmas in July is pretty soon...	May 24
	#siivagunner Now do the		A retweet from @yhenestik
File:SiIvaGunner - The Harlem Shakeover - When you ask Ajit Pai what he wants to eat.mp4	When you ask Ajit Pai what he wants to eat 😂🕺🔥
	Recently there's been quite a bit of conversation about how I look like someone named "Spam Tom." What do you think?	May 25
File:Misery X Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny X Ninomae Ina'nis X Super Idol.mp4	Misery X Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny X Ninomae Ina'nis X Super Idol	May 26	A retweet from @MelvinHeboyi.
	I fucking love Sneed	May 27
	since siiva's having a big ol ajit pai harlem shake type thing going on right now, here's a design for KFAD 2 ajit I made before they decided to take it more in a mecha direction. I based mine more off the terminator type concept art for kfad 1 ajit	May 27	A retweet from @KeebyAstrokat.
File:SiIvaGunner - The Harlem Shakeover - Ajitpaigreenscreen2.mp4	Even without net neutrality, you can still "simp" for your favorite "vtubers" - whatever that means.
	Join me in 3 hours at 12 PM Pacific to watch the premiere of a new and highly-anticipated Harlem Shake video.	May 29
	https://youtu.be/-QBAY0guerg		A reply to the previous tweet.
	Starting now!		A reply to the second to last tweet.
	Do the Harlem Shake #SiIvaGunner		A retweet from @IvaKunner
	Wanted to give a quick shout-out to the fan artists who've drawn my big mug over the last week (and the thing I drink out of too)! If you've got art of me (or those other, staler meme guys), using the hashtag #siivagunner is the best way to get it seen - you could even get a RT!	May 30
	[A retweet from @OctoHorizon: "then do the galactic shake #siivagunner"]
File:DiamondBrickZ Ajit Pai.mp4	[A retweet from @DiamondBrickZ: "Happy Harlem Shakeover! Infuse your Harlem Shakes with flavors around the world! #siivagunner"]
	Ajit Pai is going to unleash the Harlem Shake in the world of #Miitopia. No one is safe! #siivagunner @GilvaSunner		A retweet from @GeeligansiLand.
	SiIvaGunner's antivirus has activated, and it wants to the delete the Harlem Shake by force! Play as Ajit Pai and use your weapons to defend the Harlem Shakeover at all costs. Newgrounds: https://newgrounds.com/portal/view/84… itch.io: https://giivasunner.itch.io/kolo-terorita	May 31

Trivia

With 323 videos uploaded over the course of 10 days, this is the second-largest channel event in SiIvaGunner history, behind only the King for Another Day Tournament itself.^[5] Ironically, it was even larger than the DJ Professor K Takeover (which had 250 uploads over 9 days).
This is the first event to directly utilize a King for a Day contestant that did not win, followed by Alien Day.
- It could be considered the second, if counting Cartoon Network Day & Adult Swim Night (which effectively used Johnny Bravo's sourcelist, though it was never shown to be a takeover by him); note that The Harlem Shakeover only uses "Harlem Shake", rather than Ajit Pai's full sourcelist from either tournament (though some of his other sources were referenced during the event, particularly "Reese's Puffs Rap" by RV & Terrence, it was always alongside "Harlem Shake").
The event's avatar progressing through multiple phases is similar to the second Inspector Gadget Takeover, another infamous channel event which lasted several days and largely focused on one source.
On June 15, three subject removal edits involving "Harlem Shake"-related videos were uploaded in a row. This was likely done to reference the ending of the Harlem Shakeover, in which Ajit Pai was put into the computer's recycle bin.

References

↑ "(Pai wanted to call himself "The Harlem Shakeover" but this name was denied by tournament staff.)" - Tweet by @GiIvaSunner; July 17, 2018.
↑ "...and, of course, finally make his dreams of a Harlem Shakeover a reality." - "Metal Ajit Pai" character bio on the King for Another Day Tournament MOJO!!; August 28, 2019.
↑ "...many of these video games would sound so much better with The Harlem Shake in them! Why not give the fans what they want? I call it...The Harlem Shakeover." - "The Harlem Shakeover – Metal Ajit Pai Interview" news post on the King for Another Day Tournament MOJO!!; November 23, 2019.
↑ "Former FCC Chairman, now Partner at Searchlight Capital Partners & Non-Resident Fellow @AEI. Indian-American, Kansan, husband, dad, Chiefs fan. I own a big mug." - @AjitPai's Twitter bio, archived via the Wayback Machine.
↑ If all sub-events and unrelated rips uploaded during their time period are counted towards events, then the reboot (349 uploads), Christmas 2016 (781), the President Haltmann Takeover (~1.4k), SiIvaFes (1085), WinterFes (378), SummerFes (884), Space Jam Charity SLAM! (381), DoomFes (498), The Cult of Proto (363) and the Return of The SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis (484) are also larger.

[1] "(Pai wanted to call himself "The Harlem Shakeover" but this name was denied by tournament staff.)" - Tweet by @GiIvaSunner; July 17, 2018.

[2] "...and, of course, finally make his dreams of a Harlem Shakeover a reality." - "Metal Ajit Pai" character bio on the King for Another Day Tournament MOJO!!; August 28, 2019.

[3] "...many of these video games would sound so much better with The Harlem Shake in them! Why not give the fans what they want? I call it...The Harlem Shakeover." - "The Harlem Shakeover – Metal Ajit Pai Interview" news post on the King for Another Day Tournament MOJO!!; November 23, 2019.

[4] "Former FCC Chairman, now Partner at Searchlight Capital Partners & Non-Resident Fellow @AEI. Indian-American, Kansan, husband, dad, Chiefs fan. I own a big mug." - @AjitPai's Twitter bio, archived via the Wayback Machine.

[5] If all sub-events and unrelated rips uploaded during their time period are counted towards events, then the reboot (349 uploads), Christmas 2016 (781), the President Haltmann Takeover (~1.4k), SiIvaFes (1085), WinterFes (378), SummerFes (884), Space Jam Charity SLAM! (381), DoomFes (498), The Cult of Proto (363) and the Return of The SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis (484) are also larger.

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