Who Was In Paris? The Answer To The Viral 'Kanye West' Meme Explained

Kanye West has inspired a lot of memes over the years, whether through his big Balenciaga boots or an image of himself holding a notepad. One of the biggest memes surrounding the controversial rapper, though, is the "Who Was In Paris?" meme, which asks the simple question, "Who was in Paris?" If you know your Kanye lore, you might know the answer, but if not, here's an explanation.

What Is The 'Who Was In Paris' Meme?

The earliest known meme to ask the question, "Who was in Paris?" was posted to Reddit in 2020 and features rapper Lil Pump, captioned, "Oh you like Kanye West? Tell me who is in Paris then." Over the following years, memes continued to go viral asking the question, often presented as if you might get in trouble for giving the answer.

As it turns out, you just might get in trouble for giving the answer, unless you're Black. The answer to the question is rooted in the 2013 Kanye West and Jay-Z song "N****s in Paris," with the answer being the n-word. So, yeah, depending on who you are, if you're asked who was in Paris, it might be in your best interest to plead the fifth.

How Is 'Who Was In Paris?' Used In Memes?

The question is largely used in image macros with captions using some version of the phrase "Who was in Paris?" The images used often imply some sort of threat if the reader doesn't answer the question, such as the original Lil Pump meme.

Some memes poke fun at the question by offering an alternative answer to who was in Paris, such as a meme showing Ninja at the Eiffel Tower captioned, "I finally found out who was in Paris." The question has also gone viral on TikTok, with some of the most popular examples framing the question as if it's being asked in a game of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

For the full history of "Who was in Paris?" be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.