Every now and then, the internet crowns a new meme king, and this time, it’s the “Eye of Rah.”
If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram Reels lately, you’ve probably encountered the peculiar image of a red-haired man, photoshopped to have a single cyclopean eye, saying, “Ay, yo, chill the f**k out, yo!”
The origins? A chaotic mix of Hood Cryptids, brainrot edits, and TikTok’s ever-expanding meme factory.
What Is the Eye of Rah Meme?
The Eye of Rah, also referred to as the Eye of Ra, is a viral image of TikToker Rashad Bowens (@lilbotheme), edited to have one eye and an exaggerated flame-like red dreadlock.
@eyeofrahoffical #stitch with @meka716_ ♬ original sound – Rashad Bowens
The meme, born from TikTok’s Hood Lobotomy trend, exploded in early 2025, quickly getting stitched into absurd, surreal edits.
But what makes it stick? Its sheer randomness, for one. TikTok user Jeremiah Springfield (@frightenedsheep25937582) kick-started the trend by modifying a clip of Bowens reacting to a video of someone salting a cucumber.
@frightenedsheep25937582 #CapCut #fyp ♬ original sound – Jeremiah Springfield
Instead of fading into internet obscurity, the heavily edited clip became a staple of the Hood Cryptids trend, much like I Bought a Property in Egypt and Chopped Chin.
Where Did It Come From?
This meme has roots in a 2022 TikTok clip where Bowens interrupted a duet with his now-iconic “Ay, yo, chill the f**k out, yo!”
The clip gained traction, but it wasn’t until Springfield’s 2024 edit—with its single-eye twist—that the Eye of Rah was born.
After Springfield uploaded the edit on November 26, 2024, TikTok user @zketchum commented, Eye of Ra, a play on the Curse of Ra from Egyptian mythology.
That single comment took off, gathering over 21,000 likes and cementing the meme’s name.
By December, Instagram users like @skaxta added their own spin, inserting Bowens’ cyclopean face into chaotic CapCut edits.
@.bob911_ property in egypt#propertyinegypt #egypt #vexbolts #choppedchin #eyeofrah#fyp#viral#meme#2025 ♬ original sound – Bob.15297
Then came the cross-meme collaborations—by January 2025, the Eye of Rah was mashed up with Chopped Chin and I Bought a Property in Egypt, morphing into peak “brainrot content.”
Why Is the Eye of Rah Meme So Popular?
The Eye of Rah thrives on overstimulation. It’s chaotic, fast-paced, and surreal—prime ingredients for TikTok virality.
The edits often include quick cuts, bizarre captions, and sound effects that make them impossible to look away from.
They follow a growing trend of internet “sludge content,” where the more unhinged a meme looks, the more attention it gets.
Then there’s Rashad Bowens himself. His expressive reactions and distinct red dreadlocks make him a standout figure, much like how “Skibidi Toilet” or Ohio Final Boss leveraged distinct visuals to stay in the meme cycle.
The fact that Bowens embraces the meme adds another layer to its appeal—he’s in on the joke, making it even funnier.
The Future of the Eye of Rah
Like all viral internet trends, the Eye of Rah has a lifespan. Whether it burns out in a month or mutates into something even more chaotic remains to be seen.
What’s certain is that its DNA—absurd edits, over-the-top visual effects, and Hood Irony—will live on.
For now, if you see a red-haired cyclops pop up on your TikTok feed, just know: you’ve officially entered the Eye of Rah era.
