"Transcending the game" – the new Drake sound and catchphrase that's trending on TikTok

June 12 2026

TikTok has a new catchphrase for talking about things you love: "Transcending the game".

The phrase has taken off both as a sound and a much-used phrase after appearing in a Nike advert for the launch of Kevin Durant's new KD 19 basketball shoes – his 19th signature shoe with the brand.

In the advert Canadian rapper Drake hypes up a series of shoes the NBA basketball player is trying on – starting with a sneaker-cowboy boot hybrid which he says is "transcending the game", followed by furry shoes to "dominate the Alaskan market" and finally the actual KD 19s.

Thousands of people on TikTok have quickly latched on to the sound and they're using it to post about all kinds of everyday things they love.

There are already more than 50,000 videos on one version of the sound.

Many of the videos are about foods and drinks people have either just discovered for the first time or have recently rediscovered – which they're treating as the best invention anyone has ever come up with.

One of the biggest posts on the sound is this TikTok joking about rediscovering his love for cereal every few months – with 10 million views and two million likes since he posted it at the end of May.

Other popular videos on the sound include someone talking about trying a Starbucks white chocolate mocha for the first time, someone rediscovering the McGriddle sandwiches from McDonald's, and someone joking about how she feels when she goes through a "bagel phase".

Elsewhere, people are using the sound to post everything from favourite music, movies and video games to green flags in relationships.

As with a lot of TikTok sounds, "transcending the game" is starting to move beyond just a trending audio and into everyday TikTok language. The phrase is already being used in video captions and comments as a shorthand way of highlighting something unexpectedly brilliant.

One of the newest FoodTok trends is crispy Krispy Kreme doughnuts – where people pan-fry glazed doughnuts for a couple of minutes to caramelise the sugar and get a crispy outside. This TikTok from the creator inspiring the trend picked up several "transcending the game" comments from people thinking it's a genius idea.

Someone who's tried the crispy doughnuts hack posted a TikTok where she used the phrase to sum up how much she loved the doughnuts. She said: "Oh my God! Wow. Transcending the game. Honestly, I don't think I have ever been happier. Wow."

Buzz from Shooglebox

"Transcending the game" is just one of the many current trends that our Buzz service surfaces for brands and anyone else who needs to stay ahead of what different audiences and communities are seeing, doing, and getting excited about on TikTok and across social media.