REACTIONS PT. I — “Then, all of a sudden, we were laughing, and…”

Totally buggin’, vehicular style: “Just relax and drive, baby! Just relax and drive.”

Phat! vocabulary of the 90s: “KATO”

BACKGROUND: If you grew up in the nineties, there was a televised scandal in the making that had more people glued to their TV than most fictional series’ finales to date – and that was the O.J. Simpson trial and it was everywhere. If you vaguely remember it or aren’t all that familiar with the court case that lasted from 1994 to 95, O.J. Simpson – the ex-NFL football star – was tried on two counts of murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. And he was found not guilty, even with the evidence piled against him.

Brian Jerard “Kato” Kaelin was a key witness in the murder trial and investigation of O.J. Simpson. Kato was physically present on the Simpson property when the murders took place and told a story that contradicted Simpson’s own account. However, he rambled throughout his testimony, fumbled with his word choice, was rather vague and inconsistent, and was pretty much a mess during examination. It earned him plenty of ridicule by the media, and comedians and the general population hammered him for it.

MEANING: Essentially a snarky comment to call a person a parasite, an unnecessary hang-on, a freeloader. As in: Why are you still around? And why haven’t you faded away yet? Ooh, score!