How creator Razi Irawani’s ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ remix and a dancing chicken nugget took over TikTok

Razi Irawani has always wanted to be an actor. While waiting for the perfect role, which to him would be Kuzcoo in a live-action remake of the “Emporer’s New Groove,” he started a TikTok account in 2015, posting skits and musical videos. Soon, the Iraqi-born creator living in Denmark broke out on the platform. He pulled in seven million subscribers and hundreds of millions of views. 

But one June day, his father-in-law sent him a link to “Cotton Eye Joe,” a dance party anthem from the mid-90s...