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A mic drop is the gesture of intentionally dropping one's microphone at the end of a performance or speech to signal triumph. Figuratively, it is an expression of triumph for a successful event and indicates a boastful attitude toward one's own performance. A mic drop is the antithesis of humility. The gesture dates to the 1980s when it was used by rappers and comedians. An early occurrence was Eddie Murphy in 1983 in his standup show Delirious.
The gesture then became widely popular from 2012 onwards. President Obama performed a mic drop in April 2012 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which has been credited with popularising the meme. At the White House Correspondents' Dinner on 30 April 2016, President Obama ended his speech with the words "Obama out", followed by a mic drop. A figurative use also features in a promotional video for the Invictus Games featuring Obama and the British Royal Family.
Google introduced a "mic drop" feature to Gmail on April 1, 2016 as an April Fools' Day joke, allowing users to send a GIF of a minion dropping a microphone as a reply to any email. If used, the feature also prevented the sender from seeing any subsequent replies that the recipient sent. The feature was removed within hours after Google received complaints from some users, with some reporting that they lost their job as a result of accidentally using it.