Haters gonna hate. The word “haters” wasn’t particularly common in the English lexicon until the late 1990s, and “haters gonna hate” first appeared in the lyrics of an R&B song in the year 2000. Today, the phrase is the source of countless memes and a recurring refrain in a popular Taylor Swift song. It’s almost become trendy to be a hater, and having haters is something of a badge of honor.