In recent news, hip hop artist DeAndre Cortez Way, popularly known as Soulja Boy, has given his response to comments made by Miles Parks McCollum, another hip hop figure better known as Lil Yachty. The controversy had its roots in Lil Yachty’s recent boast about being the first rapper to join the live streaming platform, Twitch.
On his social media’s platform, Lil Yachty recently announced that he’s the first mainstream rapper to use Twitch, a platform predominantly used by video game enthusiasts for live streaming. However, Soulja Boy took to his social media channels to respond to this claim, stating that he was, in fact, the person who pioneered this trend in the hip-hop scene.
Soulja Boy’s retort is no surprise given his pioneering history with technology and blending different industries. He’s been known to actively engage in the gaming and digital streaming world for quite some time. The rapper even launched his own video game console, the “SouljaGame Console”, in 2018, although it was quickly discontinued amid legal disputes.
Soulja Boy pointed out that he was using Ustream, a live interactive video broadcast platform before transitioning to Twitch for streaming. Soulja Boy has taken it a notch higher by not only streaming his gaming sessions but also past album releases and other personal experiences to foster a closer bond with his fans.
Lil Yachty’s comments have sparked a dialogue, not just about who was first, but about the broader intersection between hip-hop culture and the gaming industry. This conversation reflects the rapid evolution of technology and how it is being adopted by various industries, including entertainment.
Despite the controversy arising from the comments, both rappers continue to use the platform to engage their fanbase, holding sessions that range from playing video games, creating music, to general lifestyle streams. These sessions offer fans an unfiltered look into their lives outside of their music careers, becoming a trend in the music industry spearheaded by rappers like Lil Yachty and Soulja Boy.
Their actions underline an emerging trend in the music industry: artists understanding and utilizing different digital platforms to maintain their relevance and strengthen their market presence. This shift has become more urgent against the backdrop of a global pandemic where physical interactions and performances have been significantly reduced, underlining digital media’s relevance in modern-day music marketing.
While there might be a controversy over who precisely was the first to stream on Twitch, both rappers’ actions have significantly influenced the hip-hop community’s transition to digital platforms such as Twitch.
