Who's viral American Youtuber-rapper IShowSpeed, why he's in India
What's the story
American Youtuber-rapper IShowSpeed is in India. He has taken the internet by storm in the past few years through the livestreams of video games such as Roblox and Minecraft. The 18-year-old, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr, hails from Cincinnati and registered his channel IShowSpeed in 2017, where he posted gaming content. Not too long after, he became globally popular.
Career
Career beginnings: He got limelight on TikTok, Instagram
Per reports, Speed joined YT in 2016 but became active only in 2017, further garnering popularity in 2019. He gained attention from TikTok and subsequently Instagram users when his reactions from live streams became fodder for memes, and people got more intrigued about his content. In 2022, he won the Breakout Streamer of the Year at the 12th Streamy Awards, held in California.
Love for India
He's here to support Virat Kohli
He reportedly discovered Virat Kohli when he searched for the world's best cricketers and Kohli ranked at the top. Speed has mentioned Kohli multiple times and after landing in India, he declared, "I am here because of Kohli. I don't follow cricket back home, but I follow Kohli." He'll also attend the IND vs PAK match on Saturday and wants to meet Kohli.
Twitter Post
Take a look at him having fun in Mumbai!
🚨| WATCH: Only Speed can walk around Mumbai blasting Tunak Tunak Tun on a speaker 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/oqvzwI6sWn — Speedy HQ (@iShowSpeedHQ) October 12, 2023
Danced to 'Tunak Tunak'
He once danced to 'Tunak Tunak'
Speed's fascination for India also comes from a livestream where he danced to Daler Mehndi's Tunak Tunak Tun. He told HT, "I am excited to meet the Tunak Tunak guy. People have just been telling me 'come to India,' so here I am. India has this energy and I can't wait for it to come out. I am bringing mine out too."
Music
Music career and Instagram popularity
So far, he has reportedly churned out singles titled Portuginies, Dogs, World Cup, Dooty Booty, Shake, God is Good, and Ronaldo (Sewey). In addition to that, he has appeared in Tion Wayne's music video Let's Go (2022), which also featured British rapper Aitch. On Instagram, he is followed by a mammoth 12.6M people against a following of 284 users.
Love for Ronaldo
He is a huge Cristiano Ronaldo fan
Speed has always been quite vocal about his love for his favorite celebrities, one of whom is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. He reportedly even has a tattoo honoring Ronaldo and had the opportunity of finally meeting him in June 2023, a moment that was also celebrated by his fans on YouTube and other social media platforms. He has over two crore subscribers on YT.