Before They Were Famous

Rae Sremmurd is a hip-hop duo consisting of real-life brothers, Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee. These Mississippi-raised artists have come to embody a new type of mainstream music that creates a kaleidoscope of musical genres which encourages their listeners to dance, jump, or simply sing along depending upon their mood. In that sense, they’re very much the encapsulation of the endless alternatives defining Generation Z. Their first two albums were monumental hits, which emboldened these two to turn their third album into an extremely experimental 3-disc project. Unfortunately, when it wasn’t embraced the way they thought it might be, cracks in their foundation began to show. Rumors of discontent cropped up. Then something much worse would happen when their step-father was murdered by their own flesh and blood. A year later, Slim would be behind bars himself. Think you know what happened? Then leave your answers below -- as for the rest of you -- stay tuned for one of the craziest stories you’ve heard in a while on our latest episode of Where Are They Now!

Nardo Wick has only been rapping for about two-years and he’s still somehow managed to find the blueprint for success when it comes to the hip-hop game. Last year, his single “Who Want Smoke” earmarked him as the next big thing to emerge out of Jacksonville. And when the remix of that track featuring Lil Durk, 21 Savage, and G-Herbo landed, Wick’s career was wholly-cemented. Now, this 20-year-old is on the threshold of what will no doubt become an extremely successful career. And to think it all started with a $40 mic and a desire to escape the Jacksonville street life. After living through about as difficult a childhood as you can imagine, one with an absent mother who had been locked-away due to her proclivity for scamming others, Wick would eventually team up with his former drug-dealing father who would teach himself how to record music as a sound engineer so that he could help his son accomplish his dreams. Want to learn more about the incredible come-up of Nardo Wick? Then keep watching our latest episode of Before They Were Famous!

This female streamer known the world over as Amouranth is an American costume designer, model, and social media influencer who has quickly become one of the fastest-growing Twitch personalities of all time, a platform where she’s recognized for her highly detailed cosplay outfits and for pioneering what’s come to be known as the Hot Tub Meta. But where did this video-game playing knock-out come from and how did she turn herself into one of the most influential streamers ever? Well, believe it or not, but it all began after she taught herself how to design costumes over ten years ago, a skill that would lead her from the hallowed halls of the Houston Grand Opera house to sitting in the comfort of her very own jacuzzi at home, collecting paychecks most of us can only ever dream of. For the full rundown of her rise to fame sit tight for this Before They Were Famous video, also Amouranth if you are watching this video a few of the boys here at the office are big fans so a shoutout would probably make their week, month, and even year.

In today’s day-and-age, many Twitch streamers have larger-than-life personalities and most are more than willing to go over the top when it comes to keeping their viewers invested. xQc is no different. One of the platform’s most continually watched superstars, xQc began his professional career as an Overwatch player before a couple suspensions would see him altering his career path slightly and going full-time on Twitch. Now he streams upwards of nine hours a day and his fans can’t get enough. So, then why did xQc decide to return back home to Canada after a brief stint in LA? And how did he even get his start as a Streamer to begin with? Leave your own thoughts to those questions down below and then find out the answers on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

Video-game streamer Tyler Blevins is best known to the vast majority of us as Ninja, and he’s also the closest thing that gaming has ever really had to a crossover superstar. Thanks largely to his incredible skill at playing “Fortnite”, not to mention the good-natured and mischievous ways in which he composes himself with his fans, this 29-year-old has amassed a truly epic following across nearly every conceivable social media platform on his way to earning what’s reported to be around $500,000 a month from streaming. But despite his many, many successes, Ninja has recently come under attack in the press for his association with fellow streamer JiDion. So, why did Ninja promise to speak with Twitch-execs on JiDion’s behalf? And just what does it have to do with his potential lawsuit against streamer Pokimane? Stay tuned past the jump to find out the answer to those questions and more on our newest episode of Where Are They Now!

On the Dark Side of Fame is another story altogether and Pokimane is no different. Although she’s only been streaming for a few years, she’s already made a number of enemies in the midst of her own community, all of whom consider her to be the very definition of a hypocrite thanks to her frequent use of Copyright-Strikes. Then there are those rumors of manipulating her male fans, not to mention some shockingly racist remarks. All of which serves to remind us that Pokimane might very well be one of the most divisive characters on the internet. When it comes to the story I’m about to tell you today -- I don’t think anyone is in the right -- not Pokimane, not JiDion, not Ninja, not anyone. Instead, what’s become obvious to me is that everyone is looking out for themselves while pretending to do so out of consideration for the greater good. So, join me as I uncover a bottomless pit of lies as we do a deep dive into the Dark Side of Pokimane’s fame.

Atlanta-based rap-sensation, Gunna got his first taste of the spotlight after appearing in Young Thug’s 2016 single, “Floyd Mayweather”, where his performance would facilitate Thug offering him a spot on the YSL roster. Two months later, Gunna dropped the first in what would become his “Drip Season” series, a project that has just finally wrapped-up some six-years later with the release of “DS4EVER”. Today, Gunna is one of the biggest names in all of rap and the inventor of everyone’s favorite new phrase: “Pushin’ P”. Wait a second, what the heck does that mean? Don’t worry, we’ll get into it -- but first, let’s circle back to the early stages of last decade when Gunna was hustling on the Atlanta streets and coming to the realization that he needed to find a way out. Want to learn more? Then keep watching Before They Were Famous!

JiDion is an American YouTuber and comedy prankster who, over the past couple years, has become immensely popular and seen his YouTube subscriber count jump by 2 Million in the closing months of 2021! How has he done it? Well, he’s been creating his content since late 2018 and over that span of time he’s concocted some truly outlandish stunts that have his fanbase continually coming back for more. Whether it’s his obsession with DeMarcus Cousins, his rivalry with the shoe-store manager known as Tyrone, or his developing beef with Twitch streamer Pokimane, sometimes it seems like no matter what JiDion attempts next, it’s practically guaranteed to make waves. But JiDion wasn’t always convinced that he’d be YouTube’s next big thing. For a long stretch of his early life, he imagined that his future might lie in Football. Want to learn more about the come-up of JiDion? Then check out this new episode of Before They Were Famous!

One of YouTube’s most controversial figures of all time and the man most of us know simply as Leafy, has made his long-awaited return to YouTube after having been permanently banned from the platform back in August of 2020. Leafy’s entire YouTube career has been a bumpy ride to say the least, chock-full of the highest of highs which were then followed up by the lowest of lows. Whether he was stirring up trouble for iDubbz, mocking the appearance of TommyNC2010, or turning his wrath towards Twitch streamer, Pokimane, Leafy always had a hard time keeping his mouth shut. And guess what? He still does! Because even though he’s still banned from the likes of both YouTube AND Twitch, that’s not going to stop him from mounting a comeback. Want to learn what sent him into hiding in the first place? Then keep watching our newest episode of Where Are They Now!

Having broken through with a viral hit when he was no older than 17-years-old, YBN Nahmir cashed in his “Gamer” tag for a microphone, going from a prolific online gamer to a burgeoning rap star virtually overnight. Alongside his friends, YBN Almighty Jay and YBN Cordae, these three made up the primary membership of the YBN collective and worked together to find enormous success by dropping singles and videos that were quickly consumed and streamed in the millions by their legion of loyal fans. But unfortunately, all three young men wouldn’t see their careers accelerate at the same pace. This would eventually lead to some hard feelings and by the summer of 2020, a split was all but inevitable. Since then, YBN Nahmir has recorded and released his debut studio album, “Visionland”, which dropped in March of 2021. But are his days with the YBN collective really over? And what exactly happened to break up this group of the tight-knit group in the first place? Stay tuned to our newest episode of Where Are They Now to find out!