Social media and streaming platforms Youtube and Twitch have been dominated by the White community since the 2010s. Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewdiePie, has a dominating 111M subscribers on YouTube, claiming the title of the most subscribed YouTube gamer. But in 2017, he angrily used the n-word during a livestream that was seen by millions of people. Once a role model for many, he became someone who in the end was yet another disappointment. Moving forward, the best thing we can do as a community is shed light on the many Black content creators who deserve that platform instead.

iBerleezy

Berlin Edmond, Berleezy on YouTube, was born on December 16, 1992. He first gained popularity on his YouTube channel through comedy skits he created in which he would make commentary over cartoons, “roasting” and “exposing” them. He has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and 590K on Twitch. He is the founder of the clothing brand Eezy Gang, where he posts his merchandise. His first gaming video was uploaded in 2016, where he played the first Outlast. He’s played games like Sims 4, The Walking Dead, Resident Evil, Life is Strange, and many more, including small indie horror games. He’s a talented comedian who has a unique sense of humor, with catchphrases such as “On me!”, “Eugh!” and “There go Berlin in the game!”. He is a very unproblematic figure who does all he can to ensure his community feels welcomed and humored. He’s a member of “SOMEBROS” on YouTube with PG, Dontai, Krysta, Jojo, Joe, and Rico. He often livestreams on Twitch, uploading his highlights on eezyTV.

CoryxKenshin

Cory Williams, CoryxKenshin on YouTube, was born on November 9, 1992. He is known for the fact that he never swears in his videos and for his Christian faith. He is nicknamed “The Anklebreaker” and “The Shogun”. From making skits in his mother’s basement, he paved his way up to 14 million subscribers, making him one of the most subscribed YouTubers of color. He often takes breaks from uploading for his own mental health and family, and his fanbase, officially called “The Samurai”, is a loyal tribe that waits patiently for him to return every time. Some of his classic skits include CoryxKenshin Highlights where he recaps his past greatest/funniest moments into one video, CoryxComments where he replies to his fanbase’s messages, Cooking With Kenshin where he chefs up meals in his kitchen, and Spooky Scary Sunday where he reacts to scary videos sent in by The Samurai. Some of his catchphrases include, “Cause my name is CoryxKenshin!”, “Get yo freakin’ ankles broke!”, and “Samurai slice that like button!”. His merch collection has dropped multiple times on https://coryxkenshin.com/, including a collaboration with his childhood admiration, Bruce Lee with the Bruce Lee Foundation.

RDCWorldGaming

RDCWorldGaming on YouTube, consists of seven members: Mark Philips, Leland Manigo, Desmond “Des” Johnson, Affiong “Aff” Harris, Benjamin “Ben” Skinner, Dylan “Dyl” Patel, and Johnathan “John” Newton. An extension to their main channel RDCworld1 where they make skits, they now have a channel where they upload playthroughs. A popular skit is the Video Game House, a comedy series created in 2016 which is depicted as a reality TV show where popular video game characters live in a house together. They often livestream their videos on Twitch.

Krystalogy

Krysta Easton, Kyrstalogy on YouTube, was born on June 9, 1998. Krystalogy is the study of Kyrasta. Growing up, she always loved entertainment. “She loved the camera, the spotlight, the adoration.”, Lifeware claims. Thanks to her dad, she grew up loving video games as well. “It was a way to keep us together and playing and having fun together. Every night for us, which would be morning for him, we would get online and have fun. It was one of the main, solidifying things as far as my interest in video games goes,” she said. She started off with Sims playthroughs and Minecraft “Let’s Plays”, but her career really started to take off once she hopped on Twitch to start streaming and by 2020 became a full Twitch partner. “Things were looking [good] for me. I was financially stable, and I had a really amazing support system with my family that if I did end up falling on my ass, I had somewhere to go to,” she said about going full-time. “And ever since, it has been going great!” She’s a member of the “SOMEBROS” YouTube channel.

AyChristene

Christene (last name unknown for privacy), AyChristeneGames on YouTube, was born on May 8, 1988. She had always wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, and bring people together through laughter. She also wants to be a singer and actress, and often uploads videos of her singing original songs on YouTube. She has been a content creator since 2015. She was listed as one of the 132 grantees in the inaugural class of YouTube’s Black Voices Fund. “It is super important to me to bring together and collaborate with other Black gaming creators because this is the one group of the YouTube community that has been largely underrepresented in regards to gaming. When you look at all the genres of gaming, there normally isn’t a Black face, and if there is, it’s probably just one,” Christene said. “Especially after all the events that happened in the U.S.A. last year, it is now more important than ever for us to come together and be the ones that change the face of gaming by collaborating with each other and lifting each other up. My daughter already loves watching video games on our TV. It is important for Black gamers to see Black gamers. I want to see my daughter grow up seeing others that look like her on YouTube and on TV.” 

RicoTheGiant

Tyrique Joseph, RicoTheGiant on YouTube, was born on July 26, 1998. With over 850K subscribers, his most popular videos are Prison Simulator and Sneak Thief, his most popular reaching 1.5 million views. Based on his name, he’s said to approximately be a whopping 6’7 feet tall. Apart from gaming, he’s also a music producer. He’s a member of “SOMEBROS” on YouTube.

POiiSED

POiiSED (his real name unknown) on YouTube was born on January 10, 1992. He is known for playing games such as Slender: The Arrival, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, DreadOut, Outlast, World War Z: Aftermath, Little Nightmares II, Five Nights at Freddy’s, etc. Apart from games, he uploads challenge videos, reaction videos, and YouTube shorts. He uploads “Screamtages” which are compilations of his jumpscares from horror games. His main catchphrase is “I make it look easy!”. He is also a streamer on Twitch.

ImDontai

Dontai Ethridge, ImDontai Gaming on YouTube, was born on September 2, 1992. He has another channel, ImStillDontai, where he re-uploads Twitch streams. He makes all types of videos including gaming videos, reaction videos, reviews, interviews, etc. His gaming channel has over 700k subscribers, his most popular videos being Modern Warfare gameplays. His intelligence and humor are shown in every video he uploads, bringing a smile to each and every viewer.