Photo: Getty Images
February has officially closed out along with Black History Month. While there were plenty of exciting moments that went down in the world of content creation, it was also rife with viral controversies. From Kai Cenat carving out a legacy on Twitch to popular streamer Adin Ross being accused of racism, these were the biggest Black moments from last month.
YouTuber's Entire Channel Deleted
Berleezy, a gaming YouTuber with over 2.2 million subscribers, suffered a heartbreaking surprise earlier this month: he found his entire YouTube channel deleted.
The Black content creator said he was watching TV when he got an email blatantly stating his YouTube was terminated. He also explained that he uploaded a video of Poop Killer 4, and at one point in the video, he zoomed in on what appeared to be a sex toy in the background.
“Imagine had I lost everything over a video game dildo, bro," Berleezy said in a TikTok addressing the situation. "Could you imagine the pits in my stomach?”
According to YouTube, which displays the reason why a channel was deleted, Berleezy was punished for "multiple severe violations of YouTube’s policy on nudity or sexual content." Typically, YouTubers get a warning and three strikes for violating the Google-owned website's policy or community guidelines before channel termination. The issue is, Berleezy never got a warning or a strike over the violation.
Berleezy eventually got his channel restored after his fans and the community criticized YouTube. Despite this, the creator said he felt like he was unfairly targeted during Black History Month of all times.
"When you're signing up for these companies... they don't owe you anything. If they just wanted to just cut anybody out, they could," Berleezy said. "They don't owe me my channel back, bro, which is a very scary feeling to be dealing with. This is my livelihood."
Adin Ross Goes Viral After White Friend Repeatedly Says N-Word
Streamer Adin Ross has been in hot water for weeks over controversial comments and his bombastic move from Twitch to Kick, a new streaming platform. One of his more viral moments last month was when his white friend, who he calls Cozy, was caught on stream saying the N-word over and over again.
While Ross was waiting for the Super Bowl to start on February 12, he decided to dial up Cozy while on stream. Not long after Ross tells him he's live on Kick, Cozy wasted no time dropping the N-word.
"F**k Twitch. Suck my d**k, n***a," the friend says emphatically, later asking if he can "say like something crazy?”
“You can say whatever you want," Ross responds.
"Wait, something that starts with an F?” Cozy replies. The white caller then starts repeatedly saying, “N****s is gay," before Ross shows Cozy mooning the stream.
This moment and prior incidents, like offering money to strangers who can "act Black," have led to people accusing Ross of being racist. The 22-year-old streaming star addressed the criticism, saying he wouldn't be the person he is without Black culture.
"Look around bro. I love everyone for them. I don't care about your skin, your religion, any of that s**t bro and honestly bro, without black culture, there would not be Adin Ross," he said. "I've had a lot of people I've collaborated with, I've had a lot of friends, you know what I mean? It's just true bro. Like, without black culture, there is no Adin Ross. It's facts bro, it's facts."
Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat Makes History
On the last day of Black History Month, Twitch star Kai Cenat broke the platform's record of having the most subscribers at 300,000. The 21-year-old streamer did this during a month-long "subathon," where he streams for 24 hours a day doing anything from gaming and sleeping to interviews with high-profile figures. Cenat describes the endeavor as the "hardest thing of my life."
"I’m glad I did it. I challenged myself," Cenat said. "I said I was going to do something — we said we were going to do something, and we did it! We did it, bro!”
iShowSpeed Pours Milk Into Deep Fryer, Insanity Ensues
One of YouTube's biggest streamers went viral again for another hair-brained incident, this time involving a deep fryer. iShowSpeed, who surged in popularity thanks to his chaotic streams, didn't learn his lesson when he almost set his house on fire last year from fireworks.
An infamous clip shows Speed trying to fry a corn dog in his bedroom, and it was already a recipe for disaster. The fryer was sitting on a folded chair surrounded by carpet, and as the piping hot oil is going, the streamer then pours a bit of cold almond milk into the vat.
"Yo, is that normal?" he asks, watching the reaction inside the fryer. He then proceeds to pour more milk, stepping back as the oil starts to bubble up. Another clip shows him adding more milk, claiming it'll cook the hotdog faster. That's when the oil quickly starts rising, prompting Speed to jump to his feet, telling the fryer to "calm" down, and then barking at it.
Luckily, nothing spilled over but the moment elicited both laughter and facepalms across the internet.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.