EsDeeKid is a great example of this.
An artist couldn't ask for a better blow up than he had in 2025.
- Mystery
- Great numbers
- Timothee Chalamet feat (synchronized with major movie promotion)
All of that attention fizzled out. Does that mean he fell off? F**k no. The life cycle of attention is just way shorter now.
Streamers are talked about more because they are teasing, promoting, and creating new content daily.
The bright side for artists is; streaming = "what have you done for me lately"
Artists = "what have you done for me".
EsDeeKid (or any artist that blows up) music will be streamed consistently for years. Nobody is re-watching full IShowSpeed VOD's in China, as mind-blowing as it was at the time.
I saw a recent No Jumper interview clip where Adam was talking to Shawn Cee (Say Cheese blog owner), and he talked about how the new generation doesn’t idolize rappers anymore, they idolize streamers.
And I feel like a big reason for that is access. Fans today understand music industry deals (to an extent,) they know what their streaming numbers look like, and even how much artists are really making. Meanwhile, streamers look more lit and like they’re making more money too.
Streaming def helped rappers gain exposure (at least in the beginning.) But now we’re starting to see how much it’s changed how consumers view them. When fans can see an artist’s entire process in real time, the mystique disappears. And I get how annoying that might sound to artists because they’re constantly being told “stop being mysterious! show the process!” But that type of accessibility has directly contributed to the decline of artists feeling larger than life.