Darren Watkins Jr. (born January 21, 2005), known professionally as IShowSpeed, is an American recording artist and YouTube star from Cincinnati, Ohio who makes gaming and entertainment livestreams.

IShowSpeed created his YouTube account in March 2016 and published his first video in December 2017, with his content primarily consisting of NBA 2K and Fortnite livestreams. His YouTube career was relatively silent until mid-2021 when clips from his livestreams virally spread across TikTok, causing him to blow up and gain a million subscribers in a span of a few days.

Although IShowSpeed frequently freestyles in his streams, he didn’t release his first song “Pasito” until June 2021. After his hit single “Shake” released, it blew up on the aforementioned TikTok which gave him further recognition.

From there, Speed began an arc of following the sport of football—even releasing a sport-related track, “Ronaldo (SEWEY)”, in honor of his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

With the success of his seemingly for fun music career, it seems record label, Warner Records, saw something promising in the 17-year old star, ultimately signing him in late 2022. Speed is already making a mark as one of Warner’s youngest signees, releasing his debut single under the label, “World Cup”, a song which, as the name insinuates, is an unofficial anthem for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Top Song