YouTube star IShowSpeed’s Africa tour offers a ‘different narrative’ from TV stereotypes
African-American influencer has busted cliches by showing a continent ‘on the move’ during his trip, which has resonated with fans at home
IShowSpeed, a 21-year-old African-American influencer, has raced a cheetah, leapt with Maasai warriors and drawn huge crowds in a month-long tour of Africa that has also busted cliches about the continent.
The YouTube and Twitch star’s tour, which started on December 29, has taken him to 20 countries, showing his tens of millions of followers a different side of Africa as he visited a diamond mine in Botswana, discovered Ethiopia’s rich cuisine and attended the Africa Cup of Nations football final in Morocco.
IShowSpeed – born Darren Jason Watkins Jnr in Cincinnati, in the US state of Ohio – is one of the most followed influencers on the planet.
He hit 50 million YouTube subscribers this month, while Rolling Stone magazine named him the most influential creator of 2025. Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$20 million.