What gaming and hiphop have in common
Gaming is a culture
Gaming and hiphop are the defining youth cultures of our time. In fact, they have a lot in common. Clinton Sparks recently wrote a piece for The Esport Observer in which he pointed those similarities out.
Sparks has to know. After years as a mixtape DJ, Grammy-nominated music producer, and radio host, he spent nearly two years as VP of business development for FaZe Clan, one of America’s largest esports organizations. Shareholders of FaZe Clan include real hiphop royalty: Offset, Jimmy Iovine and DJ Paul. Last year Sparks launched the new gaming lifestyle brand “XSET”.
“Gaming is the new way out of the hood and off the streets”
For his Observer article, Sparks focuses on the similarities between hiphop and gaming. To him, both are the embodiment of the American Dream. Both are determining youth culture and are severely underestimated by the mainstream.
“They are both driven by youth culture, authenticity, competitiveness, shit-talking, and the hope of becoming successful in doing it. Both are misunderstood and underrated by the mainstream and parents.”
Esports, like hiphop or sports, are a way to drastically change one’s living circumstances. Sparks mentions a gamer who recently saved his family from the threat of homelessness by qualifying for a Fortnite tournament and winning $50,000.
XSET, the company Sparks founded together with former FaZe Clan president Greg Selkoe, is not focussing on the success of the individual gamer, but on the culture.
The brand is supposed to represent the rags to riches stories that esports tell. XSET’s focus would also be on social justice and the inclusion of minorities.
“We intend to have a very clear social mission of inclusion. We want to stand up for kids who have been bullied or feel like there’s not a gaming organization for them. We want our organization to look like the youth of America.”
Sparks clearly takes a page or two from the culture he grew up in. Hiphop is a reaction to exclusion and therefore opposed to it. Hiphop is characterized by its own rags to riches narrative: People who suffer from marginalization due to classism and racism overcome obstacles through creativity, gain visibility, respect and prosperity.
“XSET” is intended to follow in the same vein, dealing with gaming.
“Gaming is the new hiphop”
Another similarity: In both cases, kids understand the true value behind the cultures while cooperations often miss it. Sparks predicts that gaming will follow hiphop’s path into the mainstream in the foreseeable future. For cooperations, it is therefore important not to make the same mistake, that parents and the media made when they denounced hiphop back in the days. Otherwise, the chance to participate in the success of the next big superstar would probably be missed.
Sparks is talking about the USA. In many other countries, hiphop has also not yet completed its journey into the mainstream. The two cultures, which are similar in so many ways, are therefore the biggest challenges and opportunities for European brands in 2021. However, because of their similarities and overlaps, there are many ways to address them together.
Sources:
- Clinton Sparks, From Poverty to Prosperity: How Gaming is the New Hip Hop. The Esport Observer, 2021 https://esportsobserver.com/hip-hop-new-gaming-xset/
- Taylor Lorenz, Can FaZe Clan Build a Billion-Dollar Business?. The New York Times, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/style/faze-clan-house.html
- Taylor Lorenz & Kellen Browning, FaZe Clan President Departs: ‘It’s Time for Gaming to Clean Up Its Act’. The New York Times, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/style/xset-gaming-lifestyle-company-faze-clan.html
- Wallace Witkowski, Videogames are a bigger industry than movies and North American sports combined, thanks to the pandemic. Marketwatch, 2021 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/videogames-are-a-bigger-industry-than-sports-and-movies-combined-thanks-to-the-pandemic-11608654990
