DJ Akademiks is typical. He has a typical body, sculpted from years clicking Playstation controllers in a recliner. He defends typical viewpoints like Drake’s supremacy in rap and hearty skepticism of mainstream news. His growth’s been unthinkably steady for 10 years because he looks like most men online. An overlord who spouts reactionary views before thinking them through, an aggrieved outsider who big corporations call on for edge, a one-eyed king in the valley of the blind. He started streaming out of his parents’ home in Queens, New York, and eventually built a fan base of gamer bros who resemble him: stunted and outspoken. Recently, Akademiks, née Livingston Allen, inked a deal to broadcast his views on Rumble, a video platform that’s attracted fringe conservative voices. The angry kind. The kind who didn’t want the election outcome we got. The kind who like their programming with garden-variety misogyny, hate speech, and snark. The kind who troll.

The fringe in hip-hop looks much different now. The renegade, anti-establishment spirit that conceived the art mutated to survive the age of conspiracy and social media clout. For one, rappers no longer occupy the driver’s seat. Nor do DJs. Bloggers, podcasters, and streamers like Joe Budden and Hassan Campbell push bars now. They’re the savviest marketers, watching algorithms and analytics to choose discussion topics that’ll most provoke and upset the men tuned in. And it’s easier to tap the livestream button and rail about your disappointment to thousands than it is to compose a song with melodies and styles that’ll please a select few. Although the field seems crowded with former pro athletes and once promising vocalists, the barrier to entry is much lower. A smartphone and Hennessy binge could put you in front of a million strong within a few months. Moreover, the perception of the establishment has changed. Now it’s considered any voice who wants to monitor vitriol or burnish proven facts.

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