The Strange Rise of Adin Ross, Explained – Complex

Who the hell is Adin Ross?

It’s a question you may have asked yourself lately if you spend any time on rap social media pages, Twitch, TikTok, or YouTube. 

Adin Ross’ face is everywhere right now. In the past month alone, he has been involved in a beef with Polo G, had a public FaceTime conversation with Travis Scott, and welcomed the following rappers on his daily livestream: Lil Yachty, Sheck Wes, Lil Tecca, Blueface, YBN Almighty Jay, and Lil Tjay.

The 20-year-old Twitch streamer-turned-YouTuber got his start in the gaming world, but he’s aligned himself with hip-hop artists over the past couple months, forming a particularly tight bond with Sheck Wes and the Cactus Jack crew. 

Along with his sudden rise in fame, there has been controversy. Ross was temporarily suspended from Twitch when a guest on his show (YouTuber ZIAS) reportedly used homophobic slurs on air. And his most viral content revolves around immature “sus raps” and making gay jokes, which brings into question how he’s made it this far without attracting even more backlash and controversy (more on that later).

Adin Ross’ following grows each day, and he says he plans to become more heavily involved in the rap world as time goes on. If you haven’t come across him yet, it’s only a matter of time until he becomes an even more inescapable presence on your timelines—for better or worse. So how did this guy get so popular in the first place? Why are rappers always on his streams? How is he continuing to get more popular while making offensive gay jokes all the time? 

Here’s what you need to know about the strange rise of Adin Ross.