Wearing a collared shirt and preppy shorts on his Valedictorian album cover, ian looks like the typical white boy in the Travis Scott mosh pit. However, this “you know I had to do it to em” meme look-alike isn’t another generic rap fan but rather a viral sensation who makes the music his frat bros listen to.
Rapping over beats that sound tailored for Future or Chief Keef, he has earned co-signs from the likes of Lil Yachty, Kai Cenat, Russ, and Cole Bennett. A quick glance at his Spotify and TikTok, ian looks like a million-dollar baby racking up seven-figure views. If that wasn’t enough, his growing fanbase has shut down streets in LA and New York just for a handshake.
Ian’s humor, acknowledging that he lacks the ancestral history of those who pioneered the sub-genres of rap his sound copies, is offensive to some (Pitchfork gave Valedictorian a scathing 4.1 review) and entertaining to others—enough to produce virality.
Love him or hate him, ian’s captured the internet’s attention. Below, find five things to know about the finance-bro-looking rapper (one for each minute he’s been in the spotlight) sparking “Back in my day…” comments from oldheads everywhere.
#1 He started as a SoundCloud artist & producer
According to Genius, ian first stepped onto the scene by releasing his own mixes on Soundcloud, like 2019’s “KEEFMIX.” Simultaneously, he began producing for other artists like Lil Xelly and Izaya Tiji, which helped him refine his sound. From there, he began releasing full-length projects, including 2022’s Only For A While EP and 2023’s Empty Suit EP
#2 His song “Figure It Out” blew up on TikTok and Youtube
A Tiktok of ian and his family singing along to his song “Figure It Out” went viral on Easter Sunday (March 31). Fans loved how his mother seemed to know every word of the song, obviously her son’s biggest fan.
From there, ian posted an official clip on April 11 of his From the Block performance of “Figure It Out,” which now has over one million views on TikTok. Comments on the performance ranged from Yeat comparisons to users like Koalaboy52 saying the song “so perfect it ruin my headspace.”
The official music video, which premiered May 13 with over 968K views, features ian being driven around by football legend Marshawn Lynch (also mentioned in the song).
#3 He got the Kai Cenat & Lil Yachty stamp of approval
At the beginning of April, Lil Yachty joined Kai Cenat on his livestream for the show’s usual comedic antics (including Yachty trying a birth simulator). While on the stream, they listened to “Figure it Out” as Lil Yachty danced along to the beat. A week later, Kai reacted and sang along to ian’s From the Block performance on a solo stream.
Perhaps stemming from the Kai Cenat introduction, ian was recently spotted in the studio with Lil Yachty and his Concrete Boys artists. He’s yet to collab with a major artist.
#4 He is building a ride-or-die fanbase
To promote the release of Valedictorian, ian drove through the city of New York and Los Angeles the week of May 14 as fans followed along the car. He can be seen in clips online playing his mixtape through a giant speaker while dapping up the outstretched hands of fans.
The crowd comprised hundreds of fans rapping along to every word of the project that just dropped. Even fans who couldn’t make it can see the impact of ian’s aura, TikTok user dave.10k commented, “I felt the aura before I even turned on my phone,” on one of ian’s recent videos.
#5 His family is the trap Brady Bunch
Ian’s From the Block performance features his family sitting at the dinner table, nodding and eating along as he raps from the head seat. Complete with an American flag in the back, it’s the complete opposite of what you would expect these Brady Bunch lookalikes to put on the aux.
However, ian capitalizes on that shock factor through his social media. For his Valedictorian announcement, he recruited his grandmother and mother to help break the news. They look like they are more likely to listen to ABBA than A Boogie.
Nevertheless, they excitedly share the news of his upcoming music video and release date. Including his family in the hip-hop space is odd, but that’s precisely why it gets people’s attention.
Whether you believe ian is an industry plant or one of rap’s next big hitters, ian continues to make big moves.
