Could ‘Video Game Rap’ Be YouTube’s Latest Breakout Content Category?

In terms of content genres, gaming and music both dominate the YouTube landscape. ‘Minecraft’ was the top search query on all of YouTube in 2014, while music videos from bold-faced artists as well as fan-made covers are so pervasive that the company launched a standalone music app late last year.

However, a new trend that combines the two aforementioned interests is starting to gain serious traction, and it’s known as ‘gaming rap’. Searches for gaming rap videos have started to explode in recent months — climbing rather steadily since 2013 and peaking in February, according to Google Trends.

Additionally, there have been several videos within the category to have clocked millions of views. One of the most popular is a compilation of Five Nights At Freddy’s raps (below) by JT Machinima, a channel that makes songs and skits about video games. And these kinds of videos cross linguistic lines. The Spanish channel ZarcortGame

, for instance, had a major hit with his music video about the first-person shooter game Rainbow Six Siege.

Other popular rap subjects include Undertale, Assassin’s Creed, and Halo 5, and top creators within the space count millions of subscribers apiece. ZarcortGame, for instance, has nearly 5 million subscribers, while fellow Spanish rapper Keyblade counts 2.5 million, and the self-described “British geek rapper and vlogger” Dan Bull has amassed more than 1 million subscribers.

“Gamers from all over the world have been creating new trends and formats on YouTube to celebrate their passion for gaming,” Jeff Rubin, the gaming culture and trends lead at YouTube, told VentureBeat. “It’s great to see video game rap emerge and develop on the platform.”