Ninja Claims Drake "Pushed Gaming Into The Mainstream & Made It Cool"

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Drake had a heavy hand in making gaming mainstream, according to Ninja.

"Fortnite" completely took over pop culture this year. It's not the first time that a video game dominated mainstream culture, but there's an argument to be made about the video game's prominence in hip-hop culture this year helped "Fortnite" become a global phenomenon. According to popular gamer Ninja, gaming was pushed into the mainstream this year due to Drake.

In a recent interview with Variety, Ninja opened up about how the impact of "Fortnite" this year. As one of the most popular gaming streamers on Twitch, he's gained a major following off of "Fortnite." However, one of the biggest moments in his gaming career occurred earlier this year when he touched down on the live streaming platform with two of the biggest rappers in the game: Drake and Travis Scott. Ninja claims Drake had a role in bringing "Fortnite" to the mainstream.

“Drake, that is what pushed gaming into the mainstream and made it cool,” he said.

Unfortunately, things between Drake and Ninja have soured over the months. Ninja essentially accused Drake of clout-chasing, suggesting the rapper's "Fortnite" session was used to tap into a new demographic. Additionally, Ninja claimed that Drake didn't settle his $5K bet. Ultimately, Drake unfollowed the gamer on Instagram following the comments.

Regardless, Ninja seems to still have love for Drake for his contributions to the gaming world. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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