Gaming and the rap world have had some bonding in the past few years. Be it the growing presence of Twitch streamers or Ericdoa’s viral “Ninja Taper Fade” moment, both are an example of how the two have similar set of followers.
“Speedrunning” – Connecting the gaming world to the rap music scene
In the gaming world, “Speedrunning” refers to how fast one can beat a particular game. Nowadays as young producers are posting videos where they recreate popular rap beats, this term has made its way into the rap world as well. “Speedrunning” has become the new viral trend.
17-year-old Lukasz Potoniec, A.K.A. Zestro recently managed to recreate the beat for Playboy Carti’s track “Magnolia”. that too under 60 seconds. This has been a remarkable feat in “Speedrunning” history. Zestro’s family resides in Ireland though they come from Poland. Zestro says he spends two to three hours each day practicing speedruns. All of this is documented on his YouTube channel. They get clipped and re-circulated on Tik-Tok.
Where did it start?
“When I first started out doing the speedruns, it was literally just me beating my own records over and over again,” he states. “I started posting them on TikTok and eventually one of my now friends, Rob, saw those Speedruns on TikTok and he started to beat them. And that’s what really started the hype.”
Another 20 year old producer from Maryland, Robtmb posts his production tutorials and speedrun challenges very frequently on Youtube. Last December saw him and Zestro speedrun battle where they recreated “Magnolia”. According to Rob, he was already pretty fast and connected to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). These factors, along with the knowledge of some shortcuts gave him an edge.
During the December holidays, thousands of viewers on TikTok and YouTube would tune in for hours as Rob went live with his speedrunning practice. The aim was to beat Zestro who was around 7 seconds ahead. Eventually he would clock-in a record breaking speed only to be defeated by Zestro again a few days later. This went on for weeks. For now, Zestro holds the record for “Magnolia”.
Rob and Zestro have been into music production since they were kids, thanks to FL Studio. Released as FruityLoops in 2003, this popular user-friendly production software is where many rap producers had started. An interesting point to which Rob agrees is how making a beat in a few seconds is similar as gaming as both require hand-eye coordination and keyboard dexterity. He also used to play instruments like the piano and guitar though he feels, “It’s a harder process than FL Studio” because of the lack of visual elements.
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A new way to promote music
For Rob and Zestro, speedrunning videos are a new way for people to promote their music, as well as make music. It also helps them sell their beats. “I think it’s advertising, just getting your name out there, but I just try to get my content to as many people as possible,” Rob says. “Even the people that don’t make beats and stuff, I just try to reach everybody.”
