Everyone thought the Clout Era of rap died when 6ix9ine went to prison back in 2019. From 2017 to 2018, the clout era was at its peak. You had Lil Pump dissing J. Cole, XXXTentacion beefing with Migos, and Boonk Gang was causing mayhem in every store he could possibly find. Of course, the aforementioned 6ix9ine was a huge part of the clout era. Every single day, it felt like he was engaging in a new string of antics. From dissing dead rappers to wishing death on his foes, 6ix9ine was doing everything he could to make headlines.
Dave Blunts Video Essay
Unfortunately, for the rap purists out there, 6ix9ine’s tactics actually worked. Whenever he dropped a single, you could expect it to dominate the charts. Even if the song only lasted one week on Billboard, 6ix9ine would use this as a marketing tactic. Three for three on Billboard became five for five on Billboard. Once he went eight for eight, it felt like he was an unstoppable force.
In fact, one could compare this era of rap to the Crypto bubble of 2021. Everyone was eating. If you could stir up controversy, you could get sales. Artists who are now a footnote in rap’s history, could sell 100,000 copies in their first week. It was a great time to be a rapper. If you were some sort of viral sensation, you probably considered jumping on the bandwagon to make music. KSI, the Backpack Kid, and Bhad Bhabie are all perfect examples of this.
But once 6ix9ine went to prison on RICO charges, the clout era came to an unceremonious end. His antics were no longer all over social media, and people just kind of stopped caring about artists who use gimmicks to sell their music. Then COVID happened and no one was going outside. The possibilities for said antics had completely gone by the wayside. As a result, the clout era was officially over.
Now, rap isn’t having the same chart success as it used to. The cultural zeitgeist has shifted over to country music. This, unfortunately, has led to a bit of a renaissance for the clout era. Artists are trying to do everything they can for fans to care. This means marketing tactics have become more extreme. However, what separates this version of the clout era from the previous one, is the fact that the clout chasing methods appear in the music as opposed to outside of the music. 6ix9ine’s music, as obnoxious as it may have been, was distanced from the things that he would espouse on social media. But in this day and age, the music itself, is the clout chase.
There is no better example of this then Iowa’s own, Dave Blunts. Immediately, the rapper stands out due to his frame. At over 600 pounds, many have made the claim that without his appearance, he wouldn’t be the sensation that he is. To be fair to Dave Blunts, that is not all the way true. His music is genuinely shocking. His song titles, lyrics, and innuendos are meant to get attention. In fact, they’re so blatant, that even Kanye West had to pay homage.
But let’s go back to the beginning. How did Dave Blunts became the leader of rap’s new clout era? His story begins with the 2023 project, Bigger Than I Ever Was. The song titles on this album give you some real insight into the kind of artist we are dealing with here. Immediately, we see titles like “Snap Benefits” and “pronouns part 2.” The man is making a political statement, and we haven’t even delved into the lyrics. Perhaps the most egregious title here is “EDP” which is a reference to the Philadelphia Eagles YouTuber who was part of an alleged predator sting.
All of this just scratches the surface of Blunts’ antics. In 2024, he dropped another project called I Would Like To See You Try which features his first truly viral hit, “Crying in the Kitchen.” The song was so big that in May of 2024, Dave Blunts was able to secure an On The Radar performance. With 2.5 million views, this is where the public consciousness became fully aware of the lows Blunts was willing to stoop to in his music. There is on particular barrage of lyrics in this song in which the artist attempts to be as shocking as possible in almost a combo-like fashion. He begins by referring to himself with the hard R n-word before delving into women who self harm, Jewish people, Hitler, and pedophiles. It’s almost as if he is trying to hit the high score of taboo topics.
The problem is, when you present yourself this way, you are forced to one up yourself until the gimmick no longer works. On his 2024 album If I Could I Would, Blunts delivers a track called “Bundle of Sticks.” For those who may not get the reference, a bundle of sticks can also be referred to as a word that is commonly used as a slur towards gay people.
You can’t talk about Blunts without also mentioning his biggest hit, “The Cup.” This song is synonymous with the Dave Blunts gimmick. It’s about lean addiction, but done in a way that is more parody than reality. For months prior to this track’s release, Blunts would always be on camera holding a double styrofoam cup. The insinuation was that he was constantly sipping on lean. However, the vast majority of the time, it appeared as though the cup was empty. Almost as if Blunts was grifting off drug addiction. Pair that with a purple tracksuit that says “Dave Blunts’ Purple Stuff,” and it becomes clear what is going on here. Once again, it’s proof that Blunts is using his music and his entire aesthetic to clout chase. Without these inflammatory lyrics and offensive for the sake of being offensive marketing tactics, would we even know who Dave Blunts is? Without these elements, he would simply be another Juice WRLD clone.
The music video for this song went incredibly viral, with Blunts amassing over five million views. In this attention economy, that is well worth the antics. The video instantly became a meme, with clips spreading on social media like wildfire. Despite his middling success on platforms like Spotify, Blunts was successfully being astroturfed onto our feeds.
Another great example of this was his concerts in which he would sit down on a couch and breathe through an oxygen mask. These performances would catch the eyes of Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, the latter of whom would be the subject of a scathing Dave Blunts diss track.
All of this leads us to the climax of Dave Blunts’ musical grift, which was a seat at the Kanye West writers table. Oh how the mighty have fallen. A once legendary titan of hip-hop, who used to work with Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, and Common, found himself singing Dave Blunts’ lyrics, without a shred of irony.
The first example of this was the track “Cousins,” which was an absolute abomination. If you forgot, let us remind you. This song features Kanye West singing about giving his cousin fellatio as a teenager. When the song came out, fans were stunned and appalled. Given the rapper’s obsession with Nazism, they shouldn’t have been. That said, when it was revealed that Dave Blunts wrote the song, the internet collectively came together and said, “yeah you know what that actually makes a lot of sense.”
That wouldn’t be the last time Blunts would break new ground with Kanye. Remember the song “Heil Hitler…” Yeah, Blunts wrote that too. In a now-infamous clip on social media, Ye even wanted Dave Blunts to rap over a “gas chamber song.” It was the type of absurdity you would find on the darkest corners of the internet. Whether that be a 4chan thread or a Nick Fuentes comments section.
Recently, Blunts actually cut Kanye off, claiming that he wants to forge his own path. Blunts then went on to drop a diss track against Kanye, claiming that he was groomed into becoming a Nazi and hating Jewish people. At the height of Kanye’s manic Nazism, Blunts swooped in to reap the rewards. It was the biggest look his career could have gotten, and now, he’s ready to wipe his hands clean and go in a different direction. Proof once again that what Dave Blunts is doing is a grift. Whatever helps his career the most is what he is going to do. If it hurts some marginalized communities in the process, well, that’s just the cost of doing business.
The clout era of yesterday is not the same as the clout era of today. Artists like 6ix9ine used to put themselves in harms way. His words could have gotten himself killed. Dave Blunts, on the other hand, is willing to go out and praise one of the worst dictators in human history, just for a bit more clout. It’s a dangerous precedent, and in today’s attention-obessed environment, we can only imagine that things are going to get worse. Hopefully, time proves us wrong.
