With the rise of social media, Kai Cenat has become what I would call a cultural giant. Today, I would like to argue that he isn’t just an entertainer but a symbol of what it means to “make it” as a young Black man online. Yet, what people often call entertainment now carries a much more significant weight. In today’s world, “entertainer” is synonymous with influencer, which is someone who is capable of shaping how millions of people think, talk, and see themselves with the click of a button. That’s why it’s dangerous when Cenat, an African man with one of the largest global platforms, says things like African Americans “are not cultured at all.”
See, when he said this, like many other influencers, his comments then became a message/a moment that was absorbed by millions of Black youth who look to him for validation. When those words traveled across the screen, they had the chance to become something internalized, which can later lead to self-doubt. And before long, after enough streamers keep reinforcing these ideas, a new generation of kids will grow up questioning their own lineage, believing the richness of African American culture is somehow not comparable to that of other ethnicities.
To even ignore that is like okay, sure, but I think the sad part isn’t truly just about Cenat, it’s about how easily the internet crowns “messiahs” who mistake visibility for a vision. If you look at Reddit, Twitter, BlueSky, etc, people came out in droves to defend what he said as just “jokes,” just “entertainment or content.” But what happens when that becomes education—when live streams and reaction videos are where our kids learn what to believe about themselves? In that reality, every careless word and every ignorant or minor slip-up will become a type of curriculum.
Cenat and creators like him are a part of a larger system that rewards performance over actual perspective and depth. They rise on the strength of algorithms that crave virality, using the same cultures they say have none, and disseminate non-truth. Meanwhile, the deeper issues and truths, the professors, the doctors, the grassroots change-makers are buried under likes and reposts. We have ended up mistaking a funny laugh and personality as progress, but never began to ask ourselves, at what cost?
To me, there is nothing wrong with him or others bringing joy, humor, or success to me or other Black people. But when influence reaches this scale, it comes with responsibility. If you benefit from the Black community, you owe it the respect of not degrading its foundation. The digital age has given us endless platforms, but it’s also blurred the line between fun and falsehoods.
So next time someone says, “He’s just a steamer, bruh. Chill out; it’s not that deep,” remember that entertainment is now influence. And influence, especially in Black hands, has always had the power to build our legacy or erase it.
