“Overwhelming” was Ox’s golden ticket into the SoundCloud rap universe, helping him work with Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, and Lil Tracy. Then he parlayed the viral success into a Warner Bros. record deal. The signing predictably angered many and his manager, Finesse, was quick to defend him against accusations: “We got a great deal because of our business, not internet bullshit,” he wrote. “Don’t group him with Danielle Brigoli [sic].” In Bregoli’s defense, she’s a much better rapper now than Ox will ever be.

Opportunistic YouTubers Turned Rap Poseurs

Jake and Logan Paul

Few things are more oppressive to the senses than the cocksure rap hijinks of Jake and Logan Paul, Vine stars who became popular YouTubers soon after the app closed. These class clowns make artless, douchey Jock Jams rap that exists solely to be gawked at, or as a plot-point placeholder out of the worst episode of “Empire.” Every line is clearly intended to further their personal brands; they make rap strictly as #content for their channels.

Jake jumped into music with “It’s Everyday Bro,” the rap version of his slogan, and became an instant hit in his corner of the web. He and his brother then coordinated a very obviously staged rap beef after Logan criticized “It’s Everyday Bro” in a vlog, and Jake responded with the diss “Logang Sucks.” The rest of the videos unfold with a pretty clear narrative arc: Logan’s squarely titled “The Fall of Jake Paul,” then Jake’s cornball apology “I Love You Bro,” and finally the inevitable team-up “The Rise of the Pauls.” These guys make nerdcore rap seem edgy.

RiceGum

As the Pauls were taking kayfabe to new cross-promotional levels, fellow YouTube vlogger RiceGum muscled his way into the conversation. His Jake Paul diss “It’s Everynight Sis,” featuring Paul’s ex and fellow YouTube personality Alissa Violet, currently has over 100 million views and recently cracked the Billboard Hot 100 despite excruciatingly lame gimmicks and elementary rhyming. The entire thing is mired by basic set-ups, a fumbling flow, and flat-out corny punches like, “Didn’t see ‘em, like George, I’m just curious/ Alissa said you cum fast, like the Furious.” (The meme rap ouroboros is a RiceGum reaction video for Bhad Bhabie’s “Hi Bich” video, which made its way into her follow-up video reacting to people reacting to the video.)

Internet-Savvy Joke Rappers Looking to Rebrand

Rich Chigga

Indonesian comedy sketch artist Rich Chigga cashed in on his web notoriety with “Dat $tick,” a two-minute trap rap parody where he uses the n-word and “pops shells for a living,” and now he kinda wants to take it all back. Chigga became an internet sensation by posting photoshopped images and doing skits on Twitter and Vine, and his raps largely rely on those same instincts—but since his breakthrough, his questionable moniker and content have been scrutinized, leading him to reevaluate. He now says he “regrets” the stage name and wants to avoid rapping about guns and killing, and instead now seeks to “write from [his] own experience.” It’s unclear what that experience is, exactly, since he’s still committed to aimless swag rap posturing. There’s something ironic about Chigga, who was first introduced to rap through Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop,” wanting be considered a “real rapper” now. What does that even mean to him? So far, it is still impossible to separate his rebrand from his complicated origins.

Ugly God

Ugly God is perhaps the only “artist” on this list to proudly refer to himself as a meme rapper. “Memes! The meme videos. Memes are life. Memes is the business. Memes is the internet. It’s a lifestyle,” he told HipHopDX. Antics have been a part of Ugly God’s aesthetic from the beginning. Originally known as Pussy Bacon, he broke through with a song called “I Beat My Meat,” rapped over an iPhone ringtone, which became popular thanks to YouTube dance videos that acted out the song’s lyrics. The music isn’t supposed to be good; it’s supposed to be sharable.