Darren Jason Watkins Jr, popularly known as IShowSpeed is embarking on a month-long “Speed Does Africa” tour, livestreaming his journey across about 20 African countries since Dec 29, 2025.
The American YouTuber and livestreamer just wrapped up his Nigeria leg of the tour, landing in Lagos on 21 January 2026, which was one of the key stops of the tour.
Watkins Jr. celebrated his 21st birthday and hit the milestone of 50 million YouTube subscribers in the process while live streaming, an event that drew a lot of attention from locals and the online community.
While he was in Lagos, he drew large crowds and excitement from many Nigerian fans. He also tried various Nigerian food and gave shout-outs to the culture, including praising Nigerian jollof rice.
There has been some criticism about him not collaborating with Nigerian content creators during his Nigerian leg of his tour. IShowSpeed responded by saying the tour’s main goal was to explore and celebrate African culture broadly rather than focus on collaborations with content creators.
One notable moment was Nigerian streamer Peller (Habeeb Hamzat) attempting to meet IShowSpeed during the Lagos livestream, but reportedly being kept back by security and not getting the chance to collaborate.
Beyond the events themselves, some commentary around his visit touches on how his livestreams influence perceptions of African cities and cultures, both positively and critically, showing the complexity of global audiences interpreting his content.
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