FaZe Jarvis' New Video Is Causing An Uproar
A few months back, streamer FaZe Jarvis made the news for his rather public ban from Fortnite. Not only was he seen using aimbots to aid in his gameplay, but he released a video centered around the auto-aiming software.
Needless to say, the ban hammer came down swiftly and decisively. Epic Games not only terminated his accounts, but also banned him from Fortnite for life. As Jarvis explained to his fans in a tearful video, he hadn't taken the game's terms of service into consideration when he made the aimbot video.
Still, the fallout from this decision has continued to hang over the streaming community. In the months since, he has received both condemnation and sympathy from fans and fellow streamers. It's definitely a sticky situation, especially when one considers how much of Jarvis' income and fanbase were affected by the ban.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there's no denying that the latest addition to FaZe Jarvis' YouTube channel is... bizarre. At the very least, nobody could have suspected Jarvis to record a full-on rap and accompanying video to reference his troubles.
But he did. So, uh, let's take a look at that, shall we?
Banned 4 Life
The music video, entitled "Banned 4 Life," is written in the style of modern mumble-core rap. Think the extremely meme-worthy 6ix9ine, but if he were spitting half-rhymes about multiplayer games while seeming slightly uncomfortable on camera.
The main action of the music video follows Jarvis around a farmhouse as he shoots and kills enemies in Fortnite-themed morphsuits. This is intercut with sequences of Jarvis in a foggy room surrounded by neon lights as he makes his case through the power of music.
In the song, Jarvis explains his history with playing video games. He brags about playing Xbox for ten hours a day and living the high life on his winnings. He does reference the point where it all went wrong. However, he seemingly does so in a way that downplays his actual mistakes.
"I just got one question," Jarvis raps. "How I get banned from a game?"
Though he goes on to reference his use of an aimbot in a later verse, the majority of the song is more about his clout from streaming. Here is where we get into the apparent lack of self-awareness that will likely bother many fans.
So how did fans respond? Let's see.
The fan response
It's worth noting that the Jarvis says the music video "is of course a joke" in the video's description on YouTube. If Jarvis was hoping this would head off negative commenters, however, he may be disappointed.
Many of the YouTube comments express amazement that Jarvis is bragging about his status, even though everyone who has kept up with him knows that he's lost a lot over the cheating scandal.
"Why he flexing on us when he literally just lost his job and all his clout for cheating?" asks one comment.
Meanwhile, other viewers have taken Jarvis to task for his lack of flow and concise lyricism. Still, it must be striking a positive chord with somebody. As of this writing, the "Banned 4 Life" music video sits at 93,000 likes and only 31,000 dislikes.
That's why it could be argued that Jarvis has in fact won this round. After all, he's gotten all of these eyes on the music video, regardless of their opinions on its quality. As one commenter noted, "I'm literally only here to laugh at this. I retch at the added view from me."
What's next for FaZe Jarvis?
Well, for one thing, you can now stream the song on Apple Music. Interestingly, the track is given the abbreviated title of "B4L" on that platform.
In addition to his budding music career, FaZe Jarvis continues to put out regular content through his YouTube channel. Despite the controversy and losing Fortnite as a draw, he still has quite a loyal fanbase.
In fact, there are still those who believe Jarvis' ban, while justified, was a bit harsh. After all, Epic has previously handed out much shorter bans in the past to high-profile Fortnite players caught cheating.
One of FaZe Jarvis' most notable defenders has been fellow streamer Ninja. While Ninja has expressed his belief that cheaters should be punished, he also believes they should be given a shot at redeeming themselves.
"There's got to be some kind of punishment other than being banned," Ninja said of the situation. "Community service, I dunno. Maybe a fine too."
There's no way Ninja could have expected a rap music video about the situation to be the next step in the process.