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Anuel AA •
Ibai •
Shakira •
Ibai Llanos (1995, Bilbao, Spain) is a prominent figure in the digital and social media world. What started as streams from his bedroom commenting on the video game League of Legends in a small apartment in Barcelona has evolved into him becoming one of the biggest streamers globally. He is currently the second most popular streamer on Twitch, just behind Ninja.
A combination of charisma, energy, authenticity, and a positive vibe seems to be the perfect recipe for his media success. Ibai does the work of both a journalist and a commentator without actually being either. He has demonstrated that everything is now about social media, creating the largest Spanish-speaking events worldwide, most notably ‘La Velada del Año.’ This event in Spain is reaching the magnitude of the Super Bowl in the United States.
Ibai started his first streams in 2014, gradually gaining popularity on social media due to his comedic reactions. His fame skyrocketed in 2020, a crucial year for streaming content due to the pandemic. During this time, he joined G2 Esports, an online «sports» platform related to video games. Since then, he has had one successful event after another, from the Kings League competitions, a league he directs through KOI, a company he runs with Gerard Piqué (yes, Shakira’s ex-husband and former FC Barcelona footballer), to the ‘Balloon World Cup,’ ‘Disaster Chefs,’ among other formats.
Ibai vs. Anuel AA: The Beef of the Year
We know that Anuel AA isn’t shy about stirring up controversy, and it seems Ibai has become his new target. What started as a positive gesture and a good relationship has turned into one of the biggest «beefs» of the year.
Ibai had invited Anuel AA to perform the closing act at the latest edition of La Velada del Año on July 13, 2024. However, the Puerto Rican artist had a prior show, causing him to arrive late and with vocal problems. During his delay, Ibai had to stall for time, appearing visibly nervous about Anuel’s delay. «I don’t know what else to do, someone do something,» he said, visibly nervous, to his production team on live stream.
Anuel eventually showed up, albeit two hours late (though the singer claimed it was only a 15-minute delay). However, that wasn’t the only surprise for the expectant audience at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu. Anuel’s voice seemed altered, very high-pitched, or having sound problems, which sparked a great deal of controversy on social media accompanied by a wave of memes.
This caused Anuel to react angrily to the reception of his show, directly blaming Ibai.
«They sabotaged my concert with that crap they did. They didn’t let my DJ run the show, they didn’t let my engineers work on the concert sound, and they said I was two hours late. I had a concert before and was only five minutes late, and it seems they got offended,» he declared. «Those bastards know what they did with the system, because they controlled the voices, that Ibai guy, the rascabicho,» he added, referring to the voice issues.
For now, Ibai has not publicly responded to the controversy, although other colleagues, like streamer Luzu, who co-hosted La Velada del Año, have. «This guy had the nerve to say the event was to blame, that Ibai sabotaged his performance. Look, my friend, if it didn’t go as you wanted because you were late, it’s no one’s fault but your own. There’s a reason to be professional in life, and it’s to do a good job,» he stated.
It’s worth noting that Ibai maintains a good relationship with most (if not all) artists in the urban music scene, having expressed his closeness with global figures like Bizarrap, Duki, Nicky Jam, Nicki Nicole, and many others. He also has connections with footballers like Kun Agüero and Lionel Messi.
Ibai: One of the World’s Biggest Streamers
Globally, Ibai is among the most famous streamers. However, other notable names include Ninja, AuronPlay, Rubius, xQc, Tfue, TheGrefg, Shroud, JuansGuarnizo, and Pokimane. These content creators have captivated audiences worldwide, with many of them being Spanish-speaking, showcasing the growing influence of this community on Twitch.
Ibai’s weekly streams attract over 1.5 million followers to his channel. His average viewers in July, with the celebration of La Velada, exceeded 333,000, although the event was watched by nearly 4 million devices.
The Reconciliation of Anuel AA and Ibai
This past Wednesday, July 17, both Anuel and Ibai announced through their social media that they have reconciled, stating that on July 24 they will do a joint stream to explain what happened at ‘La Velada del Año’.
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