Meet LastBlackSpartan | Content Creator & Twitch Streamer

We had the good fortune of connecting with LastBlackSpartan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LastBlackSpartan, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I would say the most important factor for the success of a brand like mine as a content creator is to ALWAYS stay true to who I am. Authenticity matters a lot in the content creation world because the audience wants whats REAL. You gotta be about what you say. There are also other factors to reaching the success I want like always having fun. I say all the time the minute this isn’t fun anymore I’m out. With that comes doing what I want to do and not always trying to follow every trend just because it’ll lead to some empty growth. I wanna grow my way and I wanna enjoy it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Streaming on Twitch and creating content in general has given me something I never really knew I needed until it happened: A creative outlet. Being able to think of these crazy ideas or put crazy moments on my socials and share them with the world has been such a great and surprising feeling for me.

I think what sets me apart from others is my focus and emphasis on Black Culture, HBCU Culture, and putting what little spotlight I have on other Black Creators whenever I can. I wanna stay true to this because I was raised to be Black and PROUD, so I want my stream to reflect my pride in that as well as being a nerd. Show kids its okay to be both because when I was growing up there was more judgement around that than people care to admit.

I got as far as I have by just branching out and talking to people. I learned how important a strong and high quality network was throughout my youth and my journey thru college and young adulthood. Having the right people in your corner that see your vision and share your passion can get you a long way. I can’t count the number of people who I’ve learned something from along the way, nor how many I will continue to meet and learn more for as I keep growing. I still have a long way to go.

Nothing about my journey into content creation has been easy. There are times when I wanted to quit because of many reasons, mostly mental related. It can take a toll on you as a person and make you question yourself. That’s where having the right network, the right community of people and fellow creators comes into play. Whenever I start to doubt myself I have a conversation with my fiancee or a friend who knows the struggle. I think back to why I love doing it and think about ways to improve. Most importantly, I take a break. A week or 2 away from streaming and posting can do wonders.

There are a ton of lessons I’ve learned along the way. Many of which I didn’t learn until almost a year into streaming. Things like not looking at your view count, don’t spend too much time on the numbers, always watch your own stuff to see how you can improve, and stream/post etiquette are a few. I think the standout lesson for me personally has been “What you create isn’t for everyone”. Just because I came in with a lot of friends IRL I thought everyone would watch me. I learned very quickly that not everyone likes watching twitch or watching content related to gaming, anime, etc.. all the time; and that’s okay! Everyone you know and everyone you meet isn’t going to 100% rock with you just because you are you. But as long as you stay confident in your content and find joy in creating it, your audience will find you. Slowly but surely. Patience has always been a virtue for me but it’s SO important when it comes to this world.

My message is simple: Have pride in who you are and stay true to that. I’m a black man who loves a variety of things a lot of people may consider weird. I’m open to try new things that a lot of people might not have the guts to do because society might look at them funny. Like wear make up for a charity incentive or walk around a college campus with a selfie stick for a live stream. I’m not saying any of this makes me special or better than anyone. What I’m saying is I do it without anyone’s approval. Society will not determine who I am and it shouldn’t for anyone else. Their labels matter not to me, because I have my own and I make that decision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think the city I’m in has a lot of hidden gems. There’s more to ATL besides clubs and bars with hookah and wings. This city is FULL of creatives of all kinds. There’s a tunnel full of graffiti full of DOPE work from nameless and faceless artists. There’s restaurants and food halls that have dishes that would blow you away just hearing the name. There’s so many outdoor and walk-able areas that reach new places to explore and discovery for yourself. If I had to name a few I’d say Ponce City Market, Chattahoochee Food Works, the West End Breweries, and Piedmont Park are some of my favorites. You also can’t go wrong just walking almost any part of the Beltline, The Battery is usually pretty great, and Atlantic Station is still a great place to spend a day. For my community in particular, I’ll always say there’s no better place to experience a strip club than ATL. Long as you got the guts and the bank for it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wanna dedicate this shoutout to 3 people. My mom, My Fiancee, and My community. My mom for allowing me to always be myself and enjoy what I truly enjoyed, even when she didn’t fully understand it. My fiancee for always being genuine and supporting my continuous journey as a content creator, as well as being a large part of it on and off camera. And My community for just rocking with me and showing me love consistently. That includes the people who watch, the other creators I learn from, and my friends who just love to see me be my true self. All of their support is everything to me. Thank you.

Website: https://lastblackspartan.carrd.co/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LastBlackSpartan

Other: https://twitch.tv/LastBlackSpartan https://tiktok.com/@lastblackspartan

Image Credits
Main image by https://www.instagram.com/spencer_charles/