Complex’s fourth annual Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking is here! We want to give a huge congrats to Big Bank, Ebro, and Joe Budden 👏
The 2026 ranking maps the voices who move the conversation and provide the biggest cultural influence. We’ve had the honor of supporting:
- Big Bank during the breakout year of his Perspektives series.
- Ebro as we’ve supported the launch of The Ebro, Laura & Rosenberg Show on YouTube.
- Joe Budden as he continues to expand and transcend his media empire on YouTube.
Huge congrats from our teams to theirs - we’re incredibly excited to see what comes next!
YouTube just rolled out two new livestream updates that result in fewer ad interruptions for viewers. It’s a clear sign YouTube is putting more focus into livestreams as a long-term priority.
Both updates are built around the same idea: when your audience is locked in, ads should step out of the way.
1. Personal Ad-Free Viewing for Supporters
2. Community-Wide Pauses at Peak Moments
Want the full breakdown? Head over to our blog (link in bio 🔗)
Congrats to Vic Mensa on his big win at the 2026 Webby Awards! 🏆
Vic’s Orange Tree Series has officially taken home the award for Social, Arts, Culture & Lifestyle People’s Voice, prevailing in a category alongside heavy hitters like Martha Stewart and Etsy!
This victory is a powerful testament to the authentic storytelling and cultural impact Vic delivers every day.
Our team is incredibly proud to work along side Vic with digital strategy and support his online growth. Seeing this vision recognized on a global stage is why we do what we do. 🥂
We are thrilled to celebrate Vic Mensa and his nomination at the 2026 Webby Awards!
Vic’s Orange Tree Series has been nominated for Arts, Culture & Lifestyle, Social Content Series, standing alongside fellow nominees like Martha Stewart and Etsy. This recognition is a testament to the authentic storytelling and cultural impact Vic continues to deliver.
Our team is honored to support Vic’s digital strategy and online growth. We’ll be rooting for the win! 🚀
The hobby is officially a business. 📈
Huge congrats to Ian Schwartzman and Conway The Machine on the launch of their new channel, Rippin’ 2gether!
We’re excited to be supporting the strategy and rollout for this project. Seeing two icons turn their passion for card collecting into a dedicated platform is exactly what the creator economy is all about.
Check out the first episode now!
YouTube has added a new feature designed to help creators make their videos more interactive for viewers. Last year, they introduced quiz “cards” for YouTube Shorts. Now, that same functionality has expanded to long-form videos, giving creators the ability to add in-video quiz questions directly inside YouTube Studio....
Want to learn how to add them and some tips on how you can start using these today? Check out our full blog post (link in bio)
Welcome Ebro, Laura, and Rosenberg 👏
We are proud to be working with Ebro, Laura, and Rosenberg. This trio has been the heartbeat of hip-hop radio for years, defining the culture and leading the conversation every morning.
They are now taking a massive leap to YouTube with ‘The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show.’ Going live daily to give their takes on the latest in news, hip-hop, and the culture as a whole.
We’re excited to help them expand their online presence and bring their legendary chemistry to a new digital audience.
📺 YouTube Is Becoming TV
TV is now one of the fastest-growing ways people watch YouTube, and the platform is rolling out updates to make content feel more premium on the big screen.
A few notable changes: • Thumbnail size limits are jumping from 2MB to 50MB, enabling crisp 4K thumbnails for large displays. • A new AI Video Upscaler will automatically improve older or lower-resolution uploads, converting SD videos to HD. • Channels will now show “immersive previews” on the TV homepage. • Viewers can scan a QR code on their TV to open product pages on mobile.
We broke it all down in our new blog post... Link in bio!
YouTube is testing AI Likeness Detection, a new way for creators to see when their face may be altered or generated using AI.
As AI gets easier to use, tools like this matter more. Identity is becoming a platform-level issue.
Click the link in our bio to read more...
🚨 YouTube just launched Collaborators. Think Instagram Collabs… but for YouTube.
You can now tag up to 5 creators on a video, letting your content get recommended to every collaborator’s audience. The host channel keeps all views + AdSense, and collaborators get shared analytics. Huge for reach.
🔥 Smart ways to use it: • Podcasts + interviews • Music collabs • Brand partnerships • Multi-creator sketches + roundtables • Even cross-promoting your own second channel
We break down how to use this feature to grow fast on our blog (link in bio) 🔗
If you’re not A/B testing your YouTube titles and thumbnails, you’re leaving views on the table.
Here are 3 reasons you should be using A/B tests on YouTube 👇
1. You get real audience feedback
A/B testing shows different versions of your title or thumbnail to different viewers and measures which one earns more clicks and better watch time.
This is clear data on what your audience prefers.
2. You improve performance faster
Small differences in CTR compound.
Even a 3–5% lift on a thumbnail can dramatically change how YouTube pushes your content over time.
3. You learn what actually works for your channel
Testing helps you refine your style, understand your viewers, and avoid creative blind spots. You’ll quickly see which formats, emotions, or structures consistently win.
If you want the deeper breakdown, including title tips, thumbnail strategies, and how to read the test results, our the full blog covers everything.
Read the full post (link in bio)
