Twitch streamer Lord Kebun retires Mr Chang character from GTA RP

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Just how on his stream, Lord Kebun has made the decision to shelve Mr Chang and the Mr Chang voice. He did not feel it was right to continue role playing as an Asian character with an over the top stereotypical Asian voice. He is the most popular character in GTA RP by a significant margin. Most stories on the Nopixel GTA RP server revolved around Mr Chang and his gang. He averages 12-18k viewers a night.

Andy Milonakis laying down a Chang track

Austin Creed/WWE's Xavier Woods laying down a track for their in-game record label

Just normal things

He was the center point of the popularity boom around GTA RP. He plans to continue roleplaying, but the Mr Chang voice is permanently shelved.

RadioJoNES · Oct 10, 2020

"Andy Milonakis"

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Shit, please move this to Gaming side.

Deleted member 420 · Oct 10, 2020

How was he getting away with this

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

RadioJoNES said:
"Andy Milonakis"

Ironically he looks exactly the same now due to his genetic disease

Deleted member 4260 · Oct 10, 2020

robotrock said:
How was he getting away with this

Probably for the same reason Pewdiepie got away with saying the N word.

L Thammy · Oct 10, 2020

robotrock said:
How was he getting away with this

How did a white guy get away with doing a fake Indian voice on a popular TV show while the producers derided the people who spoke against it?

Fat4all · Oct 10, 2020

robotrock said:
How was he getting away with this

pretty easily most likely, i feel like people are still getting away with using sterotype accents on youtube/twitch commonly nowadays

but it seems like more and more people are called out on it, so that's good at least

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

robotrock said:
How was he getting away with this

Over time he developed the character and people grew attached. But no matter how you swing it, it's a DEEPLY offensive voice. It's no surprise he had to make the choice himself because Twitch is a garbage place that allows all sorts of suspect shit, and I'm sure he could have just continued with it with no repercussions from the platform itself.

ZeoVGM · Oct 10, 2020

The OP includes random clips but is there actually a clip of what the OP is talking about?

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

ZeoVGM said:
The OP includes random clips but is there actually a clip of what the OP is talking about?

Just happened. Couldn't find clips. I'll fish for it again.

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

ZeoVGM said:
The OP includes random clips but is there actually a clip of what the OP is talking about?

Found it

bluexy · Oct 10, 2020

This is an important step for Kebun, but it's so, so, so late. He built his entire Twitch career on a racist caricature. His entire brand is built around a racist caricature. His stream logos, the audio files that play when he gets a sub, his emotes are all Chinese dragons and shit. Dude is clearly talented when it comes to character work and entertaining content. But he felt it necessary to rely on the Chang character for so long even though he knew it was racist. He never had to, but he did. And frankly, that racism is reflected in a good portion of his community, too.

I wonder if he lost a sponsorship or got a warning from Twitch. The way he describes it, he still isn't willing to state clearly the issue. "It is what it is." He goes so far as saying that others find it offensive and that he understands that, but won't explicitly say it really is offensive/racist. Basically, this doesn't feel entirely sincere. It feels like a situation Kebun is being pushed into, one he still doesn't sound entirely willing to leave behind.

Regardless, it's a good thing and I'm happy to see Kebun taking the step. Hopefully, he shelves Chang entirely.

Messofanego · Oct 10, 2020

The OP doesn't include a picture of LordKebun but it's a white dude called Kevin, he's a racist.

Here's a bit from the company he hired to re-brand his channel around this racist stereotype.

Elgato Marketplace

Marketplace makes it easy to express yourself in a virtual world. Find what you need to record, stream, or share.

visualsbyimpulse.com

The project called for an oriental, Chinese-themed art style; dancing chopsticks, soaring dragons, towering pagodas… Incorporating some of the most iconic elements and signatures of his infamous online persona, Mr. Chang. A clean, colorful display with themes of far-eastern royalty - befitting the Lord Kebun himself. An equal mix of lighthearted fun and minimalist, professional vibes. It was one of our most ambitious design briefs yet. Luckily, the team was up to the challenge.

...

With research completed, we began planning out the design process itself. In total, Lord Kebun - known as Kevin IRL - had requested:

Custom Logo & Branding
- Twitch Overlays
- Animated Stream Alerts
- Stream Screens
- Animated Intro
- Stinger Transition
- Emotes
- Sub Badges
- Twitch Panels
- Profile Art

As for art style, Kebun wanted to build and expand on his existing branding. His channel featured traditional Chinese design themes, paying homage to Mr. Chang's heritage.

For our team, this presented a unique challenge. Over the course of five years and 8,000+ custom projects, we've received plenty of east-Asian, oriental commissions. The overwhelming majority of these are Japanese and anime-inspired (… lots & lots of anime OMEGALUL). But traditional Chinese? That was new. To prepare, we undertook a crash course on Chinese cultural immersion. We researched Chinese architecture. Their mythology & festivals. Script & calligraphy. Watercolors & ink wash painting… All searching for patterns, symbols, icons, and hidden gems that we could into Kebun's design.

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Messofanego said:
The OP doesn't include a picture of LordKebun but it's a white dude called Kevin, he's a racist.

Here's a bit from the company he hired to re-brand his channel around this racist stereotype.

Elgato Marketplace

Marketplace makes it easy to express yourself in a virtual world. Find what you need to record, stream, or share.

visualsbyimpulse.com

The project called for an oriental, Chinese-themed art style; dancing chopsticks, soaring dragons, towering pagodas… Incorporating some of the most iconic elements and signatures of his infamous online persona, Mr. Chang. A clean, colorful display with themes of far-eastern royalty - befitting the Lord Kebun himself. An equal mix of lighthearted fun and minimalist, professional vibes. It was one of our most ambitious design briefs yet. Luckily, the team was up to the challenge.

...

With research completed, we began planning out the design process itself. In total, Lord Kebun - known as Kevin IRL - had requested:

Custom Logo & Branding

Twitch Overlays

Animated Stream Alerts

Stream Screens

Animated Intro

Stinger Transition

Emotes

Sub Badges

Twitch Panels

Profile Art

As for art style, Kebun wanted to build and expand on his existing branding. His channel featured traditional Chinese design themes, paying homage to Mr. Chang's heritage.
For our team, this presented a unique challenge. Over the course of five years and 8,000+ custom projects, we've received plenty of east-Asian, oriental commissions. The overwhelming majority of these are Japanese and anime-inspired (… lots & lots of anime OMEGALUL). But traditional Chinese? That was new. To prepare, we undertook a crash course on Chinese cultural immersion. We researched Chinese architecture. Their mythology & festivals. Script & calligraphy. Watercolors & ink wash painting… All searching for patterns, symbols, icons, and hidden gems that we could into Kebun's design.

Ok I legit thought that was you being facetious, I can't believe that is an actual quote from the design company. Holy fucking shit.

Threadmarked.

Kyuuji · Oct 10, 2020

So.. make a load of money being a racist then apologise once you've gained a substantial platform and fanbase?

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

bluexy said:
This is an important step for Kebun, but it's so, so, so late. He built his entire Twitch career on a racist caricature. His entire brand is built around a racist caricature. His stream logos, the audio files that play when he gets a sub, his emotes are all Chinese dragons and shit. Dude is clearly talented when it comes to character work and entertaining content. But he felt it necessary to rely on the Chang character for so long even though he knew it was racist. He never had to, but he did. And frankly, that racism is reflected in a good portion of his community, too.

I wonder if he lost a sponsorship or got a warning from Twitch. The way he describes it, he still isn't willing to state clearly the issue. "It is what it is." He goes so far as saying that others find it offensive and that he understands that, but won't explicitly say it really is offensive/racist. Basically, this doesn't feel entirely sincere. It feels like a situation Kebun is being pushed into, one he still doesn't sound entirely willing to leave behind.

Regardless, it's a good thing that and I'm happy to see Kebun taking the step. Hopefully he shelves Chang entirely.

Yeah it definitely feels a lot like it's more forced as I'm going back and listening to what he said, rather then being brought on himself. If he knows what's good for him he won't be a total shit about it.

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Kyuuji said:
So.. make a load of money being a racist then apologise once you've gained a substantial platform and fanbase?

The Twitch way.

BZL8 · Oct 10, 2020

I knew from the OP title what to expect, even though I never heard of him, but holy shit. This is enraging.

Chaos2Frozen · Oct 10, 2020

Just woke up one day and realized he was being racist huh

baggage · Oct 10, 2020

Kebun's definitely got the creativity to play more and better characters. Hopefully his next character isn't just a repeat of the flawless super-criminal that knows everybody and hasn't had meaningful character development for over a year and is the only character that's played, but eh, one can hope.

monketron · Oct 10, 2020

Mahonay said:
The Twitch way.

Both Simpsons and Family Guy had white guys faking the accents of PoC. Sadly it ain't just Twitch.

Pai Pai Master · Oct 10, 2020

Cool he should retire himself cuz he's a racist

StayMe7o · Oct 10, 2020

It's okay because he's funny

/s

Bluelote · Oct 10, 2020

I like GTA RP but there is A LOT of this sort of characters sadly.

Yinyangfooey · Oct 10, 2020

Lol see, this is a perfect example of how racism against Asian people is so downplayed as "not as bad"

super anime man 64 said:
Probably for the same reason Pewdiepie got away with saying the N word.

Many people are (rightly) more quick to call the above out, but in this case, as well as this:

L Thammy said:
How did a white guy get away with doing a fake Indian voice on a popular TV show while the producers derided the people who spoke against it?

it just shows how commonly accepted anti-Asian racism is and how many people for some reason think it's okay. It's ridiculous.

baggage · Oct 10, 2020

Also, the character is canonically either Puerto Rican or Vietnamese (there were some backstory retcons at some point, I think), so all the Chinese stuff in Twitch Branding actually makes no sense whatsoever, I just realized..

Alastor3 · Oct 10, 2020

but if he is quitting the character, does that mean he realised he was wrong?

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Alastor3 said:
but if he is quitting the character, does that mean he realised he was wrong?

Yes. He actually outright says there's always been controversy with the voice. So he knew.

Nights · Oct 10, 2020

Bluelote said:
I like GTA RP but there is A LOT of this sort of characters sadly.

This is correct. It doesn't help that a lot of characters use extremely stereotypical voices for different ethnicities and shit like that. I think it only hit him like this first because he's the biggest one.

L Thammy · Oct 10, 2020

baggage said:
Also, the character is canonically either Puerto Rican or Vietnamese (there were some backstory retcons at some point, I think), so all the Chinese stuff in Twitch Branding actually makes no sense whatsoever, I just realized..

Oh, there's a wiki on this stuff.

Wang Chang, now known as "Mr. Chang" is a founder and the leader of Chang Gang.

Wang Chang legally changed his name to Mr. Chang. He is a self-described native of Puerto Rico with a notably thick accent. Mr. Chang is a founder of Chang Gang, along with Garrett Jobless. He is highly skilled in urban combat and martial arts, he is also known to be one of best shooters in Los Santos. A heavy drug user and adrenaline junkie, he is frequently injured as a result of reckless behavior and high-speed driving. His spirit animal is the dragon and is known as the Final Boss of Los Santos due to his excellent knowledge of Warfare.

Species:
Interdimensional space/time dragon, humanoid trans-morphic being

Upon arriving in Los Santos, he met a man of the name of Garrett Jobless and approached Chang to start a Gang which was named Chang Gang, which Garrett came up with. In true Chang style he agreed for $50 dollars and a cheeseburger.

Chang Gang is the oldest and longest-running gang in the city, noted by Mr. Chang.

The Dragon's Dojo is a dojo co-owned and operated by Mr. Chang and Uchiha Jones

It is located on Vinewood Boulevard in Downtown Vinewood, Los Santos, situated east of the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank. It is a large Chinese-themed cinema .

Wu Chang Records is a Los Santos based record label.

Wu Chang Records was created by Mr. Wang Chang & Vinny Pistone, and established under Mr. Wang Chang's name.

Vinny and Mr. Chang unofficially signed Lil Erf as the label's first artist, after the debut of his hit song "Chang Gang."

I also couldn't help looking up this other guy:

Uchiha Jones is a character role-played by cyr aka Anime Phuckface. ([Pegi18[Eng Dub])

Born in Kansas, Japan, Uchiha lived with his parents until the age of four, when they were brutally murdered in front of him. A man took him in and trained him as a Shinoba. At the age of 18, his sensei confessed that he was the one who beheaded his parents. Searching for his sensei, Uchiha moved to Los Santos. He is a member of Chang Gang.

Uchiha speaks English and Kansas-ese, a mixture of Japanese and English. He also calls people "fucko", which is a term of endearment in his native land.

He has cybernetic arms, legs, and a shoko (penis) from Boston Dynamics (in collaboration with Pillbox Medical and SpaceSex). Uchiha wears an exoskeleton on his torso as a result of all the combat damage.

*Cyr has stated that Uchiha is based on various characters from video games [such as Final Fantasy] and anime series [such as Naruto]. Cyr uses music from these games and series to set the mood for Uchiha's character.

Grifter · Oct 10, 2020

Messofanego said:
The OP doesn't include a picture of LordKebun but it's a white dude called Kevin, he's a racist.

Here's a bit from the company he hired to re-brand his channel around this racist stereotype.

Elgato Marketplace

Marketplace makes it easy to express yourself in a virtual world. Find what you need to record, stream, or share.

visualsbyimpulse.com

The project called for an oriental, Chinese-themed art style; dancing chopsticks, soaring dragons, towering pagodas… Incorporating some of the most iconic elements and signatures of his infamous online persona, Mr. Chang. A clean, colorful display with themes of far-eastern royalty - befitting the Lord Kebun himself. An equal mix of lighthearted fun and minimalist, professional vibes. It was one of our most ambitious design briefs yet. Luckily, the team was up to the challenge.

...

With research completed, we began planning out the design process itself. In total, Lord Kebun - known as Kevin IRL - had requested:

Custom Logo & Branding

Twitch Overlays

Animated Stream Alerts

Stream Screens

Animated Intro

Stinger Transition

Emotes

Sub Badges

Twitch Panels

Profile Art

As for art style, Kebun wanted to build and expand on his existing branding. His channel featured traditional Chinese design themes, paying homage to Mr. Chang's heritage.
For our team, this presented a unique challenge. Over the course of five years and 8,000+ custom projects, we've received plenty of east-Asian, oriental commissions. The overwhelming majority of these are Japanese and anime-inspired (… lots & lots of anime OMEGALUL). But traditional Chinese? That was new. To prepare, we undertook a crash course on Chinese cultural immersion. We researched Chinese architecture. Their mythology & festivals. Script & calligraphy. Watercolors & ink wash painting… All searching for patterns, symbols, icons, and hidden gems that we could into Kebun's design.

Yo, motherfuck EVERYTHING in this post!

(But thank you for the context.)

Deleted member 56752 · Oct 10, 2020

Mahonay said:
The Twitch way.

The white person way

TaleSpun · Oct 10, 2020

Mahonay said:
Over time he developed the character and people grew attached. But no matter how you swing it, it's a DEEPLY offensive voice. It's no surprise he had to make the choice himself because Twitch is a garbage place that allows all sorts of suspect shit, and I'm sure he could have just continued with it with no repercussions from the platform itself.

I don't know why you're dancing around calling this shit racist. It's racist. He's stopping because the optics are no longer tenable. I mean lol

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

TaleSpun said:
I don't know why you're dancing around calling this shit racist. It's racist. He's stopping because the optics are no longer tenable. I mean lol

Yes it's racist

Yuntu · Oct 10, 2020

L Thammy said:
Oh, there's a wiki on this stuff.

I also couldn't help looking up this other guy:

Uchiha is pretty harmless imo because its just a parody of Sasuke Uchiha from the Naruto anime.

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Yuntu said:
Uchiha is pretty harmless imo because its just a parody of Sasuke Uchiha from the Naruto anime.

The man himself, Cyr, has a pretty dubious history and was one of Onisions best friends.

Yuntu · Oct 10, 2020

Mahonay said:
The man himself, Cyr, has a pretty dubious history and was one of Onisions best friends.

Who is Onisions?

Mahonay · Oct 10, 2020

Yuntu said:
Who is Onisions?

Who is Onision?

Warning: It will get creepy and gross.

medium.com

Biestmann · Oct 10, 2020

GTA RP is stuffed to the brim with white people playing other ethnicities while putting on a fake accent and stereotypical behavior. It's pretty gross.

It's rather impossible to believe Kebun would retire Chang voluntarily, but I am having a hard time thinking of who or what could have pushed him to. GTA RP was the shit on Twitch for months and no one bat an eye. Who would've now? I would be more willing to believe he just wants to retire from GTA RP proper, as its popularity has long waned.

SmartWaffles · Oct 10, 2020

Get Ken Jeong to play him instead.

Lashley · Oct 17, 2020

Moved to Facebook gaming. So, that's probably why.

Twitch streamer Lord Kebun retires Mr Chang character from GTA RP

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