The Music Video That Sparked More Than Views
bbno$, the Canadian rapper known for offbeat hits and viral collaborations, dropped his new music video for mary poppins—but it wasn’t the beats or cameo lineup that first got people talking. Fans quickly noticed something odd: longtime Twitch streamer Asmongold was there, but his face wasn’t. Instead, it was covered by a big, cartoon dinosaur sticker. It wasn’t a quirky visual joke. It was a deliberate act—and it came with a very public explanation.
The video opens with a disclaimer, written in bold text, spelling out bbno$’s stance. Anyone featured whose values, especially on the Israel-Palestine issue, didn’t align with his would be censored, and all generated funds would go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). This wasn’t subtle. bbno$ made it clear: he was taking a side, and he would use his platform—and art—to do it.
Why Did Asmongold Get Blurred?
To unravel this, you have to go back to earlier this year. Asmongold, a fixture in the online streaming world, found himself mired in controversy for comments he made about the Israel-Palestine conflict. It led to a 14-day ban from Twitch, shaking up both his fanbase and his partnerships. Since then, he left his group One True King (OTK) and seriously cut back on collaborations. Suddenly, being seen with Asmongold came with baggage creators weren’t eager to carry.
In the case of mary poppins, bbno$ appears to have weighed his options and decided that including Asmongold as-is simply wasn’t worth the potential blowback. So, his presence stayed—but his face was scrubbed, replaced by that dinosaur sticker. The move wasn’t hidden or brushed aside; it became something of a statement, drawing even more attention than if bbno$ had quietly cut Asmongold’s cameo.
Asmongold didn’t let speculation swirl. He addressed the drama on his own stream the day the video premiered. There was no anger. If anything, he sounded weary but matter-of-fact: "I get why people do this. My presence is a risk, and people make choices. No hard feelings. If anything, I feel bad for causing trouble for others." It was an unusually philosophical response from a streamer better known for brash video game takes.
Some fans applauded bbno$ for drawing a clear line, seeing his actions as principled support for Palestine. Others, though, accused the rapper of grandstanding, calling it hollow virtue signaling that does more to promote his image than serve a cause.
- Supporters argued that creators are finally standing up for their beliefs, pushing back against the idea that entertainment and activism should never mix.
- Critics countered that public censorship is more show than substance, arguing that it reinforces echo chambers rather than any real dialogue or change.
Either way, the move put both artists directly in the crossfire of the internet’s never-ending debate over cancel culture, accountability, and who gets to control the narrative.
This isn’t just about one music video. If you’ve watched the online world shift over the last few years, you’ve seen how fast alliances can fray. Collaborations are riskier than ever, with every tweet, stream, or soundbite subject to scrutiny—not only from fans but from collaborators too. Asmongold knows this firsthand. He’s become less visible on shared projects, taking a step back as the risks keep piling up. Unlike a few years ago, being controversial doesn’t just mean mean tweets; it means lost partnerships and a new layer of self-policing among creators.
So, when bbno$ blurred Asmongold, it didn’t just erase a face from a music video. It captured a moment in culture—one where visibility is power, censorship is part of the toolkit, and the line between art, ethics, and self-preservation is growing blurrier by the week.