MANY Artists Went From Cringe To Cool

In partnership with

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!

I'm listening to the "MusicAtMidnite" playlist while editing a members-only video for the channel, and Quadeca’s new song “Monday” comes on. We talked about him about a year ago on our YouTube membership, but if you're not familiar with him, Quadeca is an extraordinary artist.

When I first heard him, I just thought "oh that's a sick beat" and moved on. My friends immediately shut that down - "no no no, you gotta actually look at what this dude is about" because understanding his whole approach completely transforms how you experience the music.

An Artist Worth Exploring

I recommend checking out his YouTube channel as a starting point. It'll blow your mind if you already like his sound because there's so much more happening beneath the surface than you initially realize. Start from his first videos by clicking the videos tab and scrolling through his journey. You will quickly see something…

Who you are today as a creator does not mean you cannot go on to something way bigger just a year later.

Starting From…Soccer Content?

Quadeca went from soccer and FIFA content to where he is now. This is why I want to talk about him, because a lot of you are gonna be like "why do I care about this scruffy-looking rapper dude" - you're judging the book by its cover, which is a really not smart thing to do. A lot of you get wrapped up in "Oh my narrative! No one's gonna think I'm cool if I do this thing."

Exquisite Content Makes You Different

I have a lot of sympathy for people pivoting their channels—for artists and creators trying to get the algorithm to follow them somewhere new. In cases like Quadeca, your corny or unrelated past doesn’t matter if the content you're making now is exquisite.

A lot of the advice I give only applies if you’re making mid content, like most people are, because mid is average. When your content is mid, it’s easier to game the system and follow the standard path. But it's a whole different story when you're making something genuinely great. The rules don’t work the same.

10-Year YouTube Journey

Quadeca started making videos on his channel 10 years ago, going from FIFA videogame content, to soccer content, to battle rap content, and then full length album movies to visualize his artpop and esoteric sound.

After two years of soccer content, we started watching rap videos. Bro had a pretty weak image back then. The thumbnails are corny. They're doing very cheesy clickbait stuff. But looking back, they went from being kind of a laughing stock to clout goblin, hitting 5.2 million views. They were doing good numbers because they got some good people involved - they had the views to attract collaborators.

The Turning Point

Then, all of a sudden, about four years into his six-year journey from FIFA content to full-blown artistry, Quadeca drops his single “Sisyphus”. It’s the turning point. If you love a well-produced, emotionally layered hip-hop track—one of those songs where you hear it and think, “yeah, I could’ve made that”—this is where you should start.

Evolution of Artistry

A few weeks later, he follows it up with a full-length visual album, From Me to You. A complete film to accompany the record, and I’ve referenced it in tons of videos over the years because it’s just that good. One of those projects makes you stop and realize: this isn’t a fluke. He’s building something serious here.

When it dropped, I even made a breakdown where I talked about it alongside artists like Shygirl and Turnstile’s kind of lane he was moving into—the genre-blurring, form-bending stuff.

And of course, right around then, Fantano trashes it. Says it’s bloated, or too much, or doesn’t land. But Quadeca doesn’t flinch. He keeps going. Keeps pushing forward with these strange, ambitious, artpop-inspired visual projects. And now, we’re watching him refine that same style—sharper, more confident, and honestly way ahead of most people trying to play in that space.

From Laughing Stock to Respect

He started as a laughing stock and the guy who couldn't get love from Fantano (scoring a 4/10 with his first album), even when trying to play the Fantano game. And let's be honest—if you're making artsy shit, you win the game when Fantano gives you his approval.

Quadeca clapped back. He got a bunch of views for cooking for Fantano in return. Since then, Fantano scored his most recent album, SCRAPYARD, a 9/10. And I just saw Fantano gushing over Quadeca’s newest release, "Monday." It was already on my list to check out the song the next time I had a moment to listen, but seeing Fantano’s reaction was like, okay, this moment's big.

Creating Emotionally Impactful Songs with a Unique Sound

We’re now at the point where Quadeca is consistently putting out some of the sickest beats in all of hip-hop and doing it regularly. But the song he just released, “Monday,” isn’t even hip-hop. It’s like some anti-pop shit. It’s fucking unbelievable. Like a piano-driven, heartfelt ballad. I was listening to it and immediately felt like I gotta hit record and capture what I’m feeling, because I couldn’t believe it.

I usually get that feeling with some of his songs. “Sisyphus” is one where I hear it and think, “man, that hits me in the emotional place.” But most of the time, I listen to the production. For example, the beat alone is excellent. But then I heard “WAY TOO MANY FRIENDS," and that one hit me hard. That was different.

All This To Say…

And yeah, I gotta say: what I’m really trying to get across here is that if you’re defining yourself based on fear of your past, on stuff you’ve already done that may feel cheesy or off-brand, you’re holding yourself back. 

People ask me all the time, like, “Can I do tutorials and still blow up?” John Summit did that at one point and has over 10 million monthly listeners and headlines EDM festivals. Mr. Bill still does it to this day—and he’s one of the most respected artists in dubstep.

Rebecca Black went from the Internet cringe of the year to one of the most acclaimed Boiler Room sets with millions of views and hyper pop fame. Radiohead were considered lame and shunned by critics when “Creep” and The Bends dropped, and OK Computer changed the game. I was at early Skrillex shows with people making fun of him being a former emo singer and now trying to be a DJ. A year later, everyone worshipped him.

Who you are today as a creator does not mean you cannot go onto something way bigger just a year later.

There are so many examples of artists who’ve done corny shit, educational shit, algorithm-chasing shit. But if you eventually come with something transcendent—something really fucking good, like these Quadeca tracks are—it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that you were a soccer influencer. It doesn’t matter that you were a fucking clout goblin. If what you’re making now (or will make in the future) is undeniable, you’re good.