Pouya and Fat Nick, the so-called ‘Ren and Stimpy’ of rap, built their brand name on being lovable knuckleheads. But year that is last one of these was quietly accused of intimate attack.

Tarpley Hitt

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In October of 2013, a thin white kid called Kevin Pouya uploaded a video clip to YouTube called “How to obtain Free Donuts. ” The video clip opens on Pouya, appearing just like a preteen Travis Birkenstock, dealing with the camera. “Check it away, find out about it, ” he claims, “This is the way you have free donuts, from Dunkin’ Donuts. No. Money. Needed. ” More than a piano sound recording directly through the Sims, the digital camera follows Pouya and a buddy because they order at a drive-thru screen, grab a package of glazed, and speed off without having to pay, cackling out from the great deal.

Miami rapper Pouya’s early YouTube show, Nick and Pouya Show, produced together with friend that is best and longtime collaborator, Fat Nick, had been filled up with pranks similar to this one—silly, unscripted, low-budget, funny and then those included. But almost couple of years later on, after Pouya scored huge number of streams on SoundCloud, slightly more body mass, and a spot that is coveted South Florida’s rap scene, he nevertheless cited his YouTube show while the begin of their job.

“Comedy ended up being our very first thing, ” Pouya stated of fat Nick to his partnership on No Jumper, a favorite hip-hop podcast whose interviews with underground rappers act as a types of litmus test for long-lasting viability. But even yet in their 2nd thing—writing the rough, melancholy pubs now synonymous with Southern Florida rap—Pouya and Nick always branded by themselves as amiable goons. The set have comedy that is classic differential (Pouya plays a skeletal David Spade to Nick’s Chris Farley), fast banter, and a dark, cartoonish sensibility, leading one journalist to dub them the “Ren and Stimpy of rap. ”

Within the time since, the duo became regulars when you look at the sphere of SoundCloud rap, having a title sign in the newest York Times’ definitive article about them and constant success that is commercial. In 2016, Pouya featured on “Dat $tick, ” the breakout solitary from Indonesian MC deep Brian (then Rich Chigga), who now figures among the list of biggest names in rap. Across the exact same time, Pouya dropped Underground Underdogs, which climbed iTunes’ hip-hop charts for almost a week. Later on, their 2017 collab with Fat Nick, Drop away from class, implemented suit. Then Five Five, a mixtape that is well-received in March (called when it comes to rapper’s height), prompted Pouya to announce a month-long trip across European countries for early this autumn.

But final September, amidst their job boom and simply a fortnight before Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct allegations caused a cataclysm of #MeToo moments, the rappers’ reputation took a change when it comes to severe, each time a 22-year-old tattoo artist filed a police report, accusing Pouya as well as 2 users of their entourage of intimate assault.

In a statement towards the everyday Beast, a representative penned on Pouya’s behalf that the rapper categorically denies participating in non-consensual sexual conduct with anybody. He claims not to have experienced sexual experience of the accuser, also to be “prepared” to just simply take her allegations to court.

“Mr. Pouya is certain that a fundamental research of this facts will expose why these claims are false, ” the representative had written, “and when proof is reviewed these allegations will likely to be determined to own been produced by a disingenuous person who is looking for attention underneath the umbrella of the #MeToo movement. ” The authorities report had been filed on September 24, 2017. The #MeToo motion shot to popularity after October 5, 2017.

The storyline begins during the early 2015, whenever Pouya rose to SoundCloud semi-fame after releasing a few singles, such as the popular track “Get Buck” (2013), as well as 2 mixtapes, Stunna (2014) and South Side Slugs (2015). The BMX-blogger, hip-hop tastemaker, and recently accused sexual assailant Adam Grandmaison, better known as Adam22 though still largely unknown, Pouya’s small but rabid following earned him a spot on No Jumper, speaking with the podcast’s notorious host. (Grandmaison denies the allegations. )

The then-20-year-old Pouya described growing up in Miami with his grandmother, meeting Nick in the seventh grade, and becoming fast friends in the episode. They skated, made videos that are quick their YouTube channel, and soon after, after both boys dropped away from senior school, broke into rap.

The pivot from comedy to music wasn’t random—Pouya and Fat Nick had been buddies with people in Raider Klan, the hip-hop collective spearheaded by an musician named SpaceGhostPurrp, whom helped place Southern Florida music in the map.

Pouya’s No Jumper look proved immediately popular–then among the show’s most viewed—and within the after months their profession gained energy, prompting Adam22 to ask the rapper back into the podcast just 10 months later (“His profession is continuing to grow in great amounts http://www.camsloveaholics.com/female/brunette/, ” the host composed when you look at the show records. ) Element of that appeal stemmed from Pouya’s silly schtick (he and Nick are laughing throughout) and from their frankness. The rapper talked openly about anxiety, despair, and insecurity that is romantic but additionally about explicit intimate escapades that take on an ominous tone in light for the allegations against him.