Up-and-coming artist Lil RT has reached over 78k subscribers on YouTube and over 40k followers on Instagram. What makes this so notable is that this aspiring artist is only nine years old…and has sparked controversial opinions all over the U.S. 

Lil RT’s rise to fame began with a TikTok video that went viral where he was seen freestyling explicit content. The fame continued growing once he released his song “60 Miles” on YouTube soon after. His content is controversial for the profanity used and explicit contents described.  At nine years old, he is narrating scenes of running from the police and woman performing sexual acts on him.

This has been concerning for audiences around the nation. As researched by various health organizations,  such as the National Institute of Health, brain development is not complete until the age of 25. Children are easily impressionable; thus, and allowing Lil RT to talk about topics he can’t fully comprehend is leading him down a path of harm.

Political and cultural commentator Cadance Owens expresses her concern for Lil RT in her podcast published on YouTube. She says, “Child Protective Services will show up at your door for refusing a vitamin K shot in the hospital, but there is no problem with a child talking about sexual acts.” Lil RT replied to her video by saying that she is jealous and needs to “Hop off [his] silk.” In the video, there are adults laughing at his response–ultimately egging his behavior on. Society is starting to see more and more instances where adults care more about social media fame than their children. Famous Birthdays states that Lil RT’s mother manages all his social media accounts. She is well aware of the content being created by her nine-year-old son and seems to find it acceptable. Parents are using their children to further their desperate need for attention. 

Parents are not the only people responsible for encouraging such behavior. Famous platforms like WORLDSTARHIPHOP have featured Lil RT on their social media pages. Fellow rapper, 29-year-old Doe Boy, agreed to be featured in Lil RT’s latest hit “60 Miles 2.” Once this collaboration hit media outlets, Doe Boy received lots of backlash, to which he replied, “Those comments are so lame to me. At the end of the day, he’s nine years old. I don’t know if you’re from where we’re from, but that’s a regular little boy in the hood.”

Elkhart High School Senior Alia Bravo says, “I’m extremely disturbed by how normalized this behavior is in todays’ society. Little boys should be playing sports or games, not rapping about illegal activities.” Lil RT is a perfect example of culture coercion where young boys in high-poverty areas conform to the ultimate goal of hoping they are not dead by 20.