Barnes, better known as Lionel B, poses for a portrait in his home studio in Tampa, Florida. After getting laid off and trying to figure out how to come up with some money, he remembered his old Google Adsense account. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
TAMPA, Florida: Things were looking down for Lionel Barnes in late 2018. He’d been let go from his information technology job in Plant City, Florida. A rocky relationship had ended. He was soon sleeping in his 20-year-old Mercedes with his teenage son, Lionel Jr.
He’d park in front of fast food restaurants in Tampa and use the free Internet to apply for jobs.
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Barnes, better known as Lionel B, poses for a portrait in his home studio in Tampa, Florida. After getting laid off and trying to figure out how to come up with some money, he remembered his old Google Adsense account. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
Barnes in his home studio in Tampa, Florida. Two years after his initial US$10,000 cheque from YouTube, the Lionel B Show channel has more than 350,000 subscribers and 90 million views and counting. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
Barnes’ videos have become more polished, as has his presenting voice and editing. He has also grown an audience on Instagram. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
Artwork from inside the home studio of rapper and YouTube creator Barnes. Being able to pay the bills with the YouTube channel has allowed Barnes, a graduate of Bloomingdale High School, to produce and release his own music. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
In recent videos, Barnes, who lives in Tampa, has interviewed major music stars from the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Ja Rule and Krayzie Bone, people he considers ‘legends’ in the era of hip hop he grew up with. — Tampa Bay Times via AP
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