In Atlanta’s competitive content creation landscape, Shon Rolling has established himself as one of the city’s most authentic and relatable voices. From his humble beginnings making Facebook skits about everyday situations to becoming a recognized name with celebrity fans like NBA YoungBoy and DaBaby, Rolling’s journey is a testament to consistency and staying true to oneself. With his trademark relatability and genuine approach to content creation, the Albany, Ga., native has built a loyal following while maintaining his private, down-to-earth personality.
When did you make your first piece of content? And what was it?
It was 2015, and it was a video about going through the drive-thru and not knowing what you want. That was a real-life situation in my family. We were at McDonald’s, and nobody knew what they wanted. My dad was like, “That’d be funny if you made a little video about that.” So, I did and sent it to him. He started posting it on Facebook, and that’s when I started making skits. Then I started finding my grandma’s wigs and making content when I was living with them.
What would you say your content style is?
I would just say real-life situations. Honestly, just relatable content, like growing up in a Black household. That’s how I always want to be — relatable when I put out content.
What was the first video that popped for you?
My first ever video that popped was in 2017. It was a LeBron [James] video when he was dancing to T Grizzly. I was doing that dance. That was my first ever viral video — it got like 10K views, which was viral back then to me. But my first ever real viral video was an NBA YoungBoy impersonation, showing how he acts in his music videos. That one hit like 600K in 24 hours.
Was Facebook the app you originally started on?
It was. I was scared to post on Instagram. I felt like Facebook was where the older people were, but that’s where I was getting the most love from. Where I’m from, everybody was on Facebook back then more than Instagram or Snapchat. So, I just tried to target the audience where I was from.
Where are you from?
I’m from Albany, Ga. Country Georgia.
Your content makes fun of yourself. You put yourself in situations where people can laugh at you. In public, in your city, were people making fun of you or were they saluting you?
Both. There was a lot of love from where I’m from. Dawson and Albany are like one and the same, similar to how Atlanta has College Park and other cities. Dawson is where I’m really from. People would make little jokes, but they liked seeing a different side of me because I was kind of quiet in high school. They’d ask, “How can you be acting like this on Facebook when you’re so quiet in person?” Now I’m more outgoing, but I’m still private in certain ways. It depends on the situation.
What is the hardest thing about making content?
The hardest thing is when I’m not making content. It’s so normal to me now — it’s second nature. Every day is content to me. The hardest part is dealing with personal things in life that affect my motivation. When I’m going through personal stuff, that’s when it’s difficult. Otherwise, content is really just natural and pretty easy for me.
When you first started making content, did you ever imagine that you’d become a household name? Or was it just about sharing your passion and having fun?
No, I never thought that. I thought I was going to play basketball or be a pro skateboarder. I promise you, comedy was not on my radar. I grew up watching a lot of stand-up comedy and comedians, but if you had asked me when I was 10, I would have said pro skateboarder or playing basketball or football. That’s all I did.
Are you still big into skateboarding?
I just started again yesterday. I took a break, but I found my skateboard about a month ago and pulled it back out. Skateboarding was my thing back then.
How would you say your sense of identity has changed since you became popular?
I really love my personal life — hanging out with family and doing things outside the content world. Those are the most important things to me. I care about myself very well, but I don’t try to boast about who I am. I acknowledge and appreciate it because it’s truly a blessing to see people love what you do. My personal life is what I enjoy the most and what gives me the most peace. I wouldn’t say too much has changed, but I’m definitely grateful for everything that comes with it.
Do you feel like you have to have your online personality on all the time? When you go to the grocery store or a party, do you have to be that same charismatic person?
No, I don’t pressure myself to be that person all the time. When people meet me, they often say, “Damn, you’re actually really chill and cool.” I don’t feel pressure to be who I am on the Internet all the time. I’m just myself regardless, but as I warm up and get comfortable, that boost of energy comes out.
Who are some content creators you enjoy?
Right now, Druski is top tier. Of course, Kai Cenat because I really watched him from the bottom all the way up. Him and RDCWorld — I used to watch them all the time. Seeing what he’s doing now is truly inspirational. But honestly, I support anybody who’s doing good and being positive. Every content creator who’s taking care of what they need to take care of, I support them — females, males, whoever.
How would you define trash content?
That’s tough because I feel like if you’re a consistent content creator and it may not be the best content, at least you’re consistent and have a goal. But what I don’t like is when people are constantly screaming in their content. Sometimes it can be funny, but when they’re just screaming all the time, I have to turn it off.
Who is somebody that kind of star-struck you when they noticed your videos?
The Baby, back in 2019, when he posted one of my videos on his page. YNW Melly before he got locked up — he commented on my Halloween video where I was giving out ramen noodles and food stamps. He started commenting on videos after that. NBA YoungBoy didn’t necessarily see my stuff directly, but I think his team was seeing it and showed him. That’s how I blew up — making videos about him and then doing impersonations of different artists after that.
I remember Druski was doing a similar thing as the character “Coulda Been Records.”
Yeah, he was doing Little Baby’s manager as QCP. Like, “Are you hard, baby?” He ran with that QCP character for a minute.
What do you think is the strategy — when you see something that hits, do you run with it until you build a fan base, or do you create different segments?
That’s exactly what I try to do. I started with NBA YoungBoy, then moved to other artists like QRN, Kevin Gates, Lil Durk, King Von — I don’t think there’s an artist I haven’t impersonated back then. Then I created my character named Lil JJ, where I talk like a little kid. To this day, that’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done.
What inspired you to do Lil JJ?
It started with one video about how little kids act in certain scenarios, and it just blew up, so I kept going with it. That was my niche for like two to three years. It was hard to get out of that because my audience was younger kids. I was still doing different content, but I was trying to transition slowly so the kids wouldn’t think I was abandoning them. I kept making JJ content while introducing other formats like voice-overs of other videos, relatable day-to-day content, and commenting on viral trends. People still want JJ back, but I feel that’s a closed chapter.
How has being famous online impacted your personal relationships? Do people treat you differently when they recognize you?
When I meet somebody, I normally don’t even tell them what I do. I like genuine conversations and talking about other things. Sometimes I’ve had conversations with people for hours, and they don’t know what I do until they find me online later. Then they’re like, “Bro, we talked for two hours and you never said anything!” I like meeting people and discussing the million other things in this world besides what I do for a living. Once they know, the conversation switches.
How is it finding love as a content creator? Is it harder?
With my current girlfriend, I didn’t tell her what I did right away, though she already kind of knew who I was. Before that, I would rather meet a girl in person than in DMs. Once I DM her, she already has an idea of who I am, and then I have to navigate what she really likes about me. In person, it feels more genuine.
How do you handle online hate and negativity?
By the grace of God, I get a lot of love, but some negative comments come with it. I really don’t care. I look at it all as engagement — you still took your time to type out a comment, so you did something for me. I can’t think of any specific hate comment that really stood out or bothered me.
Last question — where do you see yourself in five years?
Touring and acting, literally what you just said. With content creation, I want to help others not only make content but monetize it too. I want to create a program to help other creators. When I started, I did it just for fun, not knowing I’d reach this point. I still do it for fun and love it. In five years, I want to help others reach that position while expanding into acting, touring different cities, and music too. I do make music, I just don’t release it.
I’m very strategic about how I approach things — I want to make sure it’s right. I don’t want to be just another content creator doing music. I incorporate it into my comedy to show that I actually can do it, getting people’s attention that way first.
Follow Shon Rolling on social media for his latest content, including his comedic skits and character impersonations.
