Darren Watkins Jr., better known to his 33 million YouTube subscribers as IShowSpeed, rolled through Cairo like a hurricane with a camera crew, delivering the kind of content that’s equal parts cultural tourism and controlled chaos.
Filmed as part of his ongoing “Speed Does Africa” series, the multi-hour livestream racked up millions of views as Speed ping-ponged between ancient wonders and modern mishaps. It’s a milestone that would’ve been difficult to describe to the tens of thousands involved in the construction of the pyramids, but pretty impressive nonetheless.
First Streamer to Livestream Inside the Pyramids
Speed kicked things off with sweeping drone shots of the Giza pyramid complex before ducking into one of the narrow chambers that tourists usually shuffle through in reverent silence. Naturally, Speed had other plans.
Whether or not he was actually the first to stream from inside remains unverified, but in the attention economy, being loud counts for something.
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The Koshary Backflip Heard ‘Round the Internet
During his Cairo streets trek, Speed hit none other than legendary koshary spot Abu Tarek, the legendary koshary spot that’s been feeding locals and adventurous tourists since 1950.
Speed’s reaction to his first bite was, predictably, unhinged. Shocked by the flavors, he literally climbed onto the table at Abu Tarek and proceeded to hit a backflip in celebration of the Egyptian delicacy.
The Awkward Nour Encounter
In another segment, Speed hopped on a felucca (a traditional wooden sailboats that cruise the Nile) in Giza, where he linked up with singer Nour, known online as @r4wlight. What should’ve been a chill collab quickly turned awkward when Noor started performing one of her English songs in an overly theatrical manner.
Speed, never one to hide his confusion, straight-up asked what language she was even singing in. The exchange became an instant meme, capturing that specific brand of cross-cultural streaming content where nobody’s quite sure what’s happening, but everyone keeps filming anyway.
Dancing With a Nubian Man on a Felucca
During his felucca cruise, Speed had a wholesome encounter with a Nubian man. The two vibed to traditional music and hit every dance move in the book.
Barking at Strangers in the Grand Egyptian Museum
Speed visited the new Grand Egyptian Museum, where he was generously mesmerized by ancient Egyptian artifacts. What became a highlight during the visit was when a random stranger caught him offguard. Speed responded with his signature bark – because that’s what to do when we’re approached by strangers now.
Speed Nearly Passes Out Doing the Tanoura Dance
Pure chaos and joy ensued when Speed attempted the tanoura, a traditional Egyptian Sufi spinning dance that requires both skill and stamina. Dressed in the colorful layered skirt used in the performance, Speed spun so hard and so long that he nearly passed out.
The Near-Death Rooftop Collapse
In the most genuinely terrifying moment of the entire stream, Speed nearly plunged through a collapsing platform while standing on a rooftop in Old Cairo. The structure gave way beneath him, and for a split second, what’s usually performative danger became very real.
Speed managed to catch himself, but the moment sobered up a chat that was usually spamming emotes.
Paragliding Over the Pyramids
After spending hours around the pyramid complex, Speed drove out to a paragliding spot overlooking the Giza desert. Strapped into a tandem paraglider, he soared above the ancient structures and the sprawling cityscape of modern Cairo.
An Editor at Complex MENA.
