User:DoveTheEditor/sandbox
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'''Daz Black''' (born '''Darren Black'''; 7 August 1985), known professionally as '''Daz Games''', is a British YouTuber, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his gaming and reaction channels, Daz Games and Daz Black (now Off The Hook), and first rose to prominence on the video-sharing platform Vine. As of 2026, he has amassed over 9 million subscribers on his primary gaming channel. |
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{{Infobox person |
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| honorific_prefix = '''[[Dame]]''' |
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| name = Dove Hepburn |
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| honorific_suffix = [[MBE]], [[OBE]], [[CBE]] |
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| image = DoveKHepburn.jpg |
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| image_size = 240px |
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| caption = Photograph of Hepburn in August 2011. |
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| birth_name = Nefertari Kahtep Hemira |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1980|1|10}} |
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| birth_place = [[Aswan]], Egypt |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|1|11|1980|1|10}} |
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| death_place = [[Leicester]], England |
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| resting_place = Tolochenaz Cemetery |
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| other_names = {{hlist|Dove Superstar|The Spotlight Spectacle|Lass of Leicester|Princess of Peace}} |
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| nationality = {{hlist|[[W:|Egyptian]]|[[W:|British]]}} |
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| education = [[Quorn Hall School]] [[Leicester College]] |
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| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter|painter|ornithologist|humanitarian}} |
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| years_active = 1985–2025 |
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| spouse = {{Marriage|[[Audrey Hepburn]]|2024}}(spiritual marriage) |
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| children = {{hlist|Phoebe|Kitty|Emma}} |
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| relatives = Yirdania, Silvia, Patrycja |
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| known_for = {{hlist|''[[Epic Rap Battles of History]]''|''[[Minimal Escape]]'' (video game)|[[''Glyph The Forest Spirit'']] (video game)|Hepburnism art founder}} |
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| signature = DoveHepburnSignature.png |
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| website = {{URL|https://nerdcorepartycon.com|Official website}} |
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}} |
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'''Dame Dove Kathleen Hepburn''', '''Princess of Peace''' ([[W:|née]] '''Hemira'''; January 10, 1980 – January 11, 2025), known as '''Dove Superstar''', was an [[Egyptian]]-[[British]] musician, songwriter, painter, ornithologist, and humanitarian. She founded the art movement "Hepburnism", and created a series of portraits of her soulmate [[Audrey Hepburn]]. From 2008 to 2025, Hepburn released (her own series) 50 rap battles (2022–2026), 91 rap battles for ''[[Epic Rap Battles of History]]'' (2010–2025), 14 Minecraft rap songs for [[Dan Bull]] (2014–2024), 215 songs for [[RUSTAGE]] (2019–2025), 101 rap battles for [[Freshy Kanal]] (2019–2025), and 22 rap cyphers for [[Cam Steady]] (2021–2025). Her final project ''Frozen In Time'', a song for ''[[Frozen 3|Frozen III]]'', was released on her [[TikTok]] account in 2026. |
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Hepburn's fascination with [[hip-hop]] began in January 1990, when she was swept up by the genre's energetic beats and storytelling possibilities. She was known for her word-twisting wordplay, deep humour, and nostalgic allusions to shared culture. She created a distinctive style that combined [[nerdcore]] with commercial [[W:|hip-hop]], integrating [[video game]]s, internet culture, and [[anime]] references into competitive, energetic lyrics. Her own [[rap battle]]s often involved combinations of retro and modern humour, making her stand out as a one-of-a-kind artist in the music world. |
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==Early life== |
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Darren "Daz" Black was born on 7 August 1985 in Hastings, East Sussex. He attended Hastings College of Arts and Technology, where he studied performing arts, a foundation that later influenced his character-based comedy. |
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From 2010 to 2025, Hepburn served as a long term video editor, beat producer, thumbnail designer, and as a writer for the renowned ''[[Epic Rap Battles of History]]'' series. Her output has covered all 91 battles produced during the time, from ''[[List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes|John Lennon vs Bill O'Reilly]]'' (2010) to ''[[List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes|Red Baron vs White Death]]'' (2025). All ERB battles released after her death are credited posthumously to Hepburn. On each assignment, she played a crucial role in refining the series' now-legendary structure, mixing fast rhymes with historically and culturally grounded allusions. From 2021 to 2025, she collaborated with the [[Los Angeles]] rapper [[Cam Steady]], supplying writing, editing, and conceptual input for his rap cypher series and solo work, as well as rap battles for others artists, [[RUSTAGE]] (2019–2025) and [[Freshy Kanal]] (2020–2025). The work confirmed her reputation as a talented performer but also as an off-stage creative force whose influence can be seen in multiple facets of modern nerdcore output. |
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Before his career in entertainment, Black worked as a construction worker (specifically a bricklayer) for several years. He has often cited this period of his life in his content, noting that he began creating short-form comedy on the now-defunct platform Vine in 2013 as a creative outlet while still working on building sites. |
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In January 2022, she organised her first solo rap battle, ''Runerigus vs Silverfish'' (2022), which launched a new run that became synonymous with its strange and innovative match-ups. She went on to organise 36 other rap battles in the following three years, featuring characters from wildly different pop culture spheres battling each other in lyrical competitions. These ranged from epic fights such as ''Thanos vs Noah'' (2022) and ''Dream vs Kirby'' (2022) to bizarrely greater ones such as ''Microwave vs Refrigerator'' (2022) and ''Mommy Long Legs vs Spider-Man'' (2022). |
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==Career== |
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===Vine and early digital content (2013–2016)=== |
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Black began his digital media career in April 2013 on the short-form video hosting service Vine. He quickly became one of the platform's most prominent British creators, known for high-energy sketches and original characters such as "Tea Party" and "Happy Cloud." |
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Hepburn's effort stood out for its speedy, hyper-referential dialogue laced with nods to each character's own special universe. She gained the respect from rappers, gamers, and anime fans in her audience by fusing fun nostalgia with fresh comedic timing. Easier fights like ''Cap'n Crunch vs Michelin Man'' (2022) showcased her skill at goofy humour, while intellectual sparring battles like ''Light Yagami vs Isaac Newton'' (2022) highlighted her cerebral chops. Later releases, including ''Turbo Dismount vs Paint Roller'' (2024) and ''Pink Diamond vs Guzma'' (2024), underscored her evolving artistry and experimentation beyond the limits of artistic convention. By constantly experimenting for over three decades, she closed the gaps between hip-hop, gaming, and anime to cement herself as one of the greatest nerdcore musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. She died on January 11, 2025, at the age of 45. |
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By 2014, he had amassed over 1 million followers, making him one of the most-followed UK Viners. During this period, his success on the app led to his first professional collaborations and his transition into long-form content on YouTube. |
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===YouTube and "Daz Games" (2014–present)=== |
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In December 2013, Black launched his primary YouTube channel, Daz Games. While initially focused on traditional "Let's Play" gaming content, the channel gained significant traction through the "Daz Watches" series, where Black reacts to internet culture, viral videos, and "bad" movies. |
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By 2023, the channel surpassed 8 million subscribers, and as of April 2026, it stands at over 9.4 million. His secondary channel, Daz Black (later rebranded as Off the Hook), focuses on more personal content, including vlogs, travel, and his passion for fishing. |
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===Acting career=== |
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Alongside his digital content, Black has established a career in professional acting and production. In 2016, he appeared as "Chippy Staff Member 2" in the Noel Clarke film Brotherhood. He also made a cameo in the biographical sports film ''Eddie the Eagle'' (2016). |
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In 2018, Black played "Young Ben Lyk" in the British-French dark comedy ''Kill Ben Lyk'', appearing alongside Eugene Simon and Simone Ashley. His other television and film work includes guest roles in the series ''Drifters'' (2020) and ''Lucid Nonsense''. In 2025, he served as an executive producer for the documentary film ''The Edge of Existence''. |
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==Personal life== |
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Black is based in Hastings, East Sussex. He has a daughter, Sarah, who has occasionally appeared in his video content. In 2024, it was confirmed that he is in a relationship with fellow YouTuber and content creator Emily Harris. |
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He is an avid angler, a hobby that became the central theme of his secondary YouTube channel and lifestyle brand, Off the Hook. |
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