Fanum (streamer)

Roberto Gonzalez (born August 22, 1997), better known by his online alias Fanum, is an American streamer and content creator born in New York City, to parents of Dominican descent. Fanum began to emerge online around the year 2016. He is known for being the originator of the vernacular "Fanum tax." He won "Breakout Streamer of the Year" at the 13th Streamy Awards and the "Best Role Play Streamer" of the year award at the 2023 Streamer Awards.

Early life
Roberto Gonzalez was born on August 22, 1997 in The Bronx, New York City to parents of Dominican descent. He has a younger brother who has appeared in his videos.

In addition to English, he also speaks Spanish. After graduating from a local high school in New York, Gonzalez enrolled in college but left mid semester to focus on earning money for his YouTube equipment.

Career
Fanum entered the online entertainment sphere by streaming on Twitch in November 2016 and made his YouTube channel, JustFanum, in May 2017. Although the channel was created in 2017, the first video was not posted until February 2019. He began creating content on NBA 2K and later expanded to IRL vlogs, which often draw upon his experiences in New York.

On August 27, 2023 Fanum won "Breakout Streamer of the Year" at the 13th Streamy Awards.

Fanum has been featured on the music video for Offset's September 2023 single "Fan" alongside Kai Cenat.

In June 2024, Fanum appeared as a contestant in the Sidemen reality competition series Inside. The series features ten celebrity guests who compete in challenges to secure a prize fund totalled at £1 million, with everything they buy or do costing money from the prize fund. He was in the show for seven days and came in 4th place.

AMP Group
Fanum is an original and prominent member of the American content collective known as AMP (Any Means Possible). Fanum contributes to the group's collaborative challenge videos. The collective's popularity within the streaming community has been bolstered by the individual popularity of its members such as Kai Cenat (who Fanum discovered), as well as by their involvement in controversial events. In August 2023, Kai Cenat was arrested following a meet-and-greet he hosted with Fanum which event took place in Union Square Park and resulted in "a couple thousand people" crowding the park and the local area leading to the destruction of property. While no charges were placed against Fanum, Cenat was charged with inciting a riot.

Fanum tax
Fanum's influence led to the emergence of the term and internet meme "Fanum tax", referring to his practice of demanding a taste of his friends' food. This slang has entered the vernacular of Gen Alpha as well.