(Image source from: magzter.com)

Indian rapper Badshah, who is a current favorite of millennials, broke YouTube record with his new album song “Paagal” reaching 75 million views in just span of 24 hours of posting. He outshined a mark set by Korean boy band BTS in April and impressively he also broke a record even Taylor Swift couldn’t touch.

This being so, what put many in shock YouTube declining to credit the rapper. Since acquainting a new way to premiere videos last year, the Google-owned site has trumpeted the setting of every new record, which thus far included Ariana Grande’s “thank u next” to Blackpink’s “Kill This Love,” culminating in BTS’s “Boy With Luv.” It even said Swift’s “ME!” set a record for “most-viewed female solo debut.”

But Badshah’s feat triggered no response from the world’s most popular online video platform leading to many rival executives in the music industry saying “Paagal” earned fake views. A lot of people also alleged that Badshah and his representatives had purchased advertisements from the search engine giant Google and YouTube that embedded the video or led fans to it in some or other way.

The incident has led to looking at what many in the music industry say buying tens of millions views is a common practice.

YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, is now reevaluating the way it judges records, according to two people familiar with the company’s thinking.

Talking about the exclusion, Badshah said it was a double standard at YouTube, which was happy to trumpet records from global superstars like Grande and Swift but paused when an Indian rapper unknown in the West made use of the same strategy to reach the top.

“We worked hard for this, promoted it worldwide,” Badshah said on Instagram. “I don’t want people abroad to see India like it’s shown in a film like ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ We are at par with the world. And it’s our time to shine.”

Aditya Singh aka Badshah has thus far released dozens of singles over the past few years. He was also ranked one of 100 wealthiest Indian celebrities by Forbes.

By Sowmya Sangam