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Controversial Indian Rapper Badshah Releases Single 'Imma Be Your Pokémon'
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Indian rapper Badshah released a single in collaboration with The Pokémon Company and fellow musician Sharvi Yadav titled "Imma Be Your Pokémon" on January 31. The music video for the single prominently features a 3D rendering of Pikachu interacting with the "Pani Pani" singer.
The video opens with the rapper catching a Jigglypuff while the camera zooms in on a Nintendo Switch controller in his hand. For the more Bollywood-like choreographed sequences Medicham, Jigglypuff, Grookey, and Quaquaval join the artists and Pikachu along with a troupe of dancers. Mew and Charizard also make little appearances as they fly in over model Sahher Bambba during Yadav's section of the song.
Badshah has worked on several Bollywood soundtracks since 2014. The artist has frequently been criticized for having misogynist ideals hidden in his music through the use of Hindi colloquialisms. The artist's more respectable works haven't escaped being marred by controversy either, where he was accused of plagiarizing sections of his 2020 single "Genda Phool" (released under Sony Music India) by sampling a Bengali folk song "Borolok er bitilo" and not crediting musician Ratan Kahar. In an article about the song, Feminism in India writer Surmayi Khatana noted that "since certain artists have a vast outreach, they play a key role in shaping the minds of individuals and their behaviours." The music video for the song was also widely criticized for stereotyping Bengali culture and clothing conventions, while objectifying women from a particularly vulnerable section of the ethnic community.
Badshah has gone on record stating that he doesn't "approve of music that glorifies objectification of women." But he went on to say he continues to take "certain lyrical liberties for entertainment, as eventually, art is about freedom.” Rappers such as Badshah and 'Yo Yo Honey Singh' often attract the public's ire when large protests regarding violence against women break out in the country. Badshah's "nemesis" Singh attracted an immense amount of criticism after the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi that sparked nationwide protests regarding women's safety. In light of the international coverage that the R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder case has been getting, a collaboration with Pokémon might be record label Universal Music India's attempt at keeping Badshah's image family friendly.
While the franchise has had a strong foothold in India since the television launch of the anime in 2003, it has really amped up its promotions in the country since last year. The first Pokémon Run marathon and Pokémon Carnival event in the country will take place from February 27 through March 2 at Jio World Garden in Mumbai. The Pokémon Company is also launching Pokémon Mela events in several cities with the first one having taken place from November 17-19 at DLF Mall of India in Noida.
The company's attempt at trying to reach new demographics through collabs with Indian pop-stars comes as no surprise. It recently launched solid gold Arbok bracelets exclusive to China in order to celebrate the Year of the Snake along with an animated short centering on the shiny version of the snake pokémon. Pokémon has always entrenched itself in the culture of countries that celebrate the brand. The brand's messages of friendship, environmental sustainability, and the co-existence of tradition with modernity are uniquely compatible with Indian culture. When launching "Pikachu in a saree" in October, close to the widely celebrated Indian festival of Diwali, corporate officer for The Pokémon Company Susumu Fukunaga invited Indian producers come up with "collaborations and ideas" for Pokémon products for India. As glad as Indian fans should be to have the prospect of more Pokémon in their lives, the question remains if this 38-year-old globally respected franchise should be a bit more discerning when aligning themselves with regional brands that don't adhere to the values that Pokémon fans have come to expect from the brand.
