After recently finishing a tour of the United States, Badshah was notified that he had joined the rarified air of Drake, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Coldplay, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Billie Eilish. He now has more than five billion streams worldwide, making him the first Indian rapper to cross that threshold. In Asian Hip Hop, BTS’ Suga is the only other rapper to cross five billion streams.

Badshah’s accomplishment is a huge win for Desi Hip Hop. Songs like ‘DJ Waley Babu,’ ‘Paani Paani,’ and ‘She Move It Like’ are ingrained in Indian Hip Hop and Pop culture. Badshah is now one of India’s most-streamed artists alongside Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla, and the late Sidhu Moosewala.

Indian Hip Hop is predicted to pass Bollywood as the most popular musical genre in India soon. This monumental situation could have only happened as artists like Badshah have opened up people’s minds to what music sounds like in modern times.

Check out Badshah’s ‘Still Walking’ below.