New Delhi: Pakistan’s rapper Talha Anjum has dethroned Atif Aslam as Pakistan’s most-streamed local artist on Spotify, and his fans can’t keep calm. Some are now picking ‘Mr. Most Streamed’ over — wait for it — Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
“Talha Anjum could have written Aaj Bazar Mai. But Faiz Ahmed Faiz could have never written, Had e Nazar tak dikhay sirf murday, Aisa lagay jaisay sirf mai hi nahi mara/ Aisa lagay jaisay main Bhutto bro, Sae samjhay han main bhut hu bro,” one fan posted on X.
Others joined in. “Talha Anjum could’ve written Kar raha tha gham e jahan ka hisaab. But Faiz Ahmed could have never written, “kaun Talha? kaun Talha? kaun Talha,” another user wrote, referring to the rapper’s diss track after Indian rapper Naezy once said that he didn’t know who Talha Anjum was.
Talha Anjum has emerged as a prominent figure in Pakistan’s hip-hop scene. As part of the duo Young Stunners, alongside Talhah Yunus, he made history by becoming the first Pakistani artist to perform at the prestigious Billboard event in Melbourne, Australia, last month.
Anjum, 28, is a rapper, songwriter, and lyricist. During his school years, Anjum participated in rap battles, using relevant social issues to connect with his audience. On 2 July 2012, Anjum and Talhah Yunus recognised their shared potential and formed the hip-hop duo Young Stunners. Along with music producer Syed Hifzur Jokhay, they have achieved significant success. Anjum’s first original track, Burger-e-Karachi, was released in 2013. Some of his major hits include Tum Tum, Gumaan, Don’t Mind, Afsanay, Downers at Dusk, and Groove Mera, the anthem of the Pakistan Super League season 6.
Also read: Pakistani artist’s anti-Modi, pro-Kashmir posts dug up. Indians want apology before show here
‘Most-streamed’
According to the Spotify Wrapped 2024, Talha Anjum has become the most-streamed local artist in Pakistan, with 24.2 crore streams. He has surpassed Atif Aslam, who had held the record since 2021. Talha Anjum’s fanbase has grown significantly over the past decade, fueled by his rebellious tracks like Karachi Chal and Kaun Talha, which earned him widespread recognition, even across the border.
“The rapper is known to drop melancholic tracks that speak volumes about his command over the Urdu language and his ability to fuse it with English and still deliver a sentence that doesn’t sound half-baked or cringe. Through his music, he carves narratives that resonate with everyone but are unique to his experiences. Unlike most contemporary rappers, Anjum has rarely had to rely on heartbreak anthems to stay relevant and his songs aren’t heavy on the components of modern-day rap either — money, sex and all that jazz”, Dawn wrote in a June article about the rapper.
Anjum is also a dedicated Imran Khan supporter and is quite vocal about his political views. He is often seen criticising the present Pakistani government. He also supported the recent Bangladesh uprising.
However, not everyone seems to be pleased. The internet is divided over Talha Anjum being the most streamed Pakistani artist.
“Who Talha Anjum? I’m an Altaf Raja fan”, one user posted on X.
Another user had a suggestion: “Add Spotify Wrap in your CV’s so that the company knows you’re Time waster”.
X user Sajid Faridi took it a notch higher and wrote, “Agar mai HR department main hota aur kisi ki pr Talha Anjum/Hasan Raheem/Taylor Swift/Anuv Jain ya BTS mentioned dekhta to mai unhain job na deta (if i were in the HR department, i’d never hire anyone who’d mention Talha Anjum/Hasan Raheem/Taylor Swift/Anuv Jain or BTS).”
Meanwhile, even Indian users weighed in on Talha Anjum’s popularity. X user Siddharth wrote, “Now that i think about it We lost Talha yunus, Talha anjum, Faaris shafi, Maanu Umair, JJ47”.
“But pakistan missed out on divine karan aujla badshah and virat kohli,” he added.
The rapper duo were supposed to perform in India in December and were getting heat for their negative comments on India ahead of their show in the country.
Their comments on Kashmir, Indian Air Force Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, and PM Narendra Modi were criticised. Following this, the rappers’ Indian debut was called off due to “organisational issues”.
(Edited Aamaan Alam Khan)
I bet Faiz could not either fart like this big fart Talha Anjum. Poor Faiz, one cannot but feel sorry for him.