Rapper Badshah, who has been facing a lot of backlash for his latest track, "Titiri," finally broke his silence in the matter, saying that he himself is a proud Haryanavi and did not wish to show any child or woman in a bad light through his song. He further pointed out that he comes from the Hip-Hop genre, where the lyrics are often meant to bring down the opponent.
Badshah uploaded a video on his Instagram account saying, "My new song, Titiri, has been released, and I see that in one part of it, because of the lyrics and the visual representation, the message that has been conveyed, several people, especially my own people from Haryana, have had their sentiments hurt.
First of all, I want to say that I am from Haryana. Those who know me know that my language, my food, my lifestyle, and my identity are all associated with Haryana. I am a very proud Haryanvi. I never intended to talk badly about any child or woman of Haryana."
He further went on to explain, "I am from the hip-hop genre, where lyrics are often used to compete and bring down the opponent. The lyrics were never for any woman or child, nor will I ever do that. I have always tried to take Haryana's culture and language with me wherever I can, as much as I can."
Towards the end of the clip, Badshah apologized in case he had hurt anyone. "I hope that you will consider me as a son of Haryana, as your own son, and forgive me," he concluded. Badshah was recently served a notice by the Haryana State Women's Commission, asking him to appear before them on March 13 to record his statement.
The notice was issued after the complaint of Savita Arya, president of Nari Tu Narayani Sanstha, Panipat, and Shiv Kumar, head of Shiv Aarti Foundation. In the complaint, they objected to the line “Aaya Badshah doli chaddhane, in sabki ghodi banane”, claiming that the song used filthy language and featured minor girls in school dress boarding a Haryana Roadways bus and throwing school bags.