Bitch Lasagna

"Bitch Lasagna" (originally named "T-Series Diss Track") is a song by Swedish YouTuber and comedian PewDiePie in collaboration with Dutch music producer Party In Backyard. The song satirizes Indian music label T-Series, as a response to predictions that T-Series would surpass PewDiePie in terms of subscriber count. The song was one of the first events in the PewDiePie vs T-Series competition, in which the two channels competed for the title of the most-subscribed channel on YouTube.[1][2][3][4]

"Bitch Lasagna"
Single by PewDiePie and Party In Backyard
ReleasedOctober 5, 2018
Genre
Length2:14
LabelSelf-released
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
PewDiePie singles chronology
"Bitch Lasagna"
(2018)		 "Rewind Time"
(2018)
Party in Backyard singles chronology
"Meme Theme"
(2018)		 "Bitch Lasagna"
(2018)		 "Rewind Time"
(2018)

The song was first released with an accompanying music video on October 5, 2018, and was renamed and re-released to music platforms on November 6, 2018. As of May 2020, the song has accumulated 250 million views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed video on PewDiePie's YouTube channel.[5][6]

Background

PewDiePie vs T-Series
Main article: PewDiePie vs T-Series

In mid-to-late 2018, the subscriber count of the Indian music label T-Series rapidly approached that of Swedish YouTuber and web comedian PewDiePie, who at the time was the most-subscribed user on YouTube.[7][8] As a result, fans, along with celebrities and other YouTubers, showed their support for each channel by encouraging others to subscribe. During the competition, both channels gained a significant number of subscribers at a rapid rate, jumping from approximately 60 million to 100 million subscribers within a few months. The two channels surpassed each other in subscriber count on a number of occasions in February, March, and then in April 2019, when PewDiePie declared an end to the "subscribe to PewDiePie" meme and T-Series became the most-subscribed YouTube channel.[9][10][1][11][12][13]

Song content

The title of the song references a viral Facebook Messenger screenshot, popularized on Reddit, in which an Indian man, in broken English, demands nude photos and calls the recipient "bitch lasagna" when his messages go unanswered.[14][15] In the song, PewDiePie insults T-Series and their video content, makes references to contemporary Indian stereotypes and accuses the company of using subscriber bots to gain fake subscriptions.[16]

Reception

Controversy

As PewDiePie vs T-Series coverage grew in the mainstream media, news organizations covered "Bitch Lasagna" for its role in the feud. Vox accused the lyrics of containing "overt and implied racism," which they said pervaded PewDiePie's fans' support for his channel over T-Series'.[17] Rolling Stone reported that PewDiePie was accused of using anti-Indian slurs in the song. They continued, "many have argued ... that his use of "ironic" anti-Semitic or racist humor in his videos may serve as a gateway for subscribers to start seeking out more overtly extremist content," though this was disputed by Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, who they quoted as saying, "PewDiePie rarely if ever flags my radar. I don’t follow him closely as a result... he’s nowhere nearly as cited as a stepping stone to radicalization as an individual like [alt-right YouTuber and podcaster] Stefan Molyneux, for example."[18]

Ban in India

In April 2019, the song was banned in India as a result of PewDiePie releasing a second diss track against T-Series, "Congratulations." T-Series asserted the tracks were "defamatory, disparaging, insulting, and offensive" and that the songs contained "repeated comments... abusive, vulgar, and also racist in nature." The Delhi High Court granted the injunction against the two songs, noting that, in communication with T-Series after the release of "Bitch Lasagna," PewDiePie had apologized for posting the video and had "assured that he [was] not planning any more videos on the same line."[19][20][21]

In August 2019, it was reported that T-Series and PewDiePie had settled their legal disputes outside of court.[22]

Cover versions

Notes

  1. Party in Backyard also produced the original in collaboration with PewDiePie.
  2. Uploaded to PewDiePie's YouTube channel as "Bitch Lasagna v1.2".
gollark: Idea: asynchronous palaiologos for python named palAIOlogos.
gollark: How palaiologicalaiopalaiological.
gollark: That WORKS?
gollark: ++remind Wednesday thing (3)
gollark: Don't think so, I mostly use FOSS tools anyway.

See also

References
  1. Spangler, Todd (3 December 2018). "PewDiePie Zooms Past 73 Million YouTube Subscribers as Fans Rally to Keep Him Ahead of T-Series". Variety. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  2. Biswas, Soutik (20 December 2018). "PewDiePie v T-Series: The battle to be king of YouTube". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  3. "PewDiePie releases a T-Series diss track "Bitch Lasagna"". Dexerto. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  4. "Самого популярного ютьюб-блогера в мире догоняет канал с болливудскими роликами. Это война!". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  5. PewDiePie (5 October 2018). "bitch lasagna". Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  6. "PewDiePie videos – Sorted by Most popular". Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. Huddleston Jr., Tom. "This Bollywood YouTube Channel Is on the Verge of Bumping 'PewDiePie' from His Top Spot". CNBC. NBC Universal. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  8. Rakin, Ethan. "PewDiePie Could Lose His King of YouTube Crown to a Channel Called T-Series". Business Insider Singapore. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  9. Trenholm, Richard; Ryan, Jackson (11 March 2019). "PewDiePie Dethroned by T-Series as YouTube's Most Subscribed Channel". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  10. Hamilton, Isobel Asher (18 March 2019). "PewDiePie Briefly Lost His Crown as the Biggest YouTuber on the Planet". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  11. "PewDiePie Concedes Defeat to YouTube Rival T-Series". BBC. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  12. Flynn, Meagan (29 April 2019). "'I didn't want hate to win': PewDiePie ends 'subscribe' meme after Christchurch shooter's shout-out". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  13. Alexander, Julia (28 April 2019). "PewDiePie calls for an end to the 'Subscribe to PewDiePie' meme after New Zealand shooting". The Verge. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  14. Bitch Lasagna entry at Know Your Meme. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  15. Roose, Kevin (May 14, 2020). "Five: The Accidental Emperor". Rabbit Hole (Podcast). The New York Times. Event occurs at 28:19. Retrieved May 30, 2020. And the track itself is called “Bitch Lasagna.” Which is a reference to this viral Reddit meme where this Indian guy was trying to get a woman to send him nude photos. And when she didn’t, he called her a bitch lasagna.
  16. "Party in Backyard & PewDiePie – Bitch Lasagna". Genius. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  17. Romano, Aja (2018-12-14). "How the "Subscribe to PewDiePie" meme could determine the future of YouTube". Vox. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  18. Dickson, E. J. (15 March 2019). "Why Did the Christchurch Shooter Name-Drop YouTube Phenom PewDiePie?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  19. Babele, Aryan (12 April 2019). "Delhi High Court orders YouTube to remove PewDiePie "diss tracks" on T-Series". Medianama. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  20. Stenn, Lili (15 April 2019). "PewDiePie's T-Series Diss Tracks Banned in India". Rogue Rocket. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  21. Sanchz, Daniel (11 April 2019). "India Clamps Down on PewDiePie Racism — High Court Orders YouTube to Remove Two Offensive Videos". Digital Music News. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  22. Ghosh, Shona (13 August 2019). "PewDiePie and T-Series quietly settled a court battle over 'racist' diss tracks following their epic YouTube battle". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
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