Meet Fat Papi, the little-known NZ rapper catapulted to Billboard 100 fame
Kurdish New Zealander Baban Hussain, known as rapper Fat Papi, has achieved global fame after his song 'Freaked Out' went viral on social media. He is the first Kurdish artist to reach the US Billboard Hot 100.
Why it matters
This story highlights the power of social media algorithms and influencer marketing in transforming independent artists into global stars overnight.
New Zealand rapper Fat Papi shot to fame after an influencer used his music as backing to a video about haircut. New Zealand rapper Fat Papi shot to fame after an influencer used his music as backing to a video about haircut. New Zealand Meet Fat Papi, the little-known NZ rapper catapulted to Billboard 100 fame Kurdish New Zealander Baban Hussain has gained global fame with online hit he created with Australian producer
Two months ago, Baban Hussain, a 22-year-old Kurdish New Zealander, was working from a self-run studio in Auckland, putting out music to a few thousand followers as little-known rapper Fat Papi.
Then, as modern fairytales go, he made a viral hit that has amassed over 7.5bn views across YouTube, gained him nearly 10m new monthly listeners on Spotify, and catapulted him on to global charts – including the US Billboard Hot 100.
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