Rapper KR$NA reacts to his song Boom Shaka going viral during student protest

KR$NA. Pic via Instagram

Rapper KR$NA has built a name for himself through his powerful lyrics and music for nearly two decades now. While many of his songs have a history of going viral, one of his tracks particularly gained momentum last month. His song Boom Shaka went on to become the anthem for the student protests which were taking place across the country in June and July. The rapper has now reacted to his latest song taking an activist turn.

KR$NA reacts to Boom Shaka becoming the protest anthem

During a chat with Hindustan Times, KR$NA said that he had ‘no idea' the song would take this shape. "Ye gaana usse thoda pehle aaya tha (This song had just come out), but it just happened since it was already picking up on social media at that time. Meta pe already trending tha gaana," he said.

For the unversed, Boom Shaka was released on April 28 and generated significant buzz within the very first month of its release. However, the song took off after it was used in videos and reels from student protests at Jantar Mantar and other places in India.

Interestingly, Boom Shaka has crossed 76 million views on YouTube, and has become one of KR$NA's most-widely viewed music videos.

Fellow rapper Raftaar likened the popularity of KR$NA's Boom Shaka to the revival of Michael Jackson's Beat It after his biopic. "Michael Jackson ko kahan pata tha ki 2026 mein dobara se number one ho jaayega dobara Beat It (Did Michael Jackson know that Beat It would be number one again in 2026)," Raftaar said. Nodding in agreement, KRSNA added, "Basically it's just (the right) time and place sometimes."

Raftaar and KR$NA about rap

During the conversation, Raftaar, who has collaborated with KR$NA on Chaukanna earlier, also spoke about rap being at the forefront of rebellion. He said, "It's not just against a human being. It's not only political. It's probably just about where he or she is in life at the moment and their circumstances. Without rebellion, you will never indulge in the art of rap."

KR$NA added that the journey of rap in India is evident by the use of songs during such acts of rebellion. "Rap didn't come out of rebellion in India. In fact, the first big wave of hip-hop in India was very commercial. Yes, there was an underground movement that we rappers were aware of. But here, the journey of rap has been in reverse, from commercial to the underground," he said.