Last year in December, YouTube Rewind 2018, became the most disliked video of all time on YouTube garnering over 16.69 million dislikes and a dislike percentage of 86.47%. Today, according to BBC, a rap song named "Moscow" released by artists Timati and Guf, became the most disliked Russian-language video on YouTube at 1.4 million dislikes, before it was taken down.
The song was released three days back on September 7, which was a day before the Moscow Duma elections. It waxed lyrical about Moscow city and mocked the anti-government uprisings and protests, among other things. Timati, one of the producers of the song is an internationally reputed artist and has collaborated with big names like Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and Craig David in the past. Meanwhile, Guf, the second producer, has a sizeable following on social media with 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
In response to the criticism that Moscow received, Timati responded by clarifying that he did not intend on offending anyone and that he loved the city. The hip hop producer then went on to delete the video from YouTube:
I broke the record. But I didn"t want that at all. I did not aim to offend anyone. I love my city, and now it looks the best it has ever looked in all 36 years of my life, for which I am immensely grateful to those who made it possible. I definitely do not need mess so I am deleting this video to stop this wave of negativity.
Guf posted a video on Instagram (in Russian) apologizing for the song and claimed that he had been framed and was used for a nefarious purpose:
I"m in shock. I am very sorry. I did not know we had mayoral elections the day before yesterday. I was told we needed to congratulate the city on its day. I did not get a single penny out if it, I swear to you. They tricked me, they framed me. This time, I sincerely apologize to you, and I am proud of the youth that we have, who are interested in politics and are looking for some brighter future.
Timati has been vocal in his support for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and has received criticism from fellow countrymen for it. However, the artists have denied the accusations that the song was funded by the Russian government to court support for the parliament elections.