YG may not have responded to allegations of cultural appropriation formally amid criticism for the use of the image of the Indian god Ganesha in BLACKPINK's How You Like That? music video but it turned out that it swiftly acted on fans' concerns.
According to a report by All Kpop, fans quickly noticed that YG Entertainment already edited out the image of Ganesha in Lisa's controversial scene in the HowYou Like That? MV.
After being flooded by criticism for their disrespectful treatment of the Indian god, fans noticed that the How You Like That? MV has removed the image of the Ganesha on the floor of the scene. In its place now is a black pot.
Ganesha is revered as one of the major deities in Indian religion and is recognized as a patron of science and the arts. The god is also worshipped as an eliminator of obstacles for the people of India.
Customarily, religious images are placed on high surfaces to symbolize respect. This was the main issue for YG's use of the image for the BLACKPINK video.According to Indian fans, using Ganesha as a prop for the music video was bad enough but fact that it was placed in a dark corner and on the floor was unacceptable.
Surprisingly, YG Entertainment did not have to reupload an edited new video for How You Like That? Instead, it seemed to have secured permission from YouTube to retain the streaming figures of BLACKPINK's new music video even as it changed he controversial portion of Lisa's scene.
It comes as no surprise that YG would take measures to protect its analytics even amid the controversy. BLACKPINK recently smashed YouTube streaming records for the biggest MV premiere, as 1.65 million users tuned in to the reveal of Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose's most anticipated comeback.
They also broke YouTube streaming record for the most number of views within 24 hours as it recorded 84.2 million views for How You Like That? within the space of one day.
BLACKPINK also reclaimed its record for the fastest music video to reach 100 million views as it reached the milestone in just 32 hours.
BLACKPINK also proved their strength on Spotify because How You Like That? became the biggest girl group debut on the music platform. It also debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in over 60 countries upon its release on June 26, Forbes reported.
