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Ahead of the release of his highly awaited studio album Rayo, J Balvin continues to crown YouTube’s Billion Views Club as the artist with the most titles in the coveted club. He has a total of 15 music clips with more than 1 billion views, at time of publishing, and surpasses previous titleholders such as Ozuna and Justin Bieber.
The Colombian artist’s most recent BVC entry is his collaboration on Tainy’s “Agua,” part of the 2020 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run movie soundtrack. The next visual clip that’s closest to the 1 billion mark is “Sensualidad” with Bad Bunny and Prince Royce (currently at 930 million views).
In 2023, Balvin reclaimed his crown as the artist with the most videos in YouTube’s Billion Views Club, climbing to the top with the entry of David Guetta’s 2018 “Say My Name,” in collaboration with Bebe Rexha and Balvin.
“With the move, Balvin breaks a three-way tie with Bad Bunny and Ozuna for the artist with the most entries in the Billion Views Club as a lead, featured artist or collaborator,” according to former press release. At that time, “Say My Name” marked the French DJ’s fifth title with more than one billion views, as well as Rexha’s third entry, and Balvin’s 14th entry.
The artist born José Álvaro Osorio Balvin made his comeback in early 2023 after a nearly 10-month hiatus from social media and creating music.
“Really right now, I’ve been focused on my family,” he previously told Billboard about his break. “I left social media to be connected to my reality and to my family. That has taught me a lot — to live more in the present. Obviously, I miss my fans, but when the time is right, I’ll be back.”
Balvin’s sixth studio album, Rayo, is set to drop Aug. 9, following his sets La Familia (2013), Energía (2016), Vibras (2018), Colores (2020), and José (2021).
In celebration of his new set, Billboard spotlights all of his music videos in the coveted BVC, below:
“Mi Gente,” J Balvin & Willy William
YouTube established its coveted “Billion Views Club” in 2012, when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” made history as the first-ever music video to hit one billion views on the platform.
Since then, countless music videos have formed part of the elite music video club, including those of Latin acts such as Karol G, Daddy Yankee, Christian Nodal, Becky G, Myke Towers, Romeo Santos and Los Angeles Azules.
To date, the fastest Latin music video to reach one billion views was “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, surpassing the impressive number in only 97 days. “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William followed, reaching one billion views in 103 days.
With more than eight billion views, the former is currently the second-most-watched music video, overall, on YouTube — behind just Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark,” but above Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, to name a few.
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Balvin, on the other hand, is the Latin artist with the most music videos in the Club, having racked up 15 in total at the time of publishing.
“The Billion Views Club represents the diverse mix of global sounds and voices that have helped make YouTube the home of music,” YouTube Music Trends manager Kevin Meenan explained in a YouTube blog post. “The list serves as a reminder of the power of the visual pairing with a great song, with the music video – alongside features like Premieres and Shorts — serving as the ultimate way for artists to share their art and vision directly with fans.”
Below, check out every Latin artist — as a lead, featured artist or collaborator — with more than five music videos to enter YouTube’s Billion Views Club:
J Balvin
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Bounty Tank / Youtube
HipHopWired got the chance to speak exclusively with YouTube star Bounty Tank, who is preparing to release his new album Kick Door University.
The world of reality television has produced quite a few notable stars, and with that in mind, it’s not hard to see how Bounty Tank is the next one up in that progression of fame. The Cleveland, Ohio native is the star of his own YouTube series (recently added to Tubi) which is in its sixth season and has over 780,000 subscribers including paid members in addition to a social media following of over 1 million subscribers. For Bounty Tank aka Franklin Frazier, becoming a bounty hunter was a pivot after attaining a nursing degree from Hampton University which he attended on a football scholarship. His goal to become a U.S. Marshal was put on hold due to hiring freezes, which led him to the world of bounty hunting.
A desire to serve his community and lead with understanding is at the heart of Bounty Tank’s mission, and that energy has led him to dive further into creating music, which is another passion of his. Beginning in 2019, Bounty Tank started to create and release singles, leading to his first album Skeletons being released in 2021. On the verge of his upcoming album, Kick Door University, HipHopWired got the chance to talk extensively with him about his music and his career.
HipHopWired: With your pivot into getting into rap, what was the inspiration for that?
Bounty Tank: Honestly, what planted the seed was – “I got my own show, so why pay someone or pay somebody else for music on the show, when I can do my own?” I’ve always had a passion for music, so it just made sense.
HipHopWired: So with that – when you rhyme, what’s the energy that you like to evoke? Every MC pretty much has their own energy that they want to give off to their fans like for you? How would you define that?
Bounty Tank: I have energy just telling stories about what’s going on in my life. I’m a regular guy. So whatever the vibe is, or the story of the lyrics that I’m talking about, I just like to give. I have a lot of laid-back stuff. I got some songs where I’m just amped up. I mean, it just depends on the vibe of the song. So I think I’m naturally just a laid-back, kind of smooth type of rapper.
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HipHopWired: With the album coming out, are we going to get that mixture?
Bounty Tank: The album is called Kick Door University, but the next single coming out, “Mr. Kick Door” is pure energy – I’m talking about “Okay, I need my money”, (laughs) and it’s full energy. It’ll be a mixture. There’ll be some smooth songs on there too.
HipHopWired: Pivoting back to the show – how’s the feedback been from fans who’ve stuck with you starting the show, seeing you evolve into this artist, in addition to being in the bounty hunter profession, how’s that feedback been?
Bounty Tank: Everybody’s excited. Everyone’s happy to be back. I’ve been gone for six months filming. So everyone’s excited man, they’re loving it. I mean, they like the excitement that the show brings, they like the music, and the energy coming with it. So yeah, it’s a good feedback. It’s crazy.
HipHopWired: One thing that I got from just getting the chance to watch some of the show -the one thing that stands forth is you pretty much being that presence of a guiding light. You’re doing it in a way that most people who have their own preconceptions of being a bounty hunter have them shattered. That is amazing to see. Is it challenging at times to keep that consistent?
Bounty Tank: No, that’s just embedded in me. At the core, I just like to help people so it’s not hard. You know, the people that receive it, they’ll get it and the people that don’t receive it, they just don’t get it. But I’ve always had that door open and lane open. So that’s easy for me because that’s just it’s me, it’s my core.
HipHopWired: And you’ve gotten some great feedback already from like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre giving you a shout-out. Has there been anybody else, you know, from the rap world that’s been giving you the green light, like, “keep going”?
Bounty Tank: It’s a lot of people that watch the show, man…Justina Valentine. she rocks with the show, man. Nick Cannon. There’s a ton of people. I was talking to DJ Drama a couple of months ago, he was on tour and he was watching the show, man. So it’s a lot of people tapped in.
HipHopWired: So, what are your go-to songs, aside from your music, what are your go-to Hip-Hop tracks? Something like, “I need to get my day started or maybe I want to wind down a little bit?”
Bounty Tank: Man, it depends on the vibe, what I’m doing. If I’m on some therapeutic, trying to chill and get my mind right, I’m going to listen to some J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar…it depends on the vibe and really what I have going on to get my day started. Just to get pumped up, man, I might throw some Lil Wayne. The Carter.
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Those loud bangs you’re hearing are not pre-Fourth of July fireworks, but the sound of Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj‘s 2014 collaboration “Bang Bang” cruising past the two billion views mark on YouTube. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The high water spot for the official […]
Karol G has achieved yet another career milestone with the “Provenza” music video surpassing one billion views on YouTube, just two years after it was released. The beachy music video filmed by Pedro Artola on the island of Lanzarote marks the Colombian artist’s ninth clip to enter the coveted “Billion Views Club” as a lead, […]
Any music lover knows that a great song transcends borders and languages. Now, that unifying power is being leveraged as a diplomatic tool.
On Monday (June 24), YouTube announced a partnership with the U.S. State Department as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, a program launched last September by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken that aims to use music to promote peace and diplomacy around the world.
The project centers around a group of genre-spanning artists who will act as musical ambassadors. Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll, Armani White, Breland, Denyce Graves, Grace Bowers, Justin Tranter, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and Teddy Swims are all participating, with additional artists to be announced.
The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative is an extension of the PEACE through Music Diplomacy Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden last year and directed the State Department to facilitate public-private partnerships that would support music-related diplomacy.
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YouTube was selected as a partner given its global reach and influence on music culture worldwide. The partnership will include micro-grants to support people who use music to create positive change in their communities; YouTube will also assist the State Department in its work using music as a tool for learning English. Additionally, they will team up to engage audiences and aspiring artists in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and India and “utilize major international gatherings to inspire action around the unifying power of music,” according to a blog post written by YouTube global head of music Lyor Cohen and YouTube vp of public policy Leslie Miller.
In a joint statement, Cohen and Miller wrote, “Music is a unifying force — it transcends language, cultural and national differences. It helps us understand and appreciate each other in ways almost nothing else can. During the height of the Cold War, the United States launched the Jazz Ambassadors program to send artists like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughn overseas to bridge cultural gaps and cultivate goodwill across the globe. The Jazz Ambassadors program left a lasting legacy, demonstrating the power of music as a diplomatic tool for fostering cultural understanding.”
“We’re excited to be a part of the next chapter in music diplomacy, helping to amplify the voices of artists and strengthen our community bonds across borders,” the statement continued. “Music reminds us more of what we can have in common than what separates us. That is the message we intend to echo around the world as we embark on this partnership, using the power of music to inspire peace for all.”
Cash Money Records founders/CEOs and hip-hop icons Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams will be the 2024 honorees at YouTube Music’s second Leaders and Legends gala. The invitation-only event will take place in Los Angeles on June 27. Developing a roster that included pioneering hitmakers such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mannie Fresh […]
More than 40 years after topping the Billboard Hot 100, Toto‘s “Africa” is still reaching new milestones: The 1983 No. 1 hit just surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube. “Africa” — Toto’s lone Hot 100 chart-topper among four top 10 hits — is the band’s first entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The Toto IV […]
It’s refrain has become universal shorthand for keeping your eye on the prize. And now Survivor‘s legendary Rocky III pump-up anthem, “Eye of the Tiger,” has crossed the one billion views mark on YouTube.
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The video for the song that begins with a repetitive picked guitar part over cymbal crashes is quintessential early ’80s, mostly consisting of the band’s five members power walking down city streets looking focused and fierce. Their double-time stroll takes them through an industrial warehouse filled with plumbing and construction parts and up into a loft packed with what looks like mothballed movie props as beret- and leather-jacket-wearing vocalist Dave Bickler sings the iconic refrain: “It’s the eye of the tiger/ It’s the thrill of the fight/ Rising up to the challenge of our rival/ And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night/ And he’s watching us all with the eye… of the tiger.”
The billion club entry represents the first one of the band’s videos to cross that high-water mark.
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In addition to serving as the theme song for the threequel, the propulsive track was also a single from the band’s third studio album of the same name. Founding guitarist Frankie Sullivan — who co-wrote the song with founding rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Jim Peterik — confirmed to Guitar Player magazine in an interview in March of this year that Survivor was not Stallone’s first choice.
As Sullivan recounted, Stallone used Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” in an early cut of the film, but was unable to keep it in the final version. “I actually saw it on the film at the studio when I was there with Sly,” Sullivan said, who added that the deal to use “Tiger” was set in motion during a meeting at Roa’s Hollywood Italian restaurant by the owners of Survivor’s label, Tony and Ben Scotti of Scotti Brothers Records.
“They were all good friends,” said Sullivan of the siblings and Stallone. “Tony was real smart, and he said to Sly, ‘I’ve got this band, maybe we could help each other.’ Tony asked Sly to call me, which he did. That dinner was probably the best thing that ever happened to my career.” After watching the film, Sullivan said it became a scramble to finish the track, with the music taking “about 10 minutes,” while the lyrics bubbled for three days. “We had 90 percent of them, but we couldn’t come up with a title,” the guitarist recalled.
While looking through the script he spotted a line where rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) reminds Rocky that he used to have the eye of the tiger. “And that was our title,” Sullivan said.
Watch the “Eye of the Tiger” video below.
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The video for Disturbed’s take on Simon & Garfunkel’s classic, “The Sound of Silence,” has surpassed one billon YouTube views, the video platform revealed on Wednesday (May 22). The milestone marks the metal band’s first entry into the Billion Views Club. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]