Electronic accessories brand boAt recently issued a statement urging rap reality show MTV Hustle to retract the strikes on the YouTube videos of content creator Rohan Cariappa, who criticised the show.
For those unversed, the controversy surrounding the show escalated after the Bengaluru-based hip-hop content creator, mocked the judges in his videos. He pointed out a contradiction involving judge Ikka, who wore a jacket from Royal Enfield on a show sponsored by boAT. Rohan also alleged that MTV Hustle retaliated by issuing multiple strikes against his content, sparking a debate on creative freedom.
On X, boAt urged the makers of the show to retract the strikes and solve the issue amicably. Despite being the sponsors of MTV Hustle, they extended support to Rohan.
Their statement read, “boAt has and will always stand with creators. Our sponsorship of Hustle was intended to shine spotlight on the rising stars of the hip-hop community. However, we firmly believe that this should never come at the cost of limiting the freedom to comment, critique, or create content on any topic for other creators.”
“We do not support the recent actions that have caused concern within the artist community. We sincerely hope this matter is resolved amicably to retract the strikes and do whatever they can in their strength to amicably resolve this. Let’s uphold the values of artistic freedom and mutual respect,” it further read.
However, hours after sharing the statement, they deleted the post from their official X account.
After it came to light that the makers of MTV Hustle have taken action against Rohan’s videos, several social media users slammed the show. #ShameOnMTVHustle also dominated trends on X for nearly two days.
Meanwhile, Rohan accused the rap-based show of issuing over 50 strikes on his videos, citing alleged copyright infringements. With his channel at risk of being permanently removed on December 7 if the case is not resolved in his favour, the controversy has ignited debates on creative freedom and copyright misuse.
