'Pray hard and work harder': Talha Anjum hits back at critics after topping Spotify for second year

Talha Anjum has cemented his star power once again. The rapper topped Spotify Pakistan’s charts last year and has held on to his crown this year for a second consecutive year.

On Thursday, the streaming platform confirmed that Anjum amassed an impressive 370 million streams.

Talha Anjum took to Instagram to celebrate this milestone, saying that No. 1 spot didn’t come as a suprise. "I have put in an enormous amount of work in these past years, being at the #1 spot for 96 weeks straight does not surprise me," he said.

He added: " I owe it all to my hard-work, to my fans and my team that has stuck by me all these years."

He also addressed detractors in a pointed message. Taking aim at “the media and the industry,” he said he found it surprising how attempts were made to “pull you down” and turn people against him “for being yourself.”

The rapper has dealt with “boycotts, bans, petty disses, legal notices, sham news articles and false narratives” from those who hoped to “see [him] fall.”

"But the truth is that it all fails and Urdu Rap stands tall at number 1 exactly where it was a year back," he went on. He closed his note with a warning for critics, telling those who wish for his downfall to “pray hard and work harder,” promising that he will be back on top again next year.