If you thought last year’s quirky collaboration between Shalini Passi and Darshan for their offbeat Netflix track was the pinnacle of unexpected partnerships, think again. 2025 is quickly becoming the year of even stranger collaborations, and this one takes the cake. Badshah, one of India’s biggest rap icons, is joining forces with none other than Pokémon. Yes, you read that correctly — Badshah is teaming up with Pikachu and other legendary Pokémon characters in the music video for his new track, Imma Be Your Pokémon.
The song, which fuses desi beats with some Badshah-styles lyrics, features Sharvi Yadav and Sahher Bambba, alongside iconic Pokémon characters like Pikachu and Jigglypuff. This is no fan-made project, it's a definitive collaboration with the official Pokémon team, marking a true partnership; additionally, the visual of Badshah performing alongside these beloved animated characters is certainly a spectacle to behold.
Netizens react
Now while the concept sounds intriguing, fans aren’t exactly thrilled with this collaboration. Reactions on social media have been overwhelmingly negative. One Reddit user shared, “Pokemon bahut promotion kar raha hai aajkal, pehle Oreo ke saath ab Badshah ke saath gaana. Might be my inner oldhead Pokemon fan talking but the song was ass.” Another simply stated, “Kind of average... ntg great or extraordinary, it's an easy skip.” One fan even admitted, “I can’t keep defending Badshah bro, tf is this 😭 🙏.” One more fan commented, “I didn't think Pokémon's rep could take a bigger hit than the madness we read about the original stories last year. And now I've just seen that Badshah has made an official Pokémon song. End me.”
{{/usCountry}}Now while the concept sounds intriguing, fans aren’t exactly thrilled with this collaboration. Reactions on social media have been overwhelmingly negative. One Reddit user shared, “Pokemon bahut promotion kar raha hai aajkal, pehle Oreo ke saath ab Badshah ke saath gaana. Might be my inner oldhead Pokemon fan talking but the song was ass.” Another simply stated, “Kind of average... ntg great or extraordinary, it's an easy skip.” One fan even admitted, “I can’t keep defending Badshah bro, tf is this 😭 🙏.” One more fan commented, “I didn't think Pokémon's rep could take a bigger hit than the madness we read about the original stories last year. And now I've just seen that Badshah has made an official Pokémon song. End me.”
{{/usCountry}}Previously, Badshah had made headlines for deleting/archiving all his Instagram posts, leaving his 15 million followers puzzled and speculating about the rapper’s next move. That move came just days after a fallout with rapper Honey Singh, further fueling the drama around Badshah’s public image.