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A Modern Milestone: Psy's 'Gangnam Style' Hits 2 Billion Views

The South Korean pop star Psy has reached a decidedly modern milestone: His hit, "Gangnam Style" has reached 2 billion (yes, with a "b") plays on YouTube.

The Wall Street Journal reports the milestone comes just as Psy releases another single, a collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg. The paper adds:

"Psy acknowledged the milestone on his Twitter page , saying it was 'very honorable and burdensome,' an apparent reference to the difficulty of recapturing the magic of a runaway hit like 'Gangnam Style.'"Psy's follow-up tune, 'Gentleman,' while hardly a slouch at nearly 700 million views, was seen as a bit of a letdown, in part because of its similarities with 'Gangnam Style.'"The new song, in contrast, will mark a sharper break from the past, Psy's handlers said on their website, promising a song that would be 'completely different' from its two predecessors, and show off a new, more hip hop-tinged side of Psy."

But back to "Gangnam Style." Just how big a hit is this? The next most popular video is Justin Bieber's "Baby," which has 1.04 billion views.

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And in case you were wondering, even with the tiny amount YouTube pays its users, Psy would still be a rich man with this hit.

Using Business Insider's calculations, Psy made about $2 million just off payments from the ads played in front of his video.

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