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Korean rapper tops on YouTube

South Korean rap star Psy's music video Gangnam Style has become the most watched item ever posted to YouTube with more than 800 million views.

South Korean rap star Psy's music video Gangnam Style has become the most watched item ever posted to YouTube with more than 800 million views.

The milestone was the latest pop culture victory for Psy, 34, a portly rap singer known for his slicked-back hair and comic dance style who has become one of the most unlikely global stars of 2012.

YouTube, in a post on its Trends blog, said Gangnam Style on Saturday surpassed the site's previous record holder, Justin Bieber's 2010 music video Baby, and by mid-day the video had reached 805 million views, compared to 803 million for Baby. Within a few hours, Gangnam Style had gone up to more than 809 million views.

Gangnam Style was first posted to YouTube in July, and by the following month it began to show huge popularity on YouTube with audiences outside of South Korea.