Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Burna Boy has publicly apologised for controversial remarks he made in 2023 about Afrobeats, a genre he is widely credited with popularising on the global stage. In a recent interview with BBC 1Xtra’s Eddie Kadi, the superstar admitted that his earlier comments where he criticised Afrobeats as lacking “substance” and said many artists in the space had “almost no real-life experiences” were made during a mentally difficult time.
Burna Boy, born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, faced significant backlash following the Apple Music interview that sparked debate among fans and fellow artists about the depth and direction of Afrobeats music. Now, the globally acclaimed performer says the reaction helped him gain perspective on the value of the Afrobeats label in unifying African music and promoting it on the world stage.
“I got the point of the Afrobeats tag in that moment,” Burna Boy said. “I totally get it and I apologise for that confusion.”
Burna Boy also revealed that his comments stemmed from being in a “dark place mentally” and from frustrations with having his genre-defying sound boxed in. Known for fusing Afro-fusion, dancehall, reggae, and hip-hop influences, he compared genre pigeonholing to equating vastly different artists like Socrates and Kendrick Lamar simply because they both rhyme.
Now more at peace with the Afrobeats label, Burna Boy says he has leaned into the genre on his newly released album No Sign of Weakness, which dropped last week to strong anticipation. “I learnt to embrace the fact that I will always be different,” he said. “I’m not going to be the favourite but I’m going to be the best.”
In 2023, Burna Boy became the first African artist to headline a UK stadium show, cementing his status as a global music icon. As Afrobeats continues to captivate international audiences, its evolution reflects the genre’s growing complexity, influence, and power to unite diverse musical expressions from the African continent.
With this public acknowledgment and new music, Burna Boy reaffirms his place not just as a trailblazer but as a bridge between tradition and innovation in African sound.
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