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Tag: Burna Boy

  • Burna Boy claims ignorance on sampling Jeremih’s song

    Burna Boy claims ignorance on sampling Jeremih’s song

    Grammy award winning singer Burna Boy has claimed ignorance on the reuse of a portion of American singer Jeremih’s song in one of the songs on his seventh album.

    Burna Boy disclosed that he was unaware that his track City Boy from the album, I Told Them, contained a sample from Jeremih’s hit song, Birthday Sex.

    In a surprising revelation, the 32-year-old singer explained that he only got to know about the sampling after the song had gone viral.

    “Honestly I only found out that there was a Jeremih sample two days ago because that’s when it went viral. I saw it on the internet, it’s from the internet I realised that there was a sample.

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    He further said that he got the beat from his producer and sang on it without prior knowledge that it contained a sample of his American counterpart.

    “I know the song (birthday sex) and I love Jeremih. The producer made the beat and I made the song but I didn’t hear the song in it but after the snippet came out I saw people talking about it so I went to check it.”

    On the same album, Burna Boy sampled Brandy and Mase collaboration entitled Sittin on top of the world.

    He also denied saying Black Americans have no culture.

  • ‘If I’m Lying’ best song I’ve ever made, says Burna Boy

    ‘If I’m Lying’ best song I’ve ever made, says Burna Boy

    Renowned Afro-fusion singer, Burna Boy, has referred to one of the songs “If I’m Lying” off his latest album, “I Told Them”, as his best creation ever.

    In his interview with Zane Lowe while discussing the songwriting and recording process, the New Zealand record producer expressed his thoughts on the song, stating that it may just be Burna Boy’s best output.

    He noted: “I think for me, ‘If I’m Lying’ might be the best thing you’ve ever done…for me.”

    Validating his opinion, the Grammy-winning singer said: “I feel so too. I agree. I feel like it’s my best song ever.”

    Delving into the lyrics of the song and performance, which he described as ‘so beautiful and out of control’, Lowe probed further to know where it was recorded adding; “I can’t imagine it was in a conventional place.”

    Affirming the interviewer’s thought, Burna Boy suggested that the story surrounding the song’s recording is the funniest ever.

    Read Also: Joeboy slams Burna Boy, says every artiste has substance

    He went on to unfold how the song came to life while he was on tour in the Caribbean at Saint Martin.

    He revealed that ‘If I’m Lying’ happened after he was done with recording his verse on the late Indian rapper, Sidhu Moose Wala’s posthumously released song ‘Mera Na’ with Steel Banglez, the producer, who had flown in from the UK to finish the song with him.

    He said: “That night, it rained crazy. So, Banglez goes to the water front and was there for hours in front of the beach just listening to the waters with his laptop. Later on, he comes back and just opens the shit (laptop) and just plays that shit (beat).

    “And imagine it was raining and his laptop was open but obviously it’s covered. He had his way and shit. So, the song is spiritual.”

    On Friday, August 25, Burna Boy released his seventh album titled, “I Told Them”, which features J. Cole, RZA, Dave, and Seyi Vibez, among others.

    It went on to tie a record with Davido’s fourth studio album, “Timeless” by reaching number two on the US Apple Music Top Albums chart.

  • Burna Boy is biggest ‘fraud’, most uninspiring artiste, says Lerin Nicodemus

    Burna Boy is biggest ‘fraud’, most uninspiring artiste, says Lerin Nicodemus

    Media personality, Lerin Nicodemus, has labelled Grammy-winning singer, Burna Boy as the biggest fraud and the most uninspiring artiste following his controversial statement about Afrobeats.

    The TV presenter strongly criticized Burna Boy in response to his statement about Africa’s most renowned music genre, which has achieved worldwide recognition but is considered by him to be lacking substance.’

    Nicodemus accused Burna of both tarnishing and trying to undermine the very foundation that propelled him to international fame.

    She argued the ‘Love Damini’ singer has over time tried to infuse the style of the legendary Fela Anikulakpo Kuti who is well-known for pan-Africanism, into his craft.

    However, she argued that, unlike Fela, Burna tends to avoid addressing the challenges affecting his fellow countrymen and the continent, opting instead to criticize his own people whenever he chooses to voice his opinions.

    She said: “I said Burna Boy is the biggest fraud and most uninspiring artiste in Nigeria and this is why. She follows up with an excerpt of Burna Boy’s controversial interview where he noted: “Afobeats as most people call it is mostly about nothing, literally nothing. There’s no substance to it. Like nobody is talking about anything. It’s just a great time.”

    “Burna Boy’s brand is built on this pan-African activism ideology which he basically copied from Fela. But whenever there’s social or political turmoil in Nigeria or Africa, he either stays very quiet or mocks Nigerians when he eventually speaks up.

    “His statements about social issues lack any real progressiveness or empathy. All he does is belittle people at every opportunity and now, he’s doing it to Afrobeats.

    Read Also: Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ album equals Davido’s record on Apple Music US chart

    “Like how do you shit on a movement that has taken years to build by our pioneers? Tons of people worked really hard to make sure that Afrobeats got the global recognition and respect it has now which he has greatly benefitted from by the way. And now it’s his turn to push it even further. And here he is tearing it down. If that’s not witchcraft, I don’t know what is.

    Comparing Burna to his colleagues, she added: “Other artists like Wizkid and David try to shine a light on upcoming artistes at every given opportunity whether it’s putting them on an album or inviting them on global stages.

    “But that can never be Burna Boy. He would rather just shit on people because that’s what he’s good at and it’s so uninspiring.”

  • Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ album equals Davido’s record on Apple Music US chart

    Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ album equals Davido’s record on Apple Music US chart

    Grammy-winning singer, Damini Ogulu, known as Burna Boy, has measured up as his new album equals Davido’s record of highest peaking African album on the Apple Music United States chart.

    Burna Boy’s new album, ‘I Told Them,’ hit Number 2 on the US Apple Music chart on Saturday, tieing Davido’s ‘Timeless’ as the highest-peaking African project in the history of the chart.

    Read Also: Burna Boy biggest artiste in the world, American rapper Budden declares

    Davido set the record with his fourth studio album, ‘Timeless,’ which peaked at Number 2 earlier this year.

    Similarly, ‘I Told Them’ became the highest-peaking African project in European Apple Music Album chart’s history after debuting at number 2.

  • Burna Boy biggest artiste in the world, American rapper Budden declares

    Burna Boy biggest artiste in the world, American rapper Budden declares

    Renowned American rapper, Joe Budden has declared Burna Boy the biggest Afrobeats superstar in the world.

    Budden said he recognises Burna Boy’s status as a global music star but against his decision to transfer the ownership of Jamaica-based artist, Byron Messia’s hit song ‘Talibans’ to himself after he was featured in the remix.

    The media personality recounted how he also showed the same reservation when Kanye West did something similar some years back.

    Read Also: Why I connect more with Burna Boy than other artistes – BNXN

    Budden insisted that he was not a fan of people who carried out such acts.

    The veteran said this in a recent episode of his podcast, Joe Budden Network.

    According to him: “I’m never a fan of people transferring ownership of already existing songs to themselves after being featured in the remix.

    “To the biggest artiste in the world Burna Boy. Yeah, I’m not a fan of when that happens. If you made the hit, go work it. If Burna Boy is on it, that should be yours now. But I don’t know the business Byron Messia and Burna Boy did.

    “I never remember that going right for somebody. Designer and Kanye West, I wad vehemently against it.”

  • Burna Boy speaks out over alleged shooting of another man’s wife

    Burna Boy speaks out over alleged shooting of another man’s wife

    Grammy-winning Nigerian musician, Burna Boy, has shared his perspective on the incident involving the Cubana Club shooting that occurred a year ago.

    The issue was addressed by Burna Boy in his most recent body of work, the Sonic album “I Told Them.”

    Even if there is already excitement about the album’s tracklist, one song in particular has people talking. 

    The song “Thanks,” which features rapper J. Cole, directly refutes any theories about Burna Boy’s involvement in the Cubana shooting.

    In 2022, Burna Boy faced backlash after it was rumoured that he shot a man in order to speak with the man’s wife. 

    Burna Boy decided to keep quiet rather than clarify the situation, allowing rumors to spread unchecked.

    Read Also: Burna Boy: I predicted my greatness but Nigerians don’t give credits

    However, he addressed the rumour for the first time during a concert in January 2023, criticising people who did not want to see him prosper.

    In his incredible “Thanks” duet with J. Cole, Burna Boy risks everything.

    He sought the accolades he felt he was entitled to for bringing his nation to the forefront of the world and making it proud.

    Part of the song said: “Is this the motherfucking thanks I get?

    Say my mama dance for fella

    Say I not get baby mama

    Say I shoot person for Cubana

    Because I wan collect person woman

    Is this the motherfucking thanks I get?

    For making my people proud

    Every chance I geeeeet.”

  • Burna Boy: I predicted my greatness but Nigerians don’t give credits

    Burna Boy: I predicted my greatness but Nigerians don’t give credits

    By Gbenga Bada

    Global Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, in a recent chat with New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter Zane Lowe, posited that he had predicted his greatness as a music star many years back.

    Born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, the 32-year-old singer opened up on the inspiration behind his seventh album entitled ‘I Told Them….’ saying he had predicted everything happening to him and his career in tweets that many people doubted.

    He said: “They say a lot of times that prophets are not really recognised in their own home and shit. So this one is for the part of my own home and the people in my own home who didn’t believe or doubt it, or still doubt, or any type of thing. And not just them, it’s like everyone that ever heard me speak in the past or when I’d first started. You can go back to my old tweets and stuff. I basically predicted everything that’s happening now. So this is basically that. It’s fun to tell people something is true, and they doubt, and then they end up seeing it. There’s no greater feeling.”

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    The Nigerian megastar with the national title of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, who is sharing the sounds of the African continent on global stages, also opined that he doesn’t get the deserved credits for his musical accomplishments in Nigeria. He stressed how he wants credit from places where it actually matters to him most.

    He said: “I’m not going to say I don’t want credit because everyone wants credit for what they do and shit. For me, it’s more like I want credit from places where it actually matters. Even though in reality don’t mean nothing but places where you can say why, you can explain and it makes sense to everybody. That’s the type of shit I want. I want to go somewhere where it’s like they see the work and they see everything, the journey and everything, and they’re like, “This is amazing. Yeah, congratulations.” That’s the type of shit that means something. You don’t get that in my country. It means something to the people who are not part of the game in a way. It means something to people who have nothing to gain or lose and no stakes in the matter.”

    As his seventh album was released on Friday, April 25, expressed pride in his achievements so far saying, “That’s the thing I’ve beat my chest the most about. It’s the fact that, yeah, not only did I do it on my own terms and all that, I did it against all odds. You know what I mean? And against the wishes of the powers that be in my environment. You know what I mean? So yeah, it’s something I’m really proud of.”

    With a heavy musical influence from Afrobeat progenitor, Fela Kuti, Burna Boy says he’s thankful for having the ability to experience the organic nature of what the late Abami Eda was and essence of what he stood for. “I am grateful for the fact that he existed in his time so that we could get and experience the true organic nature of what he was and the essence of what he stood for and the message he passed across to us.”

    Interestingly, the singer, who has his mother as his manager, identifies similarities between New York and Lagos saying, “To me, it looked just like Lagos, only with more tall buildings closer together. The same energy as Lagos. It’s the same… Everybody’s in a hurry. I felt like, “Wow. This can’t be what they’ve been showing me on TV.” This doesn’t look like TV land… this place is very sentimental for me because starting from PlayStation theatre all the way to Citi Field now. It’s been a journey.”

  • Burna Boy comes under fire over thoughts on Afrobeats

    Burna Boy comes under fire over thoughts on Afrobeats

    Burna Boy has come under fire for his comment on Afrobeats during a recent interview. Burnaboy drew the ire of music lovers in the interview after he was believed to have denigrated the genre with his take.

    When asked what Afrobeats is all about, he said: “Afrobeats with the ‘s’ is mostly about nothing, literally nothing. There is no substance. Nobody is talking about anything. It’s not a great time but it is an amazing time you know what I mean but at the end of the day, life is not an amazing time, nobody how nice of a time you are having now or you had at some point, you are still going to face life and for me, I feel that music should be that.”

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    Reacting to Burna Boy’s opinion, a music lover, Brainchild said: “No matter what you do, never call what made you “Nothing.” This guy think say he don arrive. After the end of this year…Burna Boy don finish…”

    Another angry fan, Pixlord Daniels said: “Burna Boy has left us his fans behind…He betrayed Afrobeat but then the world has already believed in Afrobeat… That Album won’t go far cuz that’s not what we know him for…End of his era.”

  • My net worth ‘way off’ $22 million, says Burna Boy

    My net worth ‘way off’ $22 million, says Burna Boy

    Grammy-winning singer, Burna Boy, has said that his net worth may not be close to the $22 million specified on Google search.

    He shared this during a recent interview, bursting into laughter when the interviewer mentioned the amount

    Odogwu, however,  expressed his unwillingness to delve into the speculation, adding that he preferred people held on to that.

    “A quick Google says that your net worth is $22 million. Is that accurate?” the interviewer quizzed.

    Letting out a long chuckle, Burna replied: “Let’s not talk about that one.”

    “Well, I prefer them to think that. That’s cool”, he added, suggesting the speculation was erroneous.

    The interviewer probed further, asking: “Are they way off?”

    Read Also: I’m happy Fela didn’t exist in our generation, says Singer Burna Boy

    Meanwhile, a quick search on Google by The Nation correspondent as indicated by HotNewHipHop, Burna Boy is said to be worth $22 million.

    According to a post curated on July 18, 2023; “Born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, Burna Boy spent his early years in Nigeria. 

    “He honed his musical talents there and absorbed the cultural richness that would later influence his music. 

    “His pursuit of musical mastery led him to accumulate an impressive $22 million net worth in 2023, according to Fresherslive.”

  • I’m happy Fela didn’t exist in our generation, says Singer Burna Boy

    I’m happy Fela didn’t exist in our generation, says Singer Burna Boy

    Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, Damini Ogulu popularly known as Burna Boy, has stated that if Fela existed beyond the period he did, he would have been criticised and probably arrested. 

    He said he is grateful that the late afrobeats pioneer, Fela Kuti, didn’t exist in this generation.

    The ‘Last Last’ crooner disclosed this in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in New York. 

    The African giant said Fela’s existence was good while it lasted, adding that he passed on the message his songs carried and explored the music space extensively.

    According to Burna Boy, if Fela had existed in this current generation, most people holding him in high esteem today would have criticised and called for his arrest.

    He said: “What I have realised is that the times are really funny. Fela in his time was going through things that, if he was here today, it might have been a whole different feeling like a whole bunch of people from Nigeria who you see today celebrating Fela, are the same people that would have been tagging the police to go and arrest Fela if there was Twitter then.

    Read Also: I can’t wait for Burna Boy’s album, says Ayra Starr

    “So, at the end of the day, I feel like God doesn’t make mistakes. You know what I mean like the times are just perfect for everyone, you know. If he Fela was here today, like his career started now, he may not have the space to explore that [his conscious creativity] because there is too much in this day and age that it just doesn’t interlock with the spirits. Right now, spirituality is almost non-existent.

    “Now, the society is just mostly run by stupidity and ignorance. It was still the same back then [during Fela’s era], but it wasn’t as amplified or accessed [as it is today]. Now, everything is defined by stupidity and ignorance.

    “I’m grateful for the fact that he Fela existed in his time so that we can get an experience of the true organic nature of what he was, the essence of what he stood for and the messages he passed across to us.”