Afrobeats music, according to Burna Boy, “lacks substance and real-life experience” in 90% of the songs.
The self-described African Giant discussed the necessity for artists to portray real-life situations in their music in an interview with Apple Music on Tuesday.
According to Burna Boy, many Afrobeats musicians lack real-world experience, which is why their “songs lack substance.”
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Most musicians, according to the 32-year-old Afrofusion vocalist, just sing about “having a great time.”
“Because of where I am from. The sh*t I have to go through to maneuver and just stay with my crown on my head,” he said.
“(It is harder for people that know you best to love you the most). Because they do not know you best. You just think they do.
“When you start going around the world and you start seeing that there are actually motherf**kers that know me a lot than the people that share the same (not experience)… because 90 percent of them do not even share no real life experiences they can understand.
“It is why you hear most of Nigerian music or Afrobeats as people call it, is mostly about nothing. Literally nothing.
“There is no substance to it. Like nobody is talking about anything. It is just a great time. It is an amazing time. But at the end of the day, life is not an amazing time.
“No matter how nice of a time you are having now or you are had at some point or you plan to have, you are still going to face life.
“Me speaking for myself, the artiste is the person who has good days, bad days, great days, and worst days.”
However, this stance has elicited reactions from Netizens on X:
RE: Burna Boy and Nigerian music lack of substance.
Whenever Burna Boy has to sell a new album to a foreign, Westernised market, he finds a divisive narrative to bestow him exceptionalism in a market that does not know his backstory or lack proper context to process his…
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) August 23, 2023
Others started getting international recognition and won’t stop giving afrobeats credit, e reach Burna boy turn, e begin shit on am.
A fraud, sellout and a conman.— ROYZ (@royzkingin) August 23, 2023
Davido and Wizkid are the Ronaldo and Messi of Afrobeats, any other artist is levels below them. Burna boy is the neymar of Afrobeats, he’s good but he isn’t on the GOATS level yet. He should make peace with this and stop trying to act like there is competition btwn them to begin…
— Al’ameen (@A__yabo) August 23, 2023
https://twitter.com/itsSh0la/status/1694255517831414202?t=WifqIO5KolbnCKPlCQwnYQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/TheSilvapr/status/1694245169560690912?t=gNfdVniEphIq04EmwAnIpQ&s=19
As a superstar and a representative of any movement, Burna gotta curb your selfish motives and hubris, and speak with nuance or not speak at all.
The world is watching and your words can make or break that movement. The greats don’t shut the door behind them, they leave it open.— Motolani 'Idan' Alake (@OneMotolani) August 23, 2023
