Burna Boy Apologizes for Past Comments on Afrobeats, Says He Was in a ‘Dark Place’
Nigerian music superstar Burna Boy has issued a heartfelt apology for his past remarks disparaging Afrobeats and distancing himself from the genre.
The Grammy-winning artist sparked backlash in 2023 when he publicly claimed that Afrobeats lacked lyrical depth and announced that he did not identify with the genre, preferring to label his sound Afrofusion.
However, in a recent interview with BBC’s Eddie Kadi, Burna Boy admitted he now sees things differently. He explained that he originally rejected the Afrobeats label because he didn’t believe his music neatly fit within the genre’s traditional boundaries.
“I didn’t understand why people wanted my music to be inside one box,” he said. “The way I saw it, if you just put everything into Afrobeats, you’re now comparing Socrates to Kendrick Lamar because they both said two things that rhyme so they both must be rappers…”
The ‘Last Last’ hitmaker added that he has since come to appreciate the importance of the Afrobeats umbrella, especially in uniting and promoting African artists on the global stage.
“I didn’t realise we needed the Afrobeats tag as an umbrella to go anywhere. I totally get it now and I apologise for that confusion,” Burna Boy said, adding that he was in a “dark place mentally” at the time he made the controversial statements.
The apology marks a significant shift in Burna Boy’s stance, and fans have responded positively to his honesty and self-reflection, praising him for acknowledging the role Afrobeats plays in the global rise of African music.
