The African continent is in its wake and West Africa seems to be the pioneer behind this energy as musicians coming from this region are gradually taking music lovers by storm.
Music is such a powerful thing as it can reassure, soothe and inspire every movement in societies. In Africa, today, music is changing the narrative and empowering the future of entertainment as it’s largely one of the big things people consume in their daily lives aside from food.
For this, a popular Afrobeat musician from Nigeria, Burna Boy, who has been the talk on the continent in recent years has made a statement that has angered many Nigerians if not every African music lover.
According to the ‘Anybody’ singer, he is the best to have emerged from Nigerian since Fela Kuti.
His comments come at the back of a story published by NetbuzzAfrica.com which sighted how Afrobeats music was made attractive for Africans by the continent’s largest musicians.
In the viral story which has become a topic of discussion among Africans, Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie reckoned how he alongside his African brothers made Afrobeats so interesting to a point where event organizers who wanted Africans to get out of the club had to play music from other genres. “It used to be the other way ‘round,” he said.
But today Afrobeats has rapidly changed the way the Africans see and consume music from the continent and Burna Boy claims to have caused the progress all by himself.
The rise of Afrobeats was a deliberate movement but according to Burna Boy, nobody paved way for him.
Burna Boy noted in a now-deleted tweet that while the world can live without the best, ‘everybody’ including your favourite musician knows he is the best. Adding that “Nobody pave sh!t for me. Everybody dey find them own.”
Following his statement, Nigerians who are familiar with his rose-to-fame story are unhappy as many have labelled him as proud.
To some pundits and fans, to say he even brought respect to Nigerians if not Africans as a whole was an unfortunate comment and suggest Burna Boy and other African artists should emulate rapper Sarkodie who seems to be pushing an agenda for Africans and not only Ghanaians.
This suggestion is sighted on Plus TV in Nigeria in the video below.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is credited for being a pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre.
In retrospect, artists who have kept Afrobeats alive for a decade and over include Wizkid, Sarkodie, Burna Boy, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Efya and Mr Eazi.
Whereas the African pop mix began with 2Baba, Timaya, D’banj, P-Square, R2bees and star producer Don Jazzy, we have newbies like Kuami Eugene, Naira Marley, Maleek Berry, MzVee, Mayorkun and a host of other fast-rising West Africa musicians riding the anthem.
Watch how Nigerians roast Burna Boy for claiming he is the best since Fela Kuti in the video below.
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