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Afrobeats lacks substance – Burna Boy
In a recent interview on Apple Music, the Nigerian music star Burna Boy caused a stir by boldly asserting that Afrobeats, a genre he is closely associated with, lacks substance.
As he gears up for the release of his new album, “I Told Them,” on August 25th, Burna Boy’s provocative words have ignited a fiery debate within the music industry.
“… AfroBeats as people call it, is mostly about nothing, literally nothing. there’s no substance to it” – Burna Boy on the Afrobeats scene recently.
— 49th. (@the49thstreet) August 22, 2023
In his exact words, Burna Boy stated, “I don’t even know what to say, ‘Afrobeats’ as you people call it; it’s mostly about nothing. Literally, nothing. There’s no substance to it; everybody is just having a great time…”
This audacious statement has divided opinion among fans, critics, and fellow musicians. Some perceive Burna Boy’s critique as a sincere reflection on the lyrical depth of Afrobeats, while others suspect it might be a strategic move to generate buzz for his upcoming album.
See some tweets below.
Be mad at Burna all you want!! Still don’t change the fact that half y’all favs make music with no substance..tbh that’s absolutely fair cause this is entertainment at the end of the day.but he’s saying the bitter truth 💯 https://t.co/e4zFCzZzMv
— AJEBO HUSTLERS (@Ajebo_Hustlers) August 22, 2023
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
