In a thought-provoking interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in New York, Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Burna Boy, has expressed his views on the afrobeats genre. Contrary to popular belief, Burna Boy suggests that the genre lacks lyrical substance, claiming that it’s “just a great time.”
Burna Boy, also known as the “African Giant,” believes that most Nigerian musicians, and consequently the afrobeats genre as a whole, lack authentic life experiences to draw from. According to him, their music revolves around “nothing, literally nothing.”
He speaks emphatically, stating, “There is no substance to it—like, nobody is talking about anything in it. It is just a great time. It’s 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 had at some point, or you plan to have, you are still going to face life.”
Burna Boy believes that music should be a reflection of an artist’s experiences—both the highs and lows. It should encapsulate the essence of who they are, their good days, bad days, great days, and worst days. He plans to release a new project that serves as a window into his personal experiences, providing fans with a deeper understanding of his journey.
It is worth noting that Burna Boy has previously declared that his genre of music is not afrobeats but rather afrofusion. He describes afrofusion as a fusion of afrobeat, hip-hop, reggae, R&B, and dancehall.
