Internationally renowned Nigerian singer Damini Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy, has left fans divided over his new album titled “I Told Them,” which was released on the morning of August 25th.
In just over 24 hours, the album is already set to become a major hit and is topping the charts.
“Burna Boy’s 7th studio album “I Told Them…” (62) has now surpassed Burna Boy’s #Grammy award winning album “Twice As Tall” (59) to become the second African album with the most number #1s in Apple Music history” BIG 7 RECORDS, wrote on Platform X (formerly Twitter).
Despite the success of the album, it is already dividing fans across Nigeria because of some comments he made about other Nigerian artists and the Afrobeat genre earlier this week.
In an interview with New Zealand Radio DJ Zane Lowe on Monday, August 21st, the two discussed Burna Boy’s musical career and what this new album means to him.
When asked about the inspiration for the name, he said that the album is dedicated to people from his “own home” who doubted his success.
“A Prophet is not really recognised in his own home and sh*t. This one is for the part of my home and people in my own home who didn’t believe or doubted it, or still doubt it. And not just them, but everyone that ever heard me speak in the past when I first started,” Burna Boy said.
Lowe then went on to ask why many of his colleagues have also been hypercritical of his success or talent. “Not even experiences, because 90% of them have no real-life experiences that they can understand. Which is why you hear most of Nigerian music or African music or Afrobeats as you people call it, is mostly about nothing, literally nothing,” he responded.
“There is no substance” to the genre because most Afrobeats artists only talk about having “an amazing time”.
Declaring he no longer wishes to be “boxed in” by Afrobeat, he has instead created a new genre, Afrofusion. Though Burna Boy and, notably, no other internationally known Nigerian artists have spoken about his comments, fans, and critics took to social media to share their disappointments in the singer’s comments on the genre that gave him his start.
“One day y’all will say the truth about Burna Boy, but for now keep lying.” One person wrote.
Another one, “Maybe this Burnaboy album nah (is a) prank!!”
Nigerian journalist Pooja also took to Platform X, writing, “But I want to ask genuinely, what did Nigerians do to Burna Boy? He keeps throwing us under the bus at every opportunity. You can’t pass one lyric in the album without hearing one thing about Nigerians. Omo”
Although not everyone had negative things to say.
“Is only a few of us that is real and that is doing this music thing with proper Substance and having something to say in it.” Nigerian singer BNXN, formally known as Buju, agreed with Burna Boy in an Instagram live while listening to the album.
“Burna Boy created a full album of Bops Man’s on his lane, Walai, no competition.” Another person commented.
