The Grammy-winning Nigerian musician Damini Ogulu, alias Burna Boy, claims that the afrobeats genre lacks meaningful lyrics and is instead “just a great time.”
He claims that the genre is “literally nothing.”
This was said by the self-described “African Giant” in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that took place recently in New York.
He claimed that “90% of them [Nigerian musicians] have no genuine life experiences, which is why most Nigerian music, or African music, or afrobeats as people call it, is primarily about nothing, absolutely nothing.
“It has no substance; no one is discussing anything in it. Simply put, it’s a terrific time. Amazing things are happening right now. However, life is not a great period overall. No matter how wonderful a time you are having right now, have had in the past, or intend to have, you will still have to deal with life.
So, in my opinion, the artist’s essence should be their music. The artist is a person who experiences good days, horrible days, his best days, and his worst days. I’m ending a project that was supposed to give fans a glimpse into these situations.
Burna Boy has previously stated that his music is not afrobeats but rather an amalgam of afrobeat, hip-hop, reggae, R&B, and dancehall, according to OBASANJO NEWS24.
