Grammy award-winning artiste, Burna Boy has described Afrobeats as ‘nothing’, saying it lacks substance.

According to the singer, 90 percent of Afrobeats songs is devoid of real-life experiences and only portray an amazing time which life isn’t all about.


The self-styled African Giant made this known in a recent interview on Apple Music.


“Not even experience, because half of them, like 90% of them, have no real-life experience that they can understand.

“That’s why you hear most Nigerian music, African Music, or Afrobeats, as you people call it, is mostly about nothing, absolutely nothing. There is no substance to it, like nobody is talking about anything, it’s just a great time. But at the end of the day, life isn’t an amazing time.”

His statement has since sparked a range of reactions on social media with some agreeing with him, and others criticizing him for being arrogant.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2023/08/afrobeats-is-nothing-lacks-substance-burna-boy/amp/

Especially my guy Davido

Just sings about money

Wiz about girls, he tries sometime sha like in Ojuelegba and Joy etc

Rhema just dey insult girls.... I get money pass ur papa.... Who does that

The truth at last. Once you tell me you enjoy songs from WizKid, Davido etc I'll rate you low instantly.

Using pidgin alone which is an inferior version of a language means that whatever crap you sing won't have a universal appeal.

How come ? What infered this notion from Burna Boy...
So can someone remind me what category or genre of songs Fela Abami-Eda was entertaining the world with.

Winner90:
Using pidgin alone which is an inferior version of a language means that whatever crap you sing won't have a universal appeal.

How old are you? Fela , Sunny Ade and Angelique sang in pidgin.

Winner90:
read and understand my comment. Firstly, no relationship between the style of contemporary songs labelled afrobeat and fela's style. Secondly, Fela was a popular personality mainly because he founded a genre notably for a unique combination of certain instruments. But non of fela's songs themselves have global appeal, same with sunny ade. Remind me Angelique kidjo's pidgin song that is a worldwide hit. It is better to sing in your language and English like kidjo than in pidgin.
Bob Marley despite being a raggae artiste, had global hits like "one love" because it was creatively written in English.

...to you Fela's songs wasn't appealing ok o.

mariovito:
Why are you engaging someone that thinks Fela lacks global appeal.

Jcole sampled Fela
Common sampled Fela
Nas sampled Fela countless times
Alicia keys sampled Fela in her productions
The Roots did a song with Femi because of Fela's influence
Coldplay sampled Fela

And countless other global artists I can't mention right now.

FATYTOY:


You don't have to drag with this kid. The indomie generation can never understand

GreatrAnalyst:


All these indomie generation kids...
Same afrobeat that Fela pioneered, which same Burna sees as godfather?

I think Burna, either he enjoys controversies or his memory is failing him.
He and his supporters need to beef up their knowledge. Afrobeat comes with variant fusions. SSP sings/sang Afrojuju, KSA does same. Both are offshoots of Afrobeat.

To say that all those legends in their own rights sang no-substance songs is to be dimwitted. He might be referring to his own mates but Afrobeat is beyond Davido and WiKid. You can cut your own piece out of the main Afrobeat, but the overall Afrobeat is recognized world over.

It is like saying because Sean Paul raps in his own Jamaican Patois, then he doesn't rap "substance".

What is the definition of "substance" to start with?

I'm bemused by their wrong opinion.

Naijaboy18:
Imagine insulting the genre that made your whole career. Had burna not sampled fela kuti fir the whole African giant album he would never have been known. He should leave afrobeat alone if he has such a problem

nairalee:
Reading through this thread I'm so ashamed and embarrassed. So burna boy and many Nigerians(Nairalanders) really dont know anything about culture, music and art in general.

What a shame

Wittyness

I hate burna boy

wittywriter:
How come ? What infered this notion from Burna Boy...
So can someone remind me what category or genre of songs Fela Abami-Eda was entertaining the world with.


How old are you? Fela , Sunny Ade and Angelique sang in pidgin.




Wittyness

read and understand my comment. Firstly, no relationship between the style of contemporary songs labelled afrobeat and fela's style. Secondly, Fela was a popular personality mainly because he founded a genre notably for a unique combination of certain instruments. But non of fela's songs themselves have global appeal, same with sunny ade. Remind me Angelique kidjo's pidgin song that is a worldwide hit. It is better to sing in your language and English like kidjo than in pidgin.
Bob Marley despite being a raggae artiste, had global hits like "one love" because it was creatively written in English.

Wow.

You all see how the plate is regarded as dirty and gross after we are done with our delicacy from it.

Burnaboy sings Afrobeat. The rest largely sing Afropop. I don't know why they call it Afrobeat.

Pop music is more about having fun and dancing. They usually sing about love.

Winner90:
Using pidgin alone which is an inferior version of a language means that whatever crap you sing won't have a universal appeal.

Wrong.
Music is a universal language of its own. Doesn’t matter what language you sing with, great music is great music. And there’re millions of proof. Gangnam style etc etc

kestolove95:
I hate burna boy

He misyarned, but why would you hate the current best musician in Nigeria?

ShenTeh:
Wow.

You all see how the plate is regarded as dirty and gross after we are done with our delicacy from it.

Normal Nigerians. Unfortunately what Burna and most Nigerian artists who try to go international does not understand is that after all said and done, these guys will never accept you as their own.

Las las Burna go realize say na only us Dey rate am.

😕

Na now una just dey wake up?
Something wey don cast already.

Nothing but the truth

True

Afrobeat only
sexualizes women
Promotion drugs and smoking
Cultism

Winner90:
Using pidgin alone which is an inferior version of a language means that whatever crap you sing won't have a universal appeal.

Reggae music is not written nor performed in Queens English but have global appeal.

I no blame them. Na their fans cause am. Dem go dey sing rubbish dem go still dey hail dem. Most of the artist lack good lyrics. Is it not foolishness to say rice is not a good food?

That's not what he said o

Hehehe.

He said nothing but the truth,though it came out harsh.

Most of these music is just noise.

How can somebody be shouting " see Mary,see Jesus,see Mary,see Jesus" ; from the beginning of his song till the end and we call it music .

Some of them no da even listen to their lyrics before releasing it.

Nigerian musicians and rubbish wack songs are 5&6.
Davido sings rubbish
Burnaboy sings rubbish
Wizkid sings rubbish
Aseka abi wertin be him name sings rubbish
Your favorite Nigerian musician songs rubbish.

Wack lyrics with no meaning. It is not their fault, Nigerians as a whole love rubbish so much, that's why the government is dishing out rubbish to them and yet they are comfortable.

Fela is the only and last Nigerian musician with meaningful songs and lyrics, the rest are just bunch of repeat rubbish.

No lies detected.

Bulk of 9ja music got no content. Full of craps.

Just beat and noise

Some people dey try for this naija

I hail people wey dey listen to burna boy n naira marley songs, I don’t like their attitude so it doesn’t make their songs appealing to me

My personal opinion

He's 100% right.
Afrobeat has only a topic but no substance/content/lyrics.

It depends on the content of the music though

Mindlog:


Reggae music is not written nor performed in Queens English but have global appeal.

typical raggae songs are not popular in mainstream western culture. That's why I used one love as example.

Who made burna boy an authority in music? So a few Grammys and he thinks he's all that? The boy is a f***

Hmm ok