Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy has finally addressed the long-running controversy surrounding his past remarks claiming he doesn’t make “Afrobeats” music.
In a recent podcast interview, the Grammy winner set the record straight, explaining that his comment wasn’t a slight toward the genre or its artists.
From the beginning of his career, Burna said he’s always identified his music as Afrofusion — not to distance himself from Afrobeats, but because his sound didn’t quite fit the mold others tried to place him in.
“When I came back home and started making music, I called it Afrofusion. Why? Because what I was creating was different. There was no proper space for it at the time. I had to create my own lane,” he said.
Over time, Burna’s distinct sound helped carve out space for other non-mainstream artists, leading to the emergence of movements like alté.
However, tensions rose when, according to Burna, the global music scene began lumping all African music under the “Afrobeats” label — erasing the nuances of individual artistry.
“It was like they were forcing it. Like, why must everything I do be tagged as Afrobeats? I’ve always said it’s Afrofusion. So when I said I don’t do Afrobeats, it was because I felt like they were ignoring the unique sound I was creating.”
To drive his point home, Burna used a striking analogy:
“It’s like calling both Kendrick Lamar and Socrates the same thing just because they rhyme. One is a rapper, one is a philosopher. They are both speaking, but it’s not the same thing.”
Still, with time and reflection, Burna admitted he now sees the importance of the Afrobeats label — especially in gaining international recognition for African music as a whole.
“I didn’t understand that for us to get anywhere, we needed that umbrella. Like how Hip Hop had to first be accepted as Hip Hop before trap and other sub-genres emerged.”
Closing the interview, Burna Boy expressed remorse over the way his earlier comments may have been perceived:
“I get it now. And I apologise for the misunderstanding. We need to stick together. The tag matters more than I realized.”
