“I Get It Now”: Burna Boy Clarifies His Afrobeats Controversy, Embraces the Tag After Years of Pushing Back [VIDEO]

 

Nigerian global star Burna Boy has set the record straight on a controversy that has trailed him for years. During a candid appearance on a recent podcast, the Grammy-winning artist opened up about his long-standing stance on Afrobeats, explaining that his earlier statements were widely misunderstood and not intended as a slight to the genre that helped propel African music onto the global stage.

Long before he became a household name worldwide, Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu, was already carving out a unique musical identity in Nigeria. From the very beginning of his journey, he called his style “Afrofusion,” a term he says reflected the diverse elements in his sound. According to the artist, this self-definition was never about distancing himself from Afrobeats, but about recognizing that his music did not quite fit into the mold others had created.

“I’ve always called what I do Afrofusion,” he shared on the podcast. “Not because I’m too good for Afrobeats or I don’t like the genre, but because my sound has always been a blend of different influences. There was no clear category for what I was making. I had to name it myself.”

This distinction, however, led to friction. As Afrobeats began to gain momentum globally, many artists from Africa found themselves placed under the same umbrella regardless of how unique their styles might be. For Burna Boy, this grouping began to feel like a mislabel, and he pushed back, famously stating that he does not make Afrobeats.

Those words sparked a wave of criticism, with many interpreting them as arrogant or dismissive. But Burna now says that wasn’t his intent. The frustration, he explained, came from a place of feeling boxed in, as if his creativity and efforts to innovate were being flattened into a label that didn’t truly represent him.

“It started to feel like I was being forced into something,” he said. “Like everything I did had to be called Afrobeats, even when it didn’t sound like what people knew as Afrobeats. It felt like the uniqueness of my music was being ignored.”

To drive home his point, Burna offered a metaphor that speaks volumes. “It’s like saying Kendrick Lamar and Socrates are the same just because they both rhyme. One is a rapper, the other is a philosopher. Yes, they use words, but that doesn’t make them the same.”

Despite his earlier resistance, Burna Boy now sees the value in the broader categorization. His reflections come from a place of growth and a deeper understanding of how global recognition works. Genres, he admitted, are often needed to bring visibility to movements and cultures that might otherwise remain fragmented or misunderstood.

“At the time, I didn’t get why the Afrobeats label mattered so much,” he said. “But looking back now, I see how having that umbrella helped push the entire sound forward internationally. Just like Hip Hop had to be acknowledged before trap, drill, and all the sub-genres could be accepted, Afrobeats had to be the starting point.”

It’s a shift in perspective that appears to come from maturity and an appreciation for the collective progress African artists have made over the years. Burna also acknowledged that his earlier comments may have unintentionally fueled division or confusion within the industry and among fans.

“I understand now. And I want to apologise to anyone who felt slighted or confused by what I said before,” he stated. “We’re all pushing African music forward, and we need to stand together. The label matters more than I realized.”

His remarks have already sparked conversations online, with many praising his willingness to admit past missteps and embrace a more unified view of the genre. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability from one of Africa’s most influential voices, and it signals a possible new chapter in how artists from the continent engage with the genre labels placed upon them.

Burna Boy’s comments also shine a light on the evolving nature of African music and the importance of giving artists space to define their work while also acknowledging the collective power of unity under a shared identity. Whether you call it Afrobeats, Afrofusion, or anything else, one thing is certain, African music is having a moment, and its biggest stars are learning how to move forward together.

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