Afrobeats powerhouse, Burna Boy, has presented a list of artistes in the Afrobeats space who have “impacted” his career.
Appreciating the artistes, he calls the “Old Gees,” he said he will continue to “respect” the identified personalities for the rest of his life.
He mentioned top music talents in Nigeria like Timaya, D’Banj, 2face, Wande Coal and Larry Gaaga, as some of the pioneers in the industry who came through for him at certain points in his career.
“I went to Timaya’s house in 2012 or 2013 thereabout…I saw all the cars and asked how long should one sing before they can get all these[cars] and build houses…that’s the kind of guy I’m going to have to respect for the rest of my life,” he stated in an Instagram live video.
Burna Boy also named Oliver Twist crooner Dbanj, who he said paid for one of his music videos, stressing that: “…These are people I don’t play with.”
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“It’s not like I don’t have respect for others…but I have been through a lot and we’ll only remember the people we saw in the dark times,” he said giggling.
“When we talk about Old Gees, as far as I’m concerned, these names are the only names”, he stated. “This is a personal thing…we all see things differently and we’ve been through things differently so we all see life differently,” he added.
The Twice As Tall crooner who does not shy away from smoking streamed the live video with a roll of cigar between his fingers.
Burna Boy’s comment, perhaps, was in response to the emerging debate on social media over which artistes are the “real pioneers” of Afrobeats in recent times.
The spotlight, for a long time, seems to have been on Davido, Rema, Wizkid, and Burna Boy himself, with some industry players calling for recognition for ‘old-timers’ (Old Gees) who set the trend for Afrobeats.
In the midst of the debates, other schools of thought believe varied factors have contributed to the global recognition of Afrobeats, therefore, there is no point in giving credit to a single artiste.
Grammy-nominated Burna Boy, with six studio albums to his credit, continues to set remarkable records in the industry and has attracted lots of recognition.
Recently, his collaboration with Ed Sheeran on the single For My Hand was certified platinum in the United Kingdom. The acknowledgement came after the song reached 600,000 digital sales units.
It will be recalled that last month, Burna Boy earned the enviable spot in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. The essay highlighting Burna’s remarkable accomplishments was written by music legend Angélique Kidjo.
The essay includes his status as the first African artist to sell out a stadium in the United States (he did so last July at Citi Field in New York City) and his distinction as the first Afrobeats performer to sing at the Grammy Awards.
Prior to this, officials in Boston, United States, had also set aside a special day to celebrate Burna Boys’ works and global influence.