Nigerian Afropop international star Damini Ogulu, going by the stage name Burna Boy had a sat down with Fader where he talked about a range of topics including his recently released African Giant album, his mum’s BET Awards acceptance speech, how Nigeria misunderstands Nigeria, how he interprets crossing over, and more.
On African Giant, Burna Boy says:
“[The] best moment of recording this album was in Ghana. And I was recording… The songs I didn’t record while I was in Ghana. I feel like those are the best moments of the album because that’s when it felt it all come together. That’s when I felt it all… I felt it all like it was real now. Because it was all a vision in my head on how I wanted it to be. But at that moment, I just felt it all become a reality.”
According to Burna Boy, the moment of realisation that he has gotten what h wanted was during the recording of Collateral Damage and was solidified during the recording of Another Story with Ghaniana rapper M.anifest.
On the epic speech that was given by “Mama Burna” during the 2019 BET Awards. She had said: “The message from Burna, I believe, will be that every black person should please remember that you were African before you became anything else.” Burna agrees that would have been his message.
“Most definitely. I wouldn’t have said it like that. I probably — It was perfect, the way she did it,” says The Burna to Lawrence Burney who conducted the interview for Fader.
Burna Boy also revealed that he became conscious of the fact as he “got older… started to learn more” and dug “deeper into the truth about my existence,” he explains.
On Pidgin English, because many Afropop songs are rendered in Pidgin and their meaning may not be immediately obvious to listeners in the diaspora. Burna Boy says to Lawrence, who revealed he had started following BBC pidgin to learn the language:
“Because it’s real education. It’s what resonates with your being. It’s not something that is forced on you because of some agenda or some motive. Because our subconscious always knows these things. Whether we choose to accept it or not.”
On Koffee covering Ye, Burna Boy says:
“Felt very amazing, man. It feels great because it felt like a part of — almost like a mission accomplished in a way because it goes back to what I’m saying: we’re all connected. So that kind of proves it as well. That’s just another proof.”
Burna Boy also thinks Nigerians misunderstood Nigeria.
He explains:
“I can guarantee you that at least 90% of my people that are my age group in Nigeria —who are considered the youth — had no clue about how Nigeria, the real origins of Nigeria. There’s so much knowledge, there’s so much truth that needs to be told. There’s so much that needs to… there’s so much that the youth needs to know in order to be — how do I explain it? — In order to be almost respected. Because really and truly right now, the only thing that can save the youth is knowledge and financial independence.”
More on the interview can be found on Fader website or you may prefer to watch it:
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