Burna Boy
Burna Boy - The African Giant
It was about midnight when Burna Boy stepped on stage at the New Afrika Shrine on a hot and steamy Lagos night amidst screaming fans. I was about to bear witness to what I now emphatically rate as the most memorable concert that I have ever been to. The energy was incredible and the atmosphere indescribable. I looked around and everyone was singing and dancing. The bar staff, the food stall holders and even the ambulant vendors were joining in. It was more like being at a massive intimate party singing and dancing to your favourite song with Burna Boy. It was a truly magical experience.
As a music venue the new Afrika Shrine stands out for many reasons. The purpose-built open-air venue with a capacity of 2,000 was designed to honour the enduring legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, arguably one of Nigeria’s most influential artists and worshipped by many young Nigerian artists who seek to emulate his international success. The New Afrika Shrine is also famous for having been visited by a serving French president during an official visit in Nigeria.
Fela’s legacy is celebrated in October every year as part of Felabration with a series of events culminating in a week-long program of live performances at the New Afrika Shrine to mark his birthday. Felabration is now regarded as one of the most prestigious music festivals and rumour has it that many artists offer to waive their fee for an opportunity to perform at the festival.
As a music venue the new Afrika Shrine stands out for many reasons. The purpose-built open-air venue with a capacity of 2,000 was designed to honour the enduring legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, arguably one of Nigeria’s most influential artists and worshipped by many young Nigerian artists who seek to emulate his international success. The New Afrika Shrine is also famous for having been visited by a serving French president during an official visit in Nigeria.
Fela’s legacy is celebrated in October every year as part of Felabration with a series of events culminating in a week-long program of live performances at the New Afrika Shrine to mark his birthday. Felabration is now regarded as one of the most prestigious music festivals and rumour has it that many artists offer to waive their fee for an opportunity to perform at the festival.
My first experience of a Burna Boy’s live performance was two years prior at Felabration 2017. It’s fair to say that I knew much less about him back then as Wizkid and Davido had the ascendency, but I found his performance quite fascinating. It certainly had all the elements of a good performance, stage presence, great interaction with the audience and the fact that he was shirtless added a little extra Felaesque element to his show.
Joseph Okpako / Getty I also detected another aspect that probably contributed to his subsequent meteoric rise. A mix of athletic prowess and a warrior attitude. It was very clear that he was fit, focused, competitive and ready to do whatever it takes to rise to the top. Those qualities are an important asset for any artist let alone one that is trying to stand out in Africa’s most populous city where there is an endless supply of raw talent. Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu aka Burna Boy comes from a family with more than a passing interest in the music business. He is the grandson of Benson Idonije, broadcaster and music critic famous for being Fela’s first band manager, which may incidentally explain why he’s more reluctant than his contemporaries to refer to his musical style as Afrobeats, preferring the term Afrofusion. He is arguably better placed than most to comprehend the essence of the controversy around the use of the term Afrobeats for a genre that musically bears little resemblance to the original Afrobeat sound pioneered by Fela Kuti.
The career of this UK educated artist is managed by his mother who, it seems, is carefully ensuring that he remains firmly connected and grounded as he rides the unpredictable waves of success in the treacherous ocean of show business. His first major international release African Giant confirmed his position as an artist to be reckoned with and was rewarded with a Grammy nomination. The album signaled the emergence of a powerful domestic industry in Africa, as the project was entirely completed in Africa and was based on a strategy that focused on the African market as the primary target.
Joseph Okpako / Getty I also detected another aspect that probably contributed to his subsequent meteoric rise. A mix of athletic prowess and a warrior attitude. It was very clear that he was fit, focused, competitive and ready to do whatever it takes to rise to the top. Those qualities are an important asset for any artist let alone one that is trying to stand out in Africa’s most populous city where there is an endless supply of raw talent. Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu aka Burna Boy comes from a family with more than a passing interest in the music business. He is the grandson of Benson Idonije, broadcaster and music critic famous for being Fela’s first band manager, which may incidentally explain why he’s more reluctant than his contemporaries to refer to his musical style as Afrobeats, preferring the term Afrofusion. He is arguably better placed than most to comprehend the essence of the controversy around the use of the term Afrobeats for a genre that musically bears little resemblance to the original Afrobeat sound pioneered by Fela Kuti.
The career of this UK educated artist is managed by his mother who, it seems, is carefully ensuring that he remains firmly connected and grounded as he rides the unpredictable waves of success in the treacherous ocean of show business. His first major international release African Giant confirmed his position as an artist to be reckoned with and was rewarded with a Grammy nomination. The album signaled the emergence of a powerful domestic industry in Africa, as the project was entirely completed in Africa and was based on a strategy that focused on the African market as the primary target.
