Burna Boy Admits Mistake, Apologises for Criticising Afrobeats

Nigerian singer and songwriter Burna Boy is walking back his infamous jab at Afrobeats.

The Grammy-winning artiste, who once triggered outrage by claiming Afrobeats “lacked substance,” is now backpedaling.

In a new interview with Eddie Kadi on The Official United Kingdom Afrobeats Chart Show, the hitmaker admitted that if he knew then what he knows now, he never would have made those comments.

The controversial remark, made during a 2023 conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, sparked intense backlash from fans and industry figures alike.

But Burna Boy insists it all came down to a misunderstanding of what Afrobeats really represents.

At the time, Burna says he was focused on carving out a lane for Afro-fusion, his self-defined genre, and distancing himself from what he felt did not fully reflect his sound.

“I described my music as Afro-fusion because it was as if there was almost no place for it at home, and I had to create my own place for it,” he said.

But what he did not realise then, he says, was the purpose behind the Afrobeats label, not just as a sound, but as a unifying banner to push Nigerian music to global heights.

“I did not understand why everyone wanted my music to be inside one box,” he explained.

That realization, he says, changed everything.

“I did not understand that we needed an umbrella term for what we were doing to actually get somewhere,” Burna admitted.

“If I understood this, I would have gone about it differently because why would I want to destroy what I am building?”

Now, with hindsight, he is offering an apology to fans who felt alienated by his earlier take.

“I apologise for the confusion,” he said.

It is a rare moment of reflection from one of Africa’s most outspoken stars and one that shows even giants in the game can shift perspective.