2018 was Burna Boy’s MVP year marking his ascension to the top bracket of Nigerian artists alongside the likes of Davido and Wizkid. This ascension combined with his record deal with Atlantic Records imprint, Bad Habit Records has helped secure some premier placements. Last year, his Outside album placed #3 on the Billboard Reggae Chart, his Lily Allen collab. won our hearts, he was the sole feature on Fall Out Boy’s Grammy nominated album and he’s booked to perform at Coachella.
In the midst of globalization and the interconnectedness of culture and the zeitgeist, The Score’s Cross Culture segment examines the grey area where differing cultural values meet. In the video below, Burna Boy provides some form of context to the African Giant furore by suggesting that the landmarks he hits should be viewed as a source of pride for Africans. He also speaks on growing up idolizing Fall Out Boy as a secondary school student and his love for basketball, a sport he grew up playing. MVP favorite, Giannis Antetokounmpo whose name is a corrupted interpretation of his actual surname- Adetokunbo is the filter through which Burna explores his love for the game. The segment also gives us a snippet of a new Burna single ’34’ inspired by the Greek Freak.