Burna Boy Talks Fashion, Hypocrisy, Rise and Class With SSENSE

One of the greatest criticisms the Nigerian market seems to have about Burna Boy is his desire to shy away from press. With the high amount of distrust Burna has for Nigerian journalists, it’s no surprise he often avoids conversations with Nigerian media while he makes the appearances with foreign press. In a recent interview with SSense, Burna touches on everything from his fashion influences to the hypocrisy that continues to plague Nigeria as well as understanding his worth and sound and class distinctions between African communities and the US.

Below are some excerpts from the interview.

On choosing who to collaborate with, Burna said:

It’s all organic stuff. I have no control over it, and I don’t try to play a role in it.

On hypocrisy, and being judged for being himself:

Everyone smokes weed in Nigeria. Everyone. Even fuckin’ pastors smoke weed. But they’d rather hide and do it. Then they see a nigga and say he’s the junkie, you feel me?

On his rise, especially in international circles:

I’ve worked with everyone you could think of—it’s not just the two names you’ve mentioned (Drake & Swizz Beatz) . But it’s like I’ve been restyled. That’s what happens when you know who you are, and you live by letting everyone else know who you are.

You can read the full conversation between Burna and Safra Ducreay here.