Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Burna Boy has once again stirred controversy with his recent comments aimed at fans and artists who celebrate online polls and local chart dominance.
In a now-viral Instagram story, Burna Boy wrote:
“Dear artists, don’t let Twitter polls and Naija social media fans deceive you. They won’t fill up any stadium for you in any part of the world.”
The “Last Last” crooner didn’t stop there. He went further to highlight the low monetary value of streams from Nigeria when compared to platforms in the UK or US. According to him, being number one in Nigeria doesn’t equate to global success or meaningful earnings:
“Stop celebrating number one songs in Nigeria. It doesn’t pay. Do business on the other side.”
While some see his comments as a hard dose of reality about the music business, others have called it condescending — especially coming from someone whose rise was heavily supported by the same Nigerian fanbase he’s seemingly belittling.
This isn’t the first time Burna has come under fire for his bold takes. From claiming “nobody paved the way” for him to describing Afrobeats as lacking substance in a past interview, the self-proclaimed African Giant has often drawn backlash for appearing dismissive of local influence and legacy.
Many critics are now drawing parallels between this recent outburst and the rollout strategy behind his last album “I Told Them”, where controversy preceded promotion. Burna Boy is currently preparing to release his eighth studio album, titled “No Sign of Weakness.”
Whether his words spark deeper industry conversations or simply fuel the fire ahead of another project drop, one thing’s certain: Burna Boy isn’t backing down from speaking his truth no matter how unpopular it may be.
