The Nigerian spirit is defined by endless hustle. While Fela Kuti's conscious template is largely made up of speaking hard truths to power and inspiring the people with his boldness, Burna speaks hard truth to the people, pushing for them to take control of their lives, and rise up, regardless of the system. He is a worthy recipient of high praise.īurna Boy's biggest credit here has to be the galvanization of Nigeria's poor. He is the true Nigerian model of success. Never mind that he is in bed with the oppressive government-he deserves praise for being an aspirational figure, inspiring millions of the country's youth. Contemporary pop artists who grew up assimilating that culture picked it up, choosing to glorify the 'heroes' of their time through a more subtle form, which shows up in music as name-dropping.īurna Boy's 'Dangote' elevates the businessman and props him up as the aspirational model for everyone else. This is still a very common practice in today's traditional music circles. There are countless records made in honour of Nigeria's business and political elite. Legendary Fuji and Apala luminaries such as King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall aka KWAM1, Ayinde Barrister, the late Haruna Ishola, entrenched praise-singing as an important part of their creative process. Right from the 1980s, apart from the business class, the political class, through patronage and support, played a major role in the success of any artist. There's also an element of praise-singing, which is a core element of traditional Yoruba music genres. Problem is, it is illegal, and when the law strikes, it never ends well for the poor person, who is now a poor criminal. Anything, including internet fraud, locally known as 'Yahoo Yahoo' or 'G' in Nigeria. Desperate people lose their humanity, when that happens, they are open to doing anything for survival. With the help of actors, stuntmen and extras, the video walks us through poverty as a state of disadvantage, and idlemen breeding desperation, which becomes a slippery slope.
But these people don't care about Dangote's business. According to the World Poverty Clock, 82 million of the 180 million population (42.4 percent), live in extreme poverty. He owns a monopoly on the cement industry and continues to grow richer in a country where 6 people fall into poverty every minute. As a reward, he influences economic policies to increase his worth, regardless of what happens to the masses. Opening his coffers to fund elections of the country's past presidents. According to reports, Dangote is a huge financier of the political class. People see his wealth and they want that for themselves.īut this Dangote isn't exactly a true champion of the people. Dangote who recently became the 64th richest man in the world, with a reported net worth of $16.6 billion, represents the complete aspirational picture of the Nigerian dream.
Here is where Dangote sticks out: where Fela expressly embraces the poor and takes aim at the elite, Burna boy opts for a different approach, "Dangote still dey find money o…," he sings, elevating the world's 64th richest man, Aliko Dangote as a shining example of pure hustle. From earlier hit singles such as "Run My Race," down to his recent meteoric run in 2018, led by "Ye" and "Gbona," there's always an allusion to Fela's art. The Afrobeat sound and aesthetic repeatedly shows up in his art, refined, fused with modern sound patterns, and updated for the times. His grandfather, Benson Idonije, managed Fela at some point in the legend's career.īurna's art has always drawn elements from Fela. Burna's mother and manager, Bose Ogulu, once danced in his band. Kuti, the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, was famous for his political activism during the country's era of military dictatorships. In that context, Burna Boy often tries to embody the rebel spirit of Fela, a conscious music legend, with whom he has close family ties. This is considered rare in a country where pop stars are often insulated from the plight of the masses by their wealth. The video, shot by the renowned Clarence Peters, has received rave reviews, with some Twitter users excitedly crowning it "video of the year."īurna Boy - Dangote (Official Video) youtu.beīurna Boy (real name Damini Ogulu) has gained wide praise as an afro-fusion artist in tune with the suffering of Nigeria's poor. Burna Boy, is Nigeria's most on-form musician, and the release of his new single last weekend named after Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, is an angry indictment of poverty in Nigeria.