A portion of Time Magazine’s selection of the 100 most influential individuals of 2024 featured Burna Boy under the icons section.
Singer Angelique Kidjo, a double Grammy Award winner, pays a heartfelt ode to Burna Boy, who Time Magazine named one of the top 100 significant people of 2024.
The renowned Beninese singer paid homage to Nigerian Afro-fusion artist Burna Boy, describing him as a history-making figurehead who inspires young Africans.
Burna Boy was commended by Angelique Kidjo for drawing influence from African traditional music and imitating Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat in Nigeria.
“Around ten years ago, I used to advise young African musicians that they didn’t have to copy American musicians when they came to me for assistance. The world requires the incredible richness and beauty of our traditional African music and our culture. This land is where most of modern music comes from. This source of inspiration is inexhaustible. Its freshness and its elegance will get the world’s attention for sure.”
Burna Boy has brought that idea to life on a worldwide scale. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable drums of Nigerian folk music and studying the skill of legendary African singer-songwriters, he emulates the renowned Afrobeats artist and campaigner Fela Kuti. With an incredible string of firsts, Burna Boy’s deeply unique flow and characteristic groove have taken the globe by storm. In 2023, he became the first African artist to sell out a stadium in the United States, and in 2024, he became the first Afrobeats artist to perform at the Grammy Awards. He is the future of history. He is now the inspiration for an entire generation of young people throughout the continent.”
Burna Boy, who made his debut on the global market in 2018, has been among the biggest musicians in the world. In his Grammy-nominated 2019 album ‘African Giant’, Burna Boy featured Angelique Kidjo in the single ‘Different’ alongside Damian Marley.
The legendary Angelique Kidjo would feature Burna Boy on her Grammy-nominated song ‘Do Yourself’ in 2021.
Burna Boy is the only African musician on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list.
(Pulse)
