Source: BRANDON TODD_@BRANNDANNART / Dreamville Festival / The Parallel Agency
Burna Boy offended Black Americans on the Internet after making controversial statements about African Americans and their ancestral roots. In a recent interview with Complex’s “360 With Speedy,” he addresses his comments while promoting his latest album. Read more and catch the full interview inside.
The Nigerian artist upset fans after he made a divisive claim about the disconnect between African Americans and their African roots. Now, he’s using civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Minister Louis Farrakhan to further make his point.
Burna Boy appeared on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” to promote his album I Told Them, which just dropped Aug. 25. Host Speedy Morman asked about the 32-year-old artist’s recent rant, where he “uses America” for example.
The comment that had fans riled up was Burna’s response to a question popular activist Chaka Bars asked him back in March 2023.
“Why it is important for the African diaspora to come home,” Chaka asked him.
Burna Boy suggests that African Americans don’t have a base the way other cultures like Chinese Americans or Italian Americans do. The self-proclaimed African Giant searches for the socio-politically correct words to say regarding Black Americans.
“Same goes to everyone else except the African-American,” he said. Before the clip ended, he implied the inability of African Americans to trace their roots could be a hindrance. “How can an African-American and an Italian-American be on the same field,” he added.
Fans were offended as they felt he left out a vital part of American history – The African Slave Trade.
In his recent interview with Morman, Burna dismissed the negative rebuttals.
“My mission is to bring us together,” he said. “My mission is to build a bridge that can’t be broken, a bridge that should’ve always been there. So for me, that’s not really relevant. I don’t really look at none of that because I feel like when people say that, they have their own agendas.”
Burna goes on to compare his statements to two activists.
“There’s nothing I said that Malcolm X didn’t say,” he said. “There’s nothing I said that The Honorable Louis Farrakhan didn’t say. But, obviously, it’s Burna Boy saying it and he’s from Africa. All that’s beneath me. My mission and my movements [are] too divine for stupid sh*t like that.”
Though his previous comments got under the skin of some fans, Burna was unapologetic about his views, adding they are all part of the “bridges” he is building at this point in his career.
Fans argue that Burna Boy is greatly influenced by Black culture. Shortly after making his statements in March, he released a video for his latest single “City Boys,” which samples Black artist Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex.” In the video, Burna rocks Timberlands, iced out chains and a Wu-Tang beanie on.
Watch the full interview below:
Burna Boy Clears Up Offensive Comments About The Same Black Culture Fans Feel He Profits From was originally published on globalgrind.com
