The Rise of the African Giant -Newz Urban

Within the last five years we have seen Afro beats go from the genre on the rise to the genre on the scene. This genre Originating from West Africa has now become a global phenomenon 

When you think Afro beats who comes to mind?Who is the symbol of Africa's most popular and iconic genre of music? 

Well as much as a lot of people will cancel me and call out this piece of work as biased, I wouldn't mind but based on streams, popularity and status I can without question say it is no one other than OLUWA BURNA

So how did he grow to become the most iconic figure on the Afro beats scene today? Well it is very interesting to note that he was not always the giant of Africa, unlike his contemporaries Burna's evolution has not been the smoothest journey but a story of perseverance and strong dedication to his craft.

   After gaining notoriety especially in the  southern part of Nigeria through a series of mix tapes he released, Burna boy released his debut album in 2013 featuring some of Nigeria's biggest artistes at the time but despite the relative success of this album it was followed inconsistent quality relaease over the following years, his career seemed to have hit a wall.

Soon enough momentum started to biuld up and in 2018 thats everything changed with the release of his third studio album "outside"

Outside was a success not only commercially but sonically, Burna had finally perfected his distinct and unique sound, it was as if he went off all those years to find himself, his style and sound, what he now calls Afro-fusion drawing huge influences from Afro beats legend Fela Anikulapo Ransome-Kuti's musical and performance style 

  His career had just broken through the ceiling when it received a major boost by after Kanye West 2018 album Ye coincidentally shared the same name of the most popular song on the outside album leading unsuspecting listeners to stumble on the project.

  The following years saw Burna boy's quick rise to world recognition with a number of international collaboration and numerous awards Burna was no longer an artist to watch out for but a household name, putting out back to back quality music and electrifying live performances also the self acclaimed African giant proved him as a force to be reckoned with.

   

Being the first contemporary Nigerian musician in recent times to win a solo Grammy award for his 2020 album Twice as Tall.

    Even today his incredible work ethic continue to propel him up the ladder of global sucess, Burna boy's ability to fuse elements from a wide variety of influences without sacrificing his signature afro sound is what sets him apart.

  He successfully created a balance between making music with a strong message while preserving the essence of what makes Afro beats so enjoyable and I believe he is a true musical revolutionary and genius in every sense of the word.