Nigerian Media Gave Burna Boy Credits for Records I Set – Seun Kuti
Grammy-nominated Afrobeat artist Seun Kuti has expressed frustration over what he perceives as the media erroneously crediting Burna Boy with milestones he and other Nigerian musicians have achieved.
Kuti highlighted that despite widespread reports, Burna Boy was not the first Nigerian artist to perform at Coachella, as he himself played at the iconic festival in 2012. He also pointed out that Burna Boy’s first Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album with “African Giant” came years after his elder brother, Femi Kuti, had already received multiple nominations in the same category.
In a recent interview with The Public Republic, Seun Kuti reflected on the lack of recognition for his own work. He noted that his album “Black Times” was nominated for Best World Music Album but did not receive any acknowledgment from African award organizers.
Kuti also addressed the oversight regarding his recent Grammy nomination for his contributions to Janelle Monáe’s “Age of Pleasure,” which is up for Album of the Year at the 2024 Grammys. He lamented that the Nigerian media failed to mention his nomination alongside other Nigerian artists recognized for the 66th Grammys.
“My brother [Femi Kuti] has been nominated at the Grammys multiple times. They’ve nominated me; I was also nominated in the last edition. It was only my name that they [Nigerian media] didn’t mention among the Nigerian artists who were nominated for the 66th Grammys. That’s what they do every time, as if I’m from Togo.
“That’s how they said Burna Boy was the first Nigerian artist to play in Coachella in 2020, where I played in 2012, as if I’m from Togo,” he remarked.