In a recent interview with Brut Afrique, Davido referred to Burna Boy as a “new cat” in afro music. The “Skelewu” artist and 30BG boss described himself as a veteran of Afrobeats alongside the Grammy-award-winning singer, Wizkid. Davido’s remarks have prompted Burna Boy to respond.
Davido said that he and Wizkid are the reason Afrobeats is a global phenomenon in the world of music today. He the called out Burna Boy as a new cat together with Rema, Fireboy, Mayorkun, and Asake.
“Everybody knows now. I was one of the first. Wizkid and I were one of the first young artists to blow up, and it feels good seeing new cats like Burna Boy, Rema, Fireboy, Mayorkun, you know, a lot of new cats coming, killing it, Asake who was on my album. So, yes, I think the future of Afrobeats is in good hands.”
Some people on social media have described these remarks as disrespectful, particularly towards Burna Boy.
Meanwhile, reacting to the video, Burna Boy’s sister, Niss, shared an Instagram story of her brother performing in front of over 80,000 fans at his sold-out London Stadium concert.
Both Davido and Burna Boy entered the music industry nearly at the same time, with Davido starting in 2011 and the African Giant in 2012. The following year, Davido won KORA’s Best Newcomer Award Africa. The year after, in 2014, Burna Boy also won the South South Music Awards and Nigeria’s Best New Act of the Year.
In 2021, Burna Boy won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album for “Twice as Tall.” His sixth studio album, “Love, Damini,” was also nominated for the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Who is bigger between Davido and Burna Boy?
On Spotify, Davido has 6.3 million monthly listeners, whereas Burna Boy has 18.9 million monthly listeners. “Fall” is Davido’s most popular song on Spotify with 86.5 million streams. His other popular songs on Spotify are “IF” (52 million), “FIA” (28.7 million), and “Blow My Mind” (57.2 million).
In comparison, Burna Boy’s most popular song is “On the Low” with 270 million streams. The song was released in 2022. His other popular Spotify songs are “Ye” (179 million), “Gbona” (121.3 million), “It’s Plenty” (74 million), and “My Oasis” (157.6 million) featuring Ed Sheeran.
On YouTube, Burna Boy also leads with 2.1 billion views and 3.9 million subscribers. In contrast, the old guard has 1.3 billion YouTube views and 3.5 million subscribers.
Burna Boy has collaborated with Sam Smith, Popcaan, J-HUS, Dave, Stormzy, Wizkid, AKA, Ed Sheeran, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Damian Marley, and Khalid. However, most popular songs from his catalogue are solo efforts.
Davido has collaborated with Casper, Stefflon Don, Kizz Daniel, Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, and Tory Lanez.
In response, Burna Boy commented on Instagram: “Uniting people from all walks of life has always been my dream. London, thank you for making it possible for me at my biggest show to date… We’re Leaving An Impact For Eternity Love, Damini”.
Burna Boy and Davido are likely to meet in Turkey for the Champions League finals. Burna Boy has been booked by UEFA to perform before the game between Manchester City and Italy’s Inter Milan. Davido is likely going to get an invite from Manchester City’s kit manufacturer, Puma. Davido is Puma’s brand ambassador.
The two artist had a wobbly relationship in the past when Davido shared a post on Instagram declaring himself and Whizkid as the Greatests of All Time (GOATS). Their ‘beef’ was quashed in 2022, at the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Is Davido’s statement disrespectful?
Whether or not Davido’s statement is disrespectful is a matter of opinion. Some people may see it as a harmless comment, while others may find it to be condescending.
What do you think?
What do you think about Davido’s statement? Do you think it is disrespectful? Or do you think it is simply a matter of fact? Let us know in the comments below.
