Time Magazine has included Burna Boy, also known as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, the Grammy-winning Nigerian artist, in its prestigious list of the top 100 most influential individuals of 2024.
In a statement to Time Magazine, Burna Boy emphasized his advice to aspiring musicians, urging them not to imitate American artists but to embrace the richness and beauty of traditional African music and culture.
His words: “Ten years ago or so, when young African musicians would come to me for advice, I would tell them, ‘You don’t need to mimic American artists! The world needs the amazing 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.’”
Time Magazine further highlighted Burna Boy's musical achievements, acknowledging his unique style and rhythmic prowess that have captivated audiences worldwide.
It stated: “Burna Boy has turned that vision into a global reality. Drawing inspiration from the captivating drums of Nigerian folk music and steeped in the tradition of great African singer-songwriters, he follows in the footsteps of Fela Kuti—the internationally acclaimed Afrobeats artist and activist. Burna Boy’s profoundly original flow and his distinctive groove have captured the world with an impressive series of milestones: in 2023, he became the first African artist to sell out a U.S. stadium, and in 2024, he became the first Afrobeats artist to perform at the Grammys. He is making history. Now, an entire generation of young people from the continent looks up to him.”
