Nigerian singer Olorunyomi Oloruntimilehin, aka Bad Boy Timz, has berated his colleague, Burna Boy, over his assertion that afrobeat lacks “substance.”
DAILY POST recalls that Burna Boy, in a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, asserted that afrobeat is “literally nothing” and lacks “lyrical substance.”
Reacting while featuring in the latest episode of Fresh Off The Boat, Bad Boy Timz faulted Burna Boy over his remarks, stressing that “afrobeat has fed Burna for years.”
He said: “I feel like maybe representation of the message he [Burna Boy] was to pass across came off as a ‘Burna Boy.’ You understand that Burna is the type of person to make his point whether you hurt or not.
“But to say that afrobeat has no substance, I feel like he is just talking about certain people [artistes]. The kind of music I make has substance; it’s not all jumpy. There are some sad moments. So, people who make albums out of nothing are on their own.
“And Burna Boy saying that people [artistes] don’t have real life or good-enough experiences is just like speaking on behalf of other people. There are people who feel pain. Nobody has it 100 per cent. There are people who have been through a lot of traumatic experiences. Just because they don’t choose to put it in their music does not make them weak or unappreciative.
“Fela Kuti started afrobeat. Afrobeat is the base. Afrobeat is like our foundation. I mean, Afrobeat has fed Burna for years.”