entertainment

Burna Boy Issues Apology for Past Afrobeats Remarks, Explains Shift

Published

1 year ago

July 16, 2025

Burna Boy apologises for past Afrobeats criticism, saying he now understands the need for unity among African artists under the Afrobeats umbrella genre

Nigerian superstar Burna Boy has publicly apologised for his previous remarks criticising Afrobeats and distancing himself from the genre.

Also read: Burna Boy Issues Cryptocurrency Warning over Fake Meme Coin

In 2023, the Grammy winner sparked backlash after claiming that Afrobeats lacked lyrical substance and asserting that he did not belong to the genre. However, in a recent BBC interview with Eddie Kadi, Burna Boy expressed regret over those comments.

He admitted that he did not realise the importance of the Afrobeats label as a unifying umbrella for African artists to thrive globally. “I didn’t realise we needed Afrobeats tag as an umbrella to go to anywhere. I totally get it now and I apologise for that confusion,” he said.

Burna Boy explained that he initially chose the term “Afrofusion” to describe his music because he felt his sound did not align with the Afrobeats category early in his career.

“I didn’t understand why people wanted my music to be inside one box,” he added. “The way I saw it, if you just put everything into Afrobeats, you’re now comparing Socrates to Kendrick Lamar because they both said two things that rhyme so they both must be rappers…”

He attributed his earlier stance to being in a “dark place mentally” at the time and now believes that unity among African musicians is essential to pushing the continent’s music forward.

Also read: Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid called out by VeryDarkMan over community neglect

This new perspective marks a turning point for the artist, as he embraces collaboration and solidarity in the African music industry.

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I Bleached My Skin to Get Movie Roles — Nollywood Actress Habibat Jinadu

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2026

Mariam Balogun

Nollywood actress Habibat Jinadu has revealed that she bleached her skin in order to secure movie roles, saying dark-skinned and slim actresses often struggled to get opportunities in the industry.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Yoruba, Jinadu explained that she felt compelled to change her appearance to advance her career.

“I bleached my skin because if you were dark-skinned, then you would not get a role. Also, if you were not chubby but slim, you would not get a role. So, I went ahead, bleached my skin and started expecting to get roles. And indeed, I started getting roles,” she said.

She added that the change in her complexion made it difficult for people to recognise her outside film sets.

“But people could not recognise me any longer. If I stepped out to buy something, people would go like, ‘You look familiar,’ ‘You look like an actress,’ and all sorts. I was not happy with it, but I kept on pushing,” she said.

Jinadu further disclosed that she began sustaining injuries and skin tears from minor bruises while working on movie sets. She eventually stopped bleaching her skin after becoming pregnant in 2023.

Her comments have reignited discussions about colourism and beauty standards in Nollywood.