I never used to like Burna Boy. I hitherto saw him as a vainglorious artiste and gloated whenever he was being dragged on Twitter. Inadvertently, I transferred my bias to his music and never saw his songs as beautiful no matter how high anyone rated him.
I still do see him as a proud artiste though I decided to purge my mind of any sentiment and listen to his sounds with both open ears and an open mind. It was only then that I realised how much of a talent Burna Boy is. The particular music that got me gaping is one of his latest —Wonderful.
The video of that song is everything aesthetic. The sound, rhythm and lyrics, made me, for a second, think of rendering an apology to the music icon for underestimating his prowess. To think that it took me so long to recognise talent after letting bias and personal opinion becloud my vision is quite inexcusable, I’d say.
From the days of his debut single, ‘Like to Party’ to this present moment of his latest album, ‘Twice as Tall‘, Burna Boy has continued to prove that he is an embodiment of talent in the music sphere. His ability to blend sounds to create Afro-fusion, Reggae and Dancehall is very much laudable. Reminiscing about his story, I am inclined to say that it lends credence to the Bible verse which says “…the rejected stone has become the cornerstone.” For there was a time when the Nigerian music industry had little or no regard for Burna Boy but now, we all know things are no longer the same.
Those days when he was nominated yet didn’t win the Next Rated Category under Headies award; those days when Burna Boy wasn’t a sensation yet he knew and recognised his worth and stood by it. Little wonder I saw him as being arrogant whereas he was and still is aware of himself, his exploits and every strength and flaw that make up Burna Boy.
Like every celebrity, Burna Boy has been through the phase of obscurity and inappreciation to his current phase of global acclaim. And truth be told, the young man is worth it. If you doubt me, listen to every track in his latest album; filter the sounds and digest every melody. If you don’t hear how much of a musical talent he is, then I’m afraid something could be blocking your ears for he is indeed the African Giant of music who is Twice As Tall.
