Kelvin Bowoto
Burna Boy made his Grammy Awards debut, with his representatives noting in a news statement published prior to the ceremony that he is the first Afro-fusion musician to do so.
Though, Burna is most commonly associated with the widely known genre of Afrobeats, which is often a fusion of genres like highlife, hip-hop, R&B, and others, he has long sought to distinguish himself by referring to his own music as Afro-fusion. Other artists, such as Ghanaian vocalist Amaarae, have also identified their music as Afro-fusion.
Trevor Noah, the night’s South African host, made a joke before fellow African Burna Boy hit the stage.
“You know, people say Afrobeats is new, but growing up in South Africa, I used to get Afrobeats for my mom every time I came home after curfew,” he joked before greeting Nigeria’s Grammy-winning phenomenon.
- ATTENTION: Techrectory gives ₦5,000 monthly to our top readers, CLICK HERE to become a winner.
Burna Boy’s performance featured dynamic dancers and a supporting band decked out in green, paying homage to Nigeria’s flag. Burna, dressed in a red rhinestone-adorned quilted jacket, transitioned to the more modern tune “City Boys” before stunning the audience with “Sittin’ On Top of the World” and introducing Brandi, whose 1998 hit “Top of the World” with Ma$e is sampled in the song.
The singer, who hadn’t performed since the 1990s, delivered silky vocals in a black trench coat and enormous clear glasses, along with stunning scarlet boots, indicating that she and Burna are truly on top of the world.
21 Savage, who appeared on Burna Boy’s remix of “Sittin’ On Top of the World,” performed his verse while dressed entirely in red. The onstage duet marks 21 Savage’s first Grammy appearance. With matching gray slacks and a snapback, he was all grins and swagger as he brought his culture to the Grammy stage.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
