How Burna Boy Gets Credit for Our Achievement—Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti on Misattribution of Achievements to Burna Boy
Grammy-nominated Afrobeats artist Seun Kuti has voiced his frustration over the misattribution of records within the music industry. He highlighted that Burna Boy was incorrectly credited as the first Nigerian artist to perform at Coachella in 2020, whereas Kuti himself had performed at the festival in 2012.
Kuti also pointed out that his brother, Femi Kuti, had received multiple Grammy nominations long before Burna Boy’s nomination for Best World Music Album. Additionally, Kuti’s own album, “Black Times,” was nominated for Best World Music Album, yet it was overlooked by African award organizers.
Despite his recent Grammy nomination for his contribution to Janelle Monae’s “Age of Pleasure,” Kuti noted that his name was omitted from mentions of Nigerian artists nominated for the 66th Grammys. He criticized the Nigerian media for consistently ignoring his achievements, stating, “My brother [Femi Kuti] has been nominated at the Grammys multiple times. I was also nominated in the last edition. It was only my name that the [Nigerian media] didn’t mention among the Nigerian artists nominated for the 66th Grammys. They act as if I’m from Togo.”
Kuti lamented the ongoing disregard for his accomplishments, saying, “They claimed Burna Boy was the first Nigerian artist to perform at Coachella in 2020, even though I performed there in 2012, as if I’m from Togo.”
