The Nigerian afrobeats superstar was thrown under the bus after his recent comments about the roots of African-Americans.
Nigerian heavyweight singer, songwriter, and performer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has reacted to the criticism he received over his recent comment about the origin of black Americans.
The African giant, who recently headlined at the prolific NBA All-Star Halftime Show in Utah and has been announced as the headline performer for the forthcoming UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10, 2023, got on the bad side of some African Americans after his recent comment regarding the importance of them leaving the diaspora to go home.
In the said interview, Burna Boy was asked why he felt it was important for black Americans to go to Africa, and Burna Boy answered that it would help in knowing their identities properly and knowing how to operate.
The PH-born singer backed up his point with other races like the Chinese-American race and the Italian-American race, stating that the reason they don't have some of the issues the African-American race has in the US is because they know their origins and exactly what they represent.
"Why is it important that the diaspora come home?"
— ๐ฌ @๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ (@OneJoblessBoy) March 17, 2023
Burna Boy: pic.twitter.com/YUP5W5BYIG
The interview, which got the attention of other black Americans, including Tariq Nasheed, a social commentator who has once gone head-to-head with Nigerian acts like Ycee over a topic revolving around how African immigration was affecting black Americans in the United States, seemed to have offended the racial group as they took to social media to bash Burna Boy.
Saying this while rocking the same crisp hairline, the same locs that black men rock in Atlanta & other cities in the south and a black American beard style (with a line up) is PEAK hypocrisy. https://t.co/sWYNq6xB9f
— ๐๐๐ค๐ค ๐ง๐ฝโ๏ธ (@jessmcmxci) March 18, 2023
Q. How do you put dumb in a politically correct way?
— ๐KK๐ชถ (@MsKKester) March 18, 2023
A. STFU
We knew who we were b4 the docs came out proving it.
Report back to your respective countries since you know you got em ... leave us ๐๐ชถNegroes alone. https://t.co/9pyXjDNGPH
GATDAMN this shit is getting old... ๐ https://t.co/dC4PTW2BVw
— BigBucksNoWhammies ๐บ๐ฒโ๏ธ #BlackAmerican #B1 (@alan3920) March 18, 2023
Nigerians like Burna Boy are fleeing their own homeland at such a rate that they've taken to using the term "japa" to describe it, yet have the audacity to try and wag a cake soaped out finger at Foundational Black Americans about who we are & what we allegedly don't know? FOH https://t.co/PBh1v0J03H
— Tr1ll Texas (@TexasFBA4Ever) March 18, 2023
Taking to his Instagram on Sunday, March 19, 2023, Burna Boy clarified his initial comment, making it known that he didn't say African-Americans are not Americans or do not deserve what they want from America, but was merely saying they have Africa too, who loves them, and the only way to conquer the world is if black people all over the world unite. Part of the post read:
I never said you are African and not American. I also did not say Africa is part of Heaven. You deserve all the Land and reparations you want from America and I'm 100% in support of that…