Do we like Burna Boy?
Our score: 5 out of 10. A big talent with real good in his corner, but a run of temper stoushes and a thin record on the issues we care about keep him in the middle.
Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu, is the Nigerian star who made Afro-fusion a global thing. His grandfather managed Fela Kuti, and Fela's mix of music and politics runs through his best work. His 2021 Grammy for Best Global Music Album, for Twice As Tall, put him on the world stage.
The big recent stoush is the Lagos one. Reports say he and DJ Tunez came to blows at a party in April 2026, with videos showing a crowd throwing punches. The article alleges Burna Boy attacked the DJ from behind, though the trigger is unconfirmed: some say Tunez played Wizkid instead of his music. That report carried no response from him at the time, and Wizkid publicly condemned it.
Then there's Denver in November 2025. Mid-set on his US tour, he stopped to deal with a front-row fan who appeared to be dozing and had security remove her and her partner. The woman said she was grieving, and even Eminem reacted online. Reports describe Burna Boy as unapologetic, so no, not a good look.
On the harm test, we found nothing nasty. No anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, no attacks on women, no climate or vaccine conspiracy rubbish in what we read, and no Trump-style grievance. His 2019 row was over xenophobia in South Africa: he told black foreigners there to protect themselves and said he wouldn't return. That cost him a spot at an anti-xenophobia concert. To be fair, that's honestly all the record we could find on those topics.
There's a copyright suit too. In April 2025 Haitian musician Fabrice Rouzier sued Burna Boy and singer Joe Gilles in a New York federal court. The suit alleges the song 4 Kampe II copied his 2002 track Je Vais. It's only an allegation, with no ruling in what we read, and no response from Burna Boy was reported.
The good stuff is real. He joined the #EndSARS campaign against police brutality in Nigeria in 2020. Nigerian outlets report relief items and cash for Cheshire Home residents in Port Harcourt in 2025 through his foundation.