“I apologise for the misunderstanding” – Burna Boy opens up on Afrobeats debate

Afrobeats star Burna Boy has addressed the long-standing controversy around his earlier statement where he said he doesn’t do “Afrobeats.”

In a recent podcast interview, the singer finally broke down what he truly meant — and no, it wasn’t a diss to the genre.

Burna explained that from the very start of his career in Nigeria, he always referred to his sound as Afrofusion, not as a way of distancing himself from Afrobeats, but because his music didn’t exactly fit the box many were trying to put him in.

“When I came back home and started making music, I called it Afrofusion. Why? Because what I was creating was different. There was no proper space for it at the time. I had to create my own lane,” he said.

He explained that over time, his genre gave room to others who also didn’t fit into the mainstream to rise — what eventually birthed things like the “alté movement.”

But then, things got tense when people began boxing all African music under Afrobeats, and Burna, feeling misunderstood, pushed back.

“It was like they were forcing it. Like, why must everything I do be tagged as Afrobeats? I’ve always said it’s Afrofusion. So when I said I don’t do Afrobeats, it was because I felt like they were ignoring the unique sound I was creating.”

To explain how he felt, Burna gave a strong analogy:

“It’s like calling both Kendrick Lamar and Socrates the same thing just because they rhyme. One is a rapper, one is a philosopher. They are both speaking, but it’s not the same thing.”

However, with time and reflection, the Burna admitted he’s come to understand the bigger picture — and why the Afrobeats tag matters for global recognition.

“I didn’t understand that for us to get anywhere, we needed that umbrella. Like how Hip Hop had to first be accepted as Hip Hop before trap and other sub-genres emerged.”

Burna ended the interview by acknowledging how his previous comments might have caused confusion and division.

“I get it now. And I apologise for the misunderstanding. We need to stick together. The tag matters more than I realized.”

Watch video below…