Burna Boy: ‘I had to choose between greatness and death

 

Grammy Award winner, Burna Boy has shared what has served as his primary motivation towards becoming one of the greatest creatives to emerge from Africa.

On Sunday, March 14, Nigerian recording artiste, Burna Boy whose real name Damini Ogulu became a Grammy winner.

According to the 29-year-old Nigerian recording artiste, he had to choose between greatness and death. In his interview with GQ Magazine, Burna Boy revealed that he had two choices; either to become great or end up in the grave, he chose the former.

He said;

“Following several collaborations with foreign artistes of African heritage, I just made up my mind that I wanted it all.

I wanted to be the greatest.

That’s when it hit me really hard that I had to do it.

It was that or death.”

The self-acclaimed African Giant also stated that winning a Grammy award broke the mental cycle of people who felt that certain things were unachievable.

He added;

“I was not celebrating because of myself.

It was almost as if I had broken a mental cycle of our people.

Our people had been very mentally oppressed to feel like they could not do certain things, and that certain things were unreachable.”

The singer also noted that he felt he had to think for a whole generation.

He said;

“Every day, I realize more that things are bigger than me.

I have to think for a lot of people – basically a whole generation – before I think of myself.”

Burna Boy hit the music scene in 2012, after releasing his debut album L.I.F.E.