Burna boy and Wizkid has both won the Grammys awards at the 63rd Grammy Awards. The Afrobeats stars both clinched an award on Sunday at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Burna Boy won the best global music album category; while Wizkid won the best music video for his song with Beyoncé, ‘Brown Skin Girl,’ from Lion King – The Gift album.
Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy was also a winner in the song.
The best music video award is given to the artist, video director and video producer.
Burna Boy was nominated last year but could not place his hands on the award. He lost out to his South African counterpart, Angelique Kidjo
The 63rd Grammy Awards was held in Los Angeles. Traditionally billed as “Music’s biggest night”. This year’s ceremony was different because of the coronavirus pandemic.
There was no audience, and performers have been separated onto five stages, arranged in a circle inside the Los Angeles Convention Center; to maintain social distancing.
Burna Boy, 29, beat four others including the Malian band, Tinariwen, with his ‘Twice As Tall’ album. Grammy’s nomination described Twice As Tall as “a masterclass in the vibe and hustle that have made Burna Boy an international musical force”.
The album features a wide range of international artists such as Stormzy, Youssou Ndour, Naughty By Nature, and Chris Martin of Coldplay, and had Sean Combs as executive producer.
The video which saw Wizkid win was described as “a feast for the fashion-forward and a celebration of Black and brown female beauty every way”.
Born in Nigeria’s Port Harcourt, Burna Boy released his first album, LIFE, an acronym for Leaving an Impact For Eternity, in 2013.
That album was followed by the release of Redemption in 2015 and Outside in 2018 that included the international hit track. But it was with his 2019 African Giant album that Burna Boy really hit the international scene and earned his first Grammy nomination.
Often compared to Nigerian superstar Fela Ransome-Kuti, whose songs Burna has sampled generously, he has become increasingly vocal about social causes in Africa.
At the height of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2019, he threatened to never set foot in the country again unless the government took action, although he has since performed in the country.
He was also closely involved in the #EndSARS anti-police brutality protests in Nigeria, last year, where he did set up a fund for victims; released a song in memory of those killed on 20 October 2020 at the Lekki toll Gate in Lagos.
He also recently tweeted his support for protesters in Senegal who took to the streets after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
Ifesinachi Nnabugwu reporting, Obinwannem News
