If Burna Boy’s 2020 Grammy Awards exploits were so far one of the key highlights of the year (even though he did not win the gong), then this lad is not slowing down any time soon. He did receive a nomination for the ‘Best International Male Solo Artist‘ category at the Brit Awards. The Brit Awards, the fortieth edition, will hold tonight 18th February 2020 at the 02 Arena in London. By the end of the night, Burna Boy could have won a Brit Award in the same Calendar year he was nominated for the Grammys, making him arguably the first artiste in Africa to achieve such a feat. The Brit Awards (sometimes referred to as the British version of the Grammy Awards), is one of the biggest honors that can be awarded to any musician. Is this nomination not indicative that Burna Boy is arguably the biggest Afrobeats music star in today’s industry?

Burna Boy is slowly and gradually attaining legendary status without forcing it. While most of his contemporaries are scheming antics to become trending news on twitter, Burna’s works are paving the way for his rise. Brick by brick, he has built a reputation for himself doing things in his way own way without selling out or watering down his brand. In an industry where most entertainers have struggled consistently to release hit singles that resonate locally and globally, but Burna has countless smash hits all over the music charts. If we consider the fact that some top-rated musicians do not have an acclaimed music album, while Burna has released more continental sold-out albums, there’s no one to dispute the reason why he’s one of the best in Africa as of now. From the year 2012 to date, he has churned out more award-winning hit records than most of his peers. But how did Burna Boy moved from that artiste that once locked horns with MTV Base for not being nominated for the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards to now being on the verge of winning the Brit Awards in the same year he was nominated for the Grammy Awards – the two of the biggest music awards in the world?

There are just so many angles to Burna Boy that makes him an extraordinary artist. All across the international music corridors, pundits and fans alike will agree to the fact that Burna leads in the list of the most outstanding artists of the last era to date. If we judge by the number of hit songs he published in the last twelve months, he’s the undisputed “African Giant”. Ironically, that stands as the title of his most recent album that got him the Grammy and the Brit Awards nominations – the body of work jointly released in Nigeria as well as in the international music market. With all due respect to all the legends that came before him, you are all superstars: that said, Burna being nominated for the Grammy and the Brit Awards happening in the same year is one of the greatest achievements by any artiste in the history of the Nigerian music industry. Winning those honors or not, he has already achieved the impossible. Burna Boy is now arguably the most distinguished global megastar from Nigeria – the first in the Afro-pop-music era.

Words By Sesan Adeniji – Follow on Instagram & Twitter – @sesanadeniji