Burna Boy took to Instagram yesterday to remind us that we, the Nigerian fans, apparently don’t matter much, at least not in the grand scheme of his global success.
In what felt like a TED Talk that no one asked for, the self-proclaimed African Giant wrote about the low spending power of Nigerians and implied, rather ignorantly, that local support is more or less insignificant to an artist’s rise to international acclaim.
In a post via his Instagram story, Burna Boy said musical success in Nigeria is not worth celebrating. He claimed that the monetary value of 1,000,000 streams in Nigeria is just $300\€400 while in the Western world, it is $3000\€4000.
“1000000 Nigerian streams = $300/$400, 1000000 Uk streams = £3000/£4000, 1000000 US streams = $3000/$4000, 1000000 euro streams = €3000/€4000
“Your song being number 1 on any streaming platform in Nigeria is not something to celebrate. Aim higher or do other businesses on the side. I type with love. #NoSignOfWeakness”.
“Dear artists, don’t be fooled by Twitter polls or Nigerian social media fans. They won’t fill a stadium for you anywhere in the world”.
And to that, I say: lol.
This is not just another case of an artiste biting the hand that fed him. This is the same artiste throwing the whole table away because the hand didn’t buy front-row tickets in foreign currency. And for Burna, it stings a little more — not because it’s new, but because it’s becoming a pattern.
Let’s not forget: Burna Boy didn’t sprout from the ground with a Grammy in hand and a Virgil-designed cape. He stood on the shoulders of giants. Real ones. The Fela-fuelled rhythms. The genre-bending grit of 2Baba. The hustler blueprint of D’banj. He didn’t arrive on the global stage out of nowhere; he was carried there — with the cheers, tweets, downloads, and Naira-powered hype from the Outsiders he now mocks for being broke.
Yes, the same Nigerians who turned him from “Like to Party” boy to international headliner. The same Nigerians he left waiting for hours at his concert in 2023 — like time is a luxury only he can afford. The same fans who probably couldn’t afford the ridiculous ticket prices but still found their way into many venues because “Na Burna dey perform.”
Let’s be clear: Nigerians may not be able to buy your designer merch or jet-set across continents for your shows, but they give you culture. And trust me, no amount of dollars or euros can buy that. That street anthem that gets picked up by TikTokers in Brazil? The viral slang you hear in London clubs? That swag that gives you an edge over your American peers?
That’s Nigerian.
That’s us.
That’s home.
What Burna Boy seems to have forgotten in his designer bubble is that clout travels, and it often takes off from the motherland. Nigerians aren’t just a market — we’re the blueprint. We’re the soft power, the cultural sauce, the heartbeat.
If we hadn’t shouted “Odogwu” with our full chest years ago, the world wouldn’t have whispered it today in their half-broken pidgin.
So yes, Burna Boy can say Nigerians don’t matter. But what matters is that we remember. That we know how far our applause has carried people, from local gigs in Port Harcourt to headlining Madison Square Garden.
He is not the first to blow, and he most certainly won’t be the last. History has made room for new giants, and the people will decide who wears the crown next.
And no matter what you think of our wallets, Burna, just know: relevance is still rented from us.
Rent is due soon.
