On many levels, Burna Boy exists in a unique space as an artist. He is undeniably talented as both a singer and songwriter, but he also has an admirable sense of humour. On several occasions, he has made people laugh so much that his words have turned into social media slang. Though he may arrive late to performances or make a scene on stage, he still manages to entertain his audience, whether through short clips shared by people around him, on live videos or in his hit songs that circulate widely on social networks. Here are some memorable moments:
Odogwu dey enter your eye? Close am
He was likely headed out for a stage performance or appearance when this moment occurred. Burna Boy was captured in a black-and-white cowboy outfit, with luxury jewellery glinting on his neck and teeth. When the camera panned to his face, he said to the person recording, “You’re seeing Odogwu, you’re spying on Odogwu. Odogwu dey your eye? Close am.” This phrase trended for several days after the video was released and became a popular tagline or caption.
You go explain, explain
Burna Boy rarely goes live on Instagram, but when he does, he often shares words that become popular on Twitter for days. During one live session, he said, “For this life, if you don’t make it, there’s no evidence that you tried your best. You go dey explain tire. You go explain explain because no evidence.” Burna Boy was humorously pointing out that no matter how hard you try if there are no results to show for it, you have nothing to present. He did this live in 2023, and even in 2024, it’s still trending. A song was titled those words and many artists, including Seyi Vibez, used the line in their songs.
Make men taste this cake na
This did not come out in the best of times, but it has trended and dubbed into multiple versions on social media. Burna Boy was a party where a cake was placed on the table. He wanted to have a taste of the cake, so he said, “Egede, make men taste this cake na.” Social media bangers have dubbed the phrase into different versions.
Na wa o! Make men taste trophy na 😭
— NASIRU (@iamnasboi) January 12, 2025
God, make men taste this financial stability nah😭🙏🧎♂️ pic.twitter.com/Zrgh0WZbNX
— FeRaN🍆🍁 (@fabulous_feran) January 10, 2025
City Boys
“City Boys” is an addictive song off Burna Boy’s latest studio album, “I Told Them.” The song instantly became a hit when the album was released because before then, Burna Boy had released a snippet of “City Boys” in which he and his crew wore Timberland boots, stomping the ground at the sound bit of “O ye ke (yeah), da mo!” Everyone anticipated the song because they couldn’t wait to use it as the sound in their videos.
Last Last
“Last Last” is meant to be a heartbreak song, but social media being social media, it morphed into a celebratory song, which worked quite well for Burna Boy. The song brought about major slang words like “E don cast” and “Na everybody go chop breakfast.” Like “City Boys,” Burna Boy teased Last Last’s snippet on a live video and that built up the anticipation for the song.
To me, Burna Boy is a musician and also a cultural phenomenon. He serves us unforgettable hit songs and also has a kanck for giving us meme-worthy moments or phrases.
