Joe Budden declared Burna Boy the ‘biggest artist in the world’ during a recent episode of his the Joe Budden Podcast. While discussing Byron Messia’s hit single “Talibans,” Budden’s co-host, Ice pointed out that the song was going to be featured on Burna Boy’s upcoming album “I Told Them… “
Budden was exasperated by the news and expressed his disapproval with the ongoing trend of artists giving their hit records to the more perceived superior artist, “I’m never a fan of people doing that,” he stated. Co-host Ish joined in, saying “giving away the heat,” to which Budden responded, “to the biggest artist in the world.”
“I think if you made the heat go work it. If Burna Boy is on it that should be yours now,” he added. Check out the clip below.
Originally released by Byron Messia in January, “Talibans” gained immense popularity and caught the attention of Nigerian superstar Burna Boy, who contributed to the remix called “Talibans II.” The updated version featuring Burna Boy’s vocals debuted at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Byron’s first charting single on the Hot 100.
According to Billboard, the remix, released July 21 through Ztekk/Simple Stupid Records/Geffen Records/On A Spaceship/Bad Habit/Atlantic Recording Corporation, earned millions of radio airplay audience impressions, streams, and downloads. Burna Boy’s seventh studio album, “I Told Them…,” is set to release this Friday (August 25) and will feature collaborations with J. Cole and 21 Savage, including “Talibans II” with Byron Messia as a bonus track.
Meanwhile, Burna Boy recently stirred controversy by claiming that Afrobeats lacks substance due to the artists’ lack of life experience. He explained in an interview with Zane Lowe that most Nigerian and African music is themed around artists reating an amazing time rather than meaningful content.
“Half of them … 90% of them, have almost no real-life experiences that they can understand,” he explained in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.
“That’s why you hear most Nigerian music, African Music, or Afrobeats, as people call it, is mostly about nothing, literally nothing. There is no substance to it, like nobody is talking about anything. It’s just a great time, an amazing time. But at the end of the day, life isn’t an amazing time,” he stated.
The self-proclaimed “African Giant” believes “Music should be the essence of the artist,” and their music “should be a window for you to see some of that essence.”
Check out the interview below.
