Jude Okoye, a music executive of high repute, has crowned the Grammy-award-winning artist Burna Boy, otherwise known as Damini Ogulu, the richest musician in Nigeria. He happens to be a brother to the defunct P-Square group, Paul and Peter Okoye. The singer made this known in an Instagram Live chat with popular radio personality Daddy Freeze, while saying none of his counterparts in the Nigerian music industry have raked in as much money as Burna Boy. He projected Burna Boy’s intake within the last four years to be around $100 million.
Okoye went further to say that the Afrobeats crooner single-handedly pulled in between $70 to $80 million last year when asked if Burna Boy’s intake was more than that of Canadian rapper Drake. According to him, Burna Boy was the one making huge money; he must have made at least $80 to $100 million in the past four years. He asked people not to listen to whatever other people were saying but to know a fact, which was that Burna Boy is the richest. He further stressed that even if Burna Boy did not make so much money in 2023 alone.
Barack Obama’s annual music playlist features Burna Boy.
Former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, shared his Summer Playlist yet again in 2023, and Nigerian performers make the list again. Burna Boy, popularly known as the African Giant and Grammy Award-winner, made it for a third time as Ayra Starr of Mavin Records has been picked for her second time. On July 20, 2023, Obama tweeted that this summer’s playlist comes with 41 tracks. The year’s playlist includes two songs from Nigerian artists: “Sittin’ on Top of the World” by Burna Boy, featuring British singer 21 Savage, and “Sability” by Ayra Starr.
“As I do every year, here are some of the songs I’ve been listening to this summer–from old to new, a mix. Looking forward to hearing what I might have missed” Obama’s tweet read. In 2022, former President Obama’s Summer Playlist featured four leading Nigerian artists: Tems, Burna Boy, Buju, and Pheelz. Previously, in 2019, Burna Boy’s “Anybody” and Rema’s “Iron Man” were included in Obama’s summer playlist and favorite music list. The following year, Burna Boy’s track “My Money, My Baby” appeared on former First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2020 Workout Playlist, making him the only Nigerian artist featured.
Football academy established in the country by the singer.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian singer has announced the opening of a football academy in Nigeria called “Burna Boy Football Academy.” This academy is fully equipped with training facilities domiciled in three major cities: Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Lagos. The academy is open to all young footballers to enroll in its programs, ranging from the junior boys’ program, catering to boys aged 4-15 years, to the senior boys’ program for those aged 16-21 years. This might just become a place for players to improve in discipline and education, coupled with playing football. Its goal is to provide a setting where children can learn football fundamentals while also benefiting from education, discipline, and technique, preparing them for success both on and off the field.
The academy has a strong belief in the involvement of parents in their sports education in cooperation with their academic achievements, feeling that only such an overall approach can help their children succeed in the future. The academy is affiliated with a number of top football clubs such as Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Championship club Watford, and Scottish league teams Hearts and Hamilton. Burna Boy is also set to tour the four locations of the academy from September 1, 2024, where he will engage in a one-on-one with parents of the students who are going to enroll in his academy.
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Damini rose to prominence with a unique blend of Afrobeat, Dancehall, and Reggae. It all started with his debut single in 2012, titled “Like to Party,” and a wildly received album in 2013 called L.I.F.E. It continually grew through releases “Soke” and “Gbona,” which came to the limelight with international recognition in 2018. His album African Giant brought home the prized Grammy award in 2019, and a year later, he made the win for Best Global Music Album with Twice as Tall. His innovative sound matched with successful collaborations has made him a global music sensation/star.
