Burna Boy Passes ‘African Giant’ Title to Falz After Opting Out of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Protests

Nigerian singer Damini Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy, has passed on his title of “African Giant” to his colleague Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz the Bahd Guy.

Burna Boy made this announcement on X.com on Thursday, explaining his silence regarding the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. He stated that his fighting spirit had faded since the 2020 ENDSARS protests, when some protesters called for a boycott of his music.

“The fight in me died on this day. Ogun go doggy, anybody wey call my name this time around,” Burna Boy wrote, referring to an old video from October 2020 where protesters chanted, “Don’t play Burna o, we don’t want Burna.”

His post drew reactions from users on X, who criticized him for not speaking out during the current protests. One user, tweeting as #boymanager0, commented, “Oga, shut up. Because they did you bad doesn’t mean you should give up. U taught us to keep fighting in your songs, but u dey here dey cap nonsense.”

Burna Boy responded, “I taught you to keep fighting your oppressors, but you chose to fight me.”

Another user, #Xperience_Snr, explained that Burna Boy’s quietness during critical times had disappointed many Nigerians. Some also questioned his claim to the title “African Giant.”

In response to the criticisms, Burna Boy stated, “I don hand am over to Falz bros,” effectively passing the title to Falz.