Over the weekend, Grammy Award winning, singer, song writer, performer and entrepreneur Burna Boy thrilled Kenyans at the Madfun Xperience at Uhuru Gardens.
The famed African Giant as his moniker goes, hit the stage much to the exhilaration of the thousands of fans who had turned up, at 10.45pm and serenaded them until 12.30am, leaving them not just thrilled but also wanting more.
The show not only reinforced Burna Boy’s status as the ‘African Giant’ but also mended the broken relationship between the “Last Last” singer and Kenyans.
Burna Boy has consistently left a bad taste in the mouths of Kenyans almost every single time he has been here. All the way back from when he first came for the Coke Studio Africa recording in 2014 and took journalists in circles for interviews, and whenever he showed up, he always brought with him a giant sack of salted attitude.
But, perhaps, the most prominent Burna memory etched in the minds of most Kenyans was when he was booked to perform at the then-popping Privee nightclub in Westlands, Nairobi, on April 1, 2017. Revellers who had thronged the venue from as early as 7pm were forced to wait for hours as Burna Boy only hit the stage some minutes to 4am, gave a sub-par performance while visibly drunk and went on his merry way. The following day, Kenyans on Twitter (or X, as it is known now) were seething with rage, with the event attendees blasting the singer for wasting their time and money.
As the negative comments were coming in, Burna Boy also logged into his Twitter and did the most Burna Boy thing ever; he blocked every single Kenyan that made a comment he did not like.
When a Nakuru-based radio host said he would no longer play his songs on his show, Burna Boy told him off saying he was very capable of buying the entire radio station and turning it into a darn ashtray.
Then he called Kenyans “peasants” and said if he was ever booked here again, he would conduct IQ tests at the entrance because he did not want dumb Kenyans in his shows. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and injured Burna Boy’s reputation in the eyes of Kenyans.
While performing at The Madfun Xperience, Burna brought out the multi talented Kenyan boy group Sauti Sol, to perform their joint effort ‘Time Flies’. The song is lifted off the former’s fifth studio album ‘Twice as Tall’.
The other detail that has got many revelers talking online and heaping praise on was the top notch general security (characterized by police officers and private security guards every step of the way) at the venue (Uhuru Gardens) and the proper coordination of ticketing. The tickets were checked at least four times before any one could access the actual location.
Prior Burna Boy hitting the stage, DJ Rude Boy held it down on the decks, ensuring the vibes were just right, and later a set by Mista C. There was also performances by Bensoul, then Charisma. Finaly, the long awaited moment; the ‘Tested, Approved and Trusted’ singer made a noteworthy entrance, opening with his 2019 feature with UK rapper Dave, ‘Location,’ setting off a wave of energy that rippled through the crowd. Among the other tracks performed was his Ed Sheeran collaboration, ‘For My Hand’ that took the lovers in the audience on an emotional rollercoaster.
Burna Boy has over the years mastered the art of keeping the crowd on its toes. Amidst his performance set, he took a nostalgic trip back with ‘Yawa Dey,’ a 2013 smash hit that catapulted him to continental fame, setting the tone for an old-school session.
At 10:22pm, Sauti Sol joined Burna Boy a performance of their song ‘Time Flies,’ and the crowd erupted. It was indeed a true moment of musical unity, bridging Afrobeats and Afro-pop in a seamless blend of sound. They had previously collaborated on hit single “Afrikan Star” in 2019.
Burna’s Kenyan performance has come a few days after the internet was awash with reports of a Nigerian socialite putting him on the spot for allegedly promising to buy her a Lamborghini, and then not living up to his promise.
Burna closed the show with his mega-hit ‘Last Last’, marking the show as a noteworthy one. The “Update” singer is warming up to release his is eighth studio album ‘No Sign of Weakness‘ some time this year. Do look out for it.
Related: Burna Boy Furthers Buzz Around His New Album with these new Updates
