Burna Boy was only six years old when Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti passed away, but that was enough time for the future musician to be inspired.
"Everyone's got their hero," the 28-year-old Nigerian performer said. "For me, that's my hero."
Kuti — the Nigerian musical icon and political agitator whose life and legacy was portrayed in the wildly popular Broadway musical "Fela!" — was once managed by Burna Boy's grandfather, someone else he calls a hero.
Recording artist Burna Boy poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Andy KropaInvisionAP)
With a direct line to African musical royalty, it might seem serendipitous that Burna Boy was hand-picked to participate in the soundtrack for one of 2019's most anticipated films, a story which follows the journey of a family — regal in their own right — that happened to be set in his home continent: "The Lion King."
But despite Beyoncé curating the album and the worldwide attention the film garnered, Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, isn't feeling the pressure.
"Pressure is a man that is wondering how he's going to feed his five kids today," he said. "And I wasn't feeling that."
Recording artist Burna Boy poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Andy KropaInvisionAP)
His song appears on "The Lion King: The Gift," which was inspired by the film and features several Beyoncé songs (the pop star voices the character Nala in the movie.) It's possible that many Americans hadn't heard of Burna Boy before his appearance on the soundtrack with his song "Ja Ara E," a Nigerian slang phrase that means to "wise up" or "use your head" — generally cautioning someone to avoid peer pressure. Queen Bey flew him to Los Angeles to record the song, although he admitted he didn't really have any interactions with her.
"It's 'Lion King' — it's something that we've all grown up with and something that I was very happy to do," he said.
But outside of the U.S., Burna Boy has been a very familiar face around the globe and on global music charts. July was a big month for the performer: A week after the Beyoncé album was released, he dropped his fourth album, "African Giant."
Recording artist Burna Boy poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Andy KropaInvisionAP)
Claiming to have coined the term "Afro-Fusion," a genre that stitches together Caribbean influences, R&B and pop all threaded by Afrobeat, only a man with his confidence would give his album such a gargantuan title. But while he tapped popular figures such as Future, Jeremih and YG for his latest project, he's not setting out to chase western fame.
"One thing about America is Americans are real people. So it's like if they see that you're real, this is real, then they're gonna relate to it," he said.
More American eyes were centered on Burna Boy in June at the BET Awards, where he was named best international artist. His mother, who steers most of his career, provided one of the signature moments of the show when she appeared onstage to accept his award.
"The message from Burna, I believe, would be that every black person should please remember that you were Africans before you became anything else," said Bose Ogulu, who received a standing ovation from the audience.
Her words are also the last you hear on his album.
"I was getting a drink," Burna Boy said, explaining why he didn't go onstage to accept the honor. "She probably did a better job (than I would have)."
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TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.
“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.
“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.
The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.
Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”
Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.
Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.
The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.
The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.
In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
