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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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A $8 billion defense package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend will “strengthen the deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain,” Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te said Tuesday, in a reference to key rival China.
The funding will also “help ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and also boost confidence in the region” Lai, currently Taiwan’s vice president, told visiting Michigan Representatives Lisa McClain, a Republican, and Democrat Dan Kildee at a meeting at the Presidential Office Building in the capital Taipei.
In the face of “authoritarian expansionism,” Taiwan is “determined to safeguard democracy and also safeguard our homeland, Lai said.”
Also known as William Lai, U.S.-educated former medical researcher is despised by Beijing for his opposition to political unification with the mainland. In recent elections, the pro-unification Nationalists won a narrow majority in the legislature, but their influence on foreign policy and other national issues remains limited.
The Senate will vote Tuesday on $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The package covers a wide range of parts and services aimed at maintaining and and upgrading Taiwan's military hardware. Separately, Taiwan has signed billions in contracts with the U.S. for latest-generation F-16V fighter jets, M1 Abrams main battle tanks and the HIMARS rocket system, which the U.S. has also supplied to Ukraine.
Taiwan has also been expanding its own defense industry, building submarines and trainer jets. Next month it plans to commission its third and fourth domestically designed and built stealth corvettes to counter the Chinese navy. as part of a strategy of asymmetrical warfare in which a smaller force counters its larger opponent by using cutting edge or nonconventional tactics and weaponry.
Lai, of the pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won the January election handily and takes over next month from President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has sought to isolate for the past eight years.
China is determined to annex the island, which it considers its own territory, by force if necessary and has been advertising that threat with daily incursions into waters and air space around Taiwan by navy ships and warplanes. It has also sought to pick away Taiwan's few remaining formal diplomatic partners.
While Washington and Taipei have no formal diplomatic ties in deference to Beijing, McClain emphasized the need for the entire world to observe the strength of the relationship.
“Peace is our goal. But to do that, we have to have relationships and we value your relationship. Not only militarily, but economically,” she said.
Kildee said the timing of the visit was especially significant given the recent passage of the funding bill to “provide very important support to insure security in this region.”
"It’s important for the people of Taiwan, it’s important for the people in the United States, it’s important for the entire world,” Kildee said.
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, from left Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, U.S. Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee, Lisa McClain, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives meets with Taiwan President-elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. McClain and Kildee jointly led a cross-party group of lawmakers to visit Taiwan from April 23 to 25 . Members also include Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Mark Alford, center left, a member of the House Armed Services Committee shakes hands with Taiwan President-elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Lisa McClain, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee jointly led a cross-party group of lawmakers to visit Taiwan from April 23 to 25 . Members also include Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, U.S. Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee, left, meets with Taiwan President-elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Kildee and Lisa McClain, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives jointly led a cross-party group of lawmakers to visit Taiwan from April 23 to 25 . Members also include Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Lisa McClain, left, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives meets with Taiwan President-elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. McClain and Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee jointly led a cross-party group of lawmakers to visit Taiwan from April 23 to 25 . Members also include Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Lisa McClain, left, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives meets with Taiwan President-elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. McClain and Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee jointly led a cross-party group of lawmakers to visit Taiwan from April 23 to 25 . Members also include Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
