Burna Boy, the Nigerian Afrobeats star is being criticized by reggae fans after a scene at Germany’s Reggae Summer Jam Festival. This started when David “Electric” Hinds, frontman and guitarist of Grammy-winning reggae band Steel Pulse exposed through his Instagram that Burna Boy and his entourage tried to forcefully remove Steel Pulse from their dressing room.
Hinds wrote that Burna Boy arrived with a large crowd at the festival and insisted on additional dressing rooms so that he could dislocate Steel Pulse to occupy them. On social media, Hinds expressed his annoyance thus: “Burna Boy as well as his security team really disrespected us by attempting to kick us out of our dressing room for his huge entourage.”
This made Selwyn Brown who is one of the original members of Steel Pulse very angry and our team stood its ground telling them to leave. Such behavior cannot be directed towards any person let alone a group that has pioneered reggae music.”
Hinds further accuses the organizers’ security personnel of bullying too. The way it was described was that the security team constructed a blacked-out chain link fence in the corridor so as to bar off Steel Pulse’s dressing room from Burna Boys’ such that it felt like prison.
He also condemned Burna Boy’s behavior, stating that it did not align with the ethos of reggae, which promotes peace, love, and unity. Hinds urged legendary reggae festivals to recognize and address such disrespect, emphasizing that reggae culture does not tolerate such actions.
Reggae fans expressed their outrage on social media, criticizing Burna Boy for disrespecting a foundational reggae group like Steel Pulse. They argued that his behavior disrespected the entire genre and culture of reggae. Many fans pointed out that while Burna Boy may be a significant figure in Afrobeats, he should show respect to reggae legends like Steel Pulse.
One fan, Zackie Messenjah, commented, “Burna Boy needs to know and respect his place in society. Steel Pulse are legends; Burna is just starting out. Go sit in the corner and listen to reggae royalty.”
The incident has sparked a wider discussion about respecting cultural boundaries and honoring the contributions of pioneering artists in different genres.
Fans Reactions:
Wat is he looking for there?, This is a misguided lad!
I used to sit in the Birmingham, England studio of Steel Pulse in the early 90’s. They would take breaks and share their ‘dumpling, peas and rice’ with us. David Hinds and Steel Pulse are legendary! Burna Boy is a brilliant talent! If the incident is true, then at its worst, we chalk it up as gross immaturity. No tribal anything, no fighting, no ‘us vs. them’ just an insult, which can be forgiven in earnest. West Indians and Nigerians remain our beautiful and gifted cousins in the wider African family!
Make una no vex,the boy smokes igbo too much and it thus affects his brains.
Respect is the culture ????
Burna owes them an official one. Omo this our generation self na wah ????Two wrongs can never make a right. The blame entirely belongs to the event organisers not Burna. Without any disrespect to Reggae genre Burna+Afrobeats=Highly respected. Make no mistakes about that
