I Wanted to be American When I Was Young — Burna Boy

Grammy winning Nigerian Afro-fusion singer, Burna Boy has said that he wanted to be American when he was young because of the racial discrimination against Africans.

He made this disclosure during an interview with Reuters while recounting how he was bullied at school in London because of his origin.

“I didn’t even want to be African when I was little. I wanted to be an American… anything but who I was, because who we are wasn’t really the cool thing to be. Back in the days when l was schooling in London, you see people trying to bully Africans,” he said.

The singer also reflected on his recent Grammy win and the evolution of African music saying that Africans have become a force in the world.

He added: “It’s a big moment and a big time for African music and Africans in general. You can’t mention the top five musicians in the world without throwing me or an African in there. Now we’re eye to eye with the people we used to look up to.

“At the end of the day, the truth never needs validation. And the truth is that we, Africans are the root, beginning and the seed.”