Veteran actor Patrick Doyle has slammed singer Burna Boy, calling him obnoxious for disrespecting his musical predecessors.
In his Facebook post, he said that the singer is undeserving of all the attention he receives, noting that he hasn’t done anything on his own. He stressed that Burna Boy and all the other Nigerian artistes are riding on the roads paved by their predecessors, and have achieved nothing alone.
He bluntly said, “The credit for the feats that appear to be puffing the likes of Burna Boy up have to be properly ascribed to the greats who cleared the thorny paths that have created pathways for his likes to walk through practically effortlessly.”
Naming the legendary musicians of times past like Fela Anikulapo, Majek Fashek, and King Sunny Ade among other greats, he emphasised that Burna Boy and other musicians of today have to respect their music heroes. Patrick also warned them to be humble and reminded them that greatness is not a one-man feat. The actor insisted that people stop giving the singer too much credit, to avoid creating an ‘Arrogant and obnoxious monster’.
In his words, “Burna Boy has not by himself done anything that can be remotely described as great. He and his peers are recipients of the labours of heroes past. They need to be humble and respectful of their diligent and truly pioneering predecessors. Great artistes like SunnyAde, Fela Anikulapo, Majek Fashek, I, k. Dairo and a galaxy of others who paved the way from the 60s, to the 2000s. Greatness and great feats don’t exist in a vacuum. Let us not contribute to the creation of an arrogant and obnoxious monster.”
Patrick posted this after Burna Boy publicly asserted that the Afrobeats music genre ‘has no substance’. He made this assertion during a conversation with Apple Music Zane Lowe, stating that the genre is simply about giving a good time but in his opinion should have more to it.
