Burna Boy reported that American rapper J. Cole had told him, during a studio session, that he’s on the same level as Tupac Shakur. This statement was made during his appearance on Rap Radar Podcast hosted by Elliott Wilson.
No one could talk about music in 2023 without mentioning Afrobeats, a Nigerian musical genre. Likewise, it’s impossible to talk about this musical genre without thinking of Burna Boy. The latter is one of the world’s biggest Afrobeats artists.
In 2023 alone, he headlined the Champions League opening ceremony, as well as the NBA All-Star Game half-time show. He also made history last June by becoming the first African artist to headline a stadium show in the UK.
His popularity is so great, and his talent so remarkable, that American rapper J. Cole has compared him to hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur.
J. Cole : This n***** is Tupac
During his interview on Rap Radar Podcast, Burna Boy recounted how he found himself in a studio with J. Cole and “and a bunch of basketball players tall as hell.” It was during a conversation that the American rapper confided how much he values the work of the African giant.
Before [recording] any music, we’re all just talking about real stuff, about life and everything. […] And before we start [recording], he [J. Cole] just goes, ‘Bro, this n***** is Tupac. And then I looked around to see who he’s talking about. It’s me he’s talking about. He’s like, this n***** is like Tupac reincarnated in Africa.”
It’s worth noting that these two artists, J. Cole and Burna Boy, worked together on a song entitled “Thanks“. The fruit of their collaboration appears on Burna Boy’s seventh studio album, “I Told Them…”, released last week
Ardiès Sianou