Burna Boy, the African Giant, has taken the music industry by storm with his unique sound and style. From his early beginnings in Nigeria to becoming a global superstar, Burna Boy’s story is nothing short of inspiring. Join me as we delve into the intriguing biography of one of Africa’s biggest music icons.
Talking about the state of feeling bored, none of the tracks of one of the big trios in the Nigerian music industry (Wizkid and Davido being the others) make you feel excitement or difficulty staying motivated, leaving you bored beyond belief.
Is it Ye that’s more like a new national anthem because of its relatable message, or Last Last that talks about ‘chop breakfast’ slang for having a heartbreak? However, with Burna Boy, you’ll be thrilled beyond belief!
Let’s welcome you to BBB: Burna Boy Biography.
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Burna Boy Profile Summary
| Real Name | Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu |
| Famous as | Burna Boy |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 2 July 1991 |
| Age | 31 years old (as of 2023) |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Place of Birth | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Current Residence | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| State of Origin | Rivers State |
| Tribe | Yoruba |
| Ethnicity | African |
| Religion | Christianity |
| s3xuality | Straight |
| Height | 6’1″ (185 cm) |
| Weight | 84kg |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Dark Brown |
| Father | Samuel Ogulu |
| Mother | Bose Ogulu |
| Siblings | 2 |
| Relationship Status | Single |
| Education | University of Suss3x, Oxford Brookes University |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter, and Producer |
| Net worth | $17 million |
| @burnaboygram | |
| @burnaboy |
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Burna Boy Biography: Early Life
Burna Boy’s real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, and he was born on July 2nd, 1991, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. His mother, Bose Ogulu (fondly called Mama Burna), worked as a language translator, and his father, Samuel, managed a welding company.
The yet-to-be superstar was raised in Ahoada, but later, his parents moved to Lagos State. And that’s where he completed his basic education.
Burna Boy is an indigene of Rivers State and hails from both the Niger Delta and South-South regions of Nigeria. However, he comes from a mixed background, as his mother is a Yoruba woman.
Music runs in the family, as his maternal grandfather, Benson Idonije, once managed Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the creator of Afrobeat. Burna Boy’s mother later became his manager, but not anymore.
His younger sister, Nissi Ogulu, is a singer and mechanical engineer, while his elder sister, Ronami Ogulu, is a scientist and designer.
Burna Boy’s parents raised him in the Christian faith, but his major influence in music came from the likes of Fela, Bob Marley, and King Sunny Ade. He discovered his musical talent quite early, and luckily, he faced no resistance from his parents to pursue his passion.
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Burna Boy’s Education
Burna Boy attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State, and later studied media technology at the University of Suss3x between 2008 and 2009. Not done with schooling, Burna Boy enrolled in studies in media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010.
He returned to Port Harcourt and took up a year-long internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM after dropping out of school.
He launched his music career upon returning to Lagos. His music is primarily Afro-fusion which blends hip-hop, Afrobeat, reggae, R&B, and dancehall.
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Burna Boy Music Career Timeline
Burna Boy started making music at 10 when a classmate gave him a copy of the production software Fruity Loops. With this knowledge, he created his own music using an old computer available to him.
He delved into the dancehall and reggae music that his father listened to and explored the Afrobeat music preferred by his grandfather, the legendary Benson Idonije.
Here’s Burna Boy’s timeline in his chosen career.
- August 12th, 2013 – released his debut album, L.I.F.E, a follow-up to his 2011 mixtape Burn Identity. The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
- May 2014 – split from Aristocrat Records.
- February 2015 – established the record label Spaceship Entertainment
- November 25th, 2015 – released his second studio album, On a Spaceship
- September 2016 – released his seven-track debut extended play, Redemption
- 2017 – signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally
- January 19th, 2018 – featured on American rock band Fall Out Boy’s song, Sunshine Riptide, a track from their seventh studio album, Mania
- January 26th, 2018 – released his third studio album, Outside. It won Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards
- February 2018 – Outside debuted at number three on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart
- October 7th, 2018 – performed before a sold-out crowd at London’s O2 Academy Brixton
- October 9th, 2018 – announced as one of Spotify’s New Afro Hub Takeover musicians. This coincided with him being named YouTube’s Artist on the Rise for three months
- January 3rd, 2019 – announced as one musician performing at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
- 2019 – won four awards at the Sound City MVP Awards Festival, including African Artists of the Year, Listener’s Choice, and Best Male MVP
- March 21st, 2019 – released a four-track collaborative EP with Los Angeles-based electronic duo DJDS, titled Steel & Copper
- June 24th, 2019 – won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards
- July 2019 – announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist
- July 26th, 2019 – released his fourth studio album, African Giant
- November 22nd, 2019 – featured alongside English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on British rapper Stormzy’s single, Own It
- November 2019 – became the first Afrobeat musician to sell out the SSE Arena (previously known as the Wembley arena). He got a plaque to mark the achievement
- April 2020 – performed in the One World: Together at Home special
- June 19th, 2020 – featured on the remix of South African producer Master KG’s viral song Jerusalema.
- July 30th, 2020 – featured on British singer Sam Smith’s single, My Oasis, the lead single from their third studio album, Love Goes
- August 14th, 2020 – released his fifth studio album, Twice as Tall. It debuted at number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart
- November 24th, 2020 – Twice as Tall was nominated under the World Music Album category in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
- November 2020 – won an Edison Award in the World Album category for African Giant
- December 9th, 2020 – won the Best International Act at the MOBO Awards shaking off challenges from Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, and Roddy Ricch.
- March 15th, 2021 – won the Grammy for Best Global Music album
- 2021 – his track Destiny was included in the playlist at the inauguration of the US president, Joe Biden
- 2021 – won the Best International Act at the BET Awards. This made him the first African musician to bag three nominations and wins consecutively. He had won the BET Award in 2019 and 2020
- March 19th, 2021 – featured on Justin Bieber’s song, Loved by You, a track from his sixth studio album, Justice
- September 17th, 2021 – featured on American singer-songwriter Jon Bellion’s single, I Feel It
- June 4th 2022 – performed at the Belgravia Sports Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe.
- July 8th, 2022 – released his sixth studio album, Love, Damini. Two singles served as forerunner to the album. Kilometer was released on April 29th, 2021, and Last Last hit the airwaves May 13th 2022
- October 2022 – given the award of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic for his achievements in music.
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Burna Boy’s Net worth
Still on Burna Boy’s biography, a quick dive into the artist’s net worth gives more touch to his success story.
With success comes fortune, and Burna Boy is no exception. His successful music industry career has allowed him to amass wealth through royalties, musical concerts, brand endorsement deals, etc.
His net worth is estimated to be between $20 million and $25 million.
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Burna Boy Cars
Burna Boy is one of Nigeria’s wealthiest musicians, and this is clear in his lifestyle. Recently, the music star, who has been featured in top magazines like Vogue, British GQ, and Evening Standard, announced the acquisition of two luxury cars. He shared photos and videos showing the interiors of his Lamborghini and Maybach Benz.
Other cars in Burna Boy’s collection are a Bentley Continental GT, a Mercedes Benz S Class, a Range Rover Autobiography, a Rolls Royce Dawn convertible, a Mercedes Benz G Wagon, and a 2013 Ferrari 458 Italia.
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Burna Boy Houses
Burna Boy has several houses, but the public is only aware of his mansion in Lagos. This edifice, which has appeared in several magazines, commands attention to this day.
Seeing is believing, right?
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Burna Boy Height
His height is 6 feet 1 inch, and he towers above most of his contemporaries in Nigeria’s music industry.
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Burna Boy Controversies
His biggest career low to date happened on June 8th, 2022. His armed guards allegedly shot and wounded two people at a nightclub in Lagos.
According to the partner of one victim, the incident began after she declined Burna Boy’s overtures and invitation to join him at the club’s VIP section.
Afterward, five security details associated with the musician were arrested and charged with attempted murder.
We don’t know if Burna Boy or his retinue of minders were on weeds that day, but the Grammy Award winner launched a cannabis brand in the United States four months after the incident.
According to reports, Burna Boy unveiled the brand, named BrkFst, in partnership with a weed dispensary and shipping company, Jokes Up Ice Kream, on October 7, 2022, in South Beach, Miami.
The brand name could have been sourced from his song Last Last, a chart-topping hit single from his latest album Love, Damini. The track called heartbreak ‘Breakfast’.
The launch of BrkFst coincided with the Miami Carnival, an all-day celebration. A team representing Burna Boy headlined the all-white-themed Tipsy Musical Festival at Bayfront Park.
Marijuana is illegal in the US federal law, though some states have moved toward the legal use of the drug for recreational and medicinal purposes.
Back home, Buba Marwa, the chair of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), argued that cannabis could not be legalized in Nigeria because of its level of abuse.
However, Burna Boy countered that not legalizing marijuana in Nigeria is hypocritical, adding that “everyone smokes”.
Do you?
Conclusion
Burna Boy has proved himself an African Giant. The Manchester United fan has cemented his megastar power with several commendable feats.
With many years ahead of him, there’s still more to write about Burna Boy’s biography. Trust us, it won’t make you go bored beyond belief!
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FAQs About Burna Boy Biography
Is Burna Boy in a relationship?
The Grammy-winning singer doesn’t have a wife since she isn’t married. He is presently assumed to be unmarried. The musician has, however, been romantically involved with British singer-songwriter Stefflon Don. They started dating in 2018 and called it quits in 2022. Princess Shyngle and Jo Pearl have both been romantically linked to the artist.
Does Burna Boy have children?
No, the singer has no child.
Is Burna Boy a Twin?
No, he is not. He only has two sisters; Jehovah-Nissi and Ronami.
