2024 GRAMMYs: Burna Boy's fantastic Afro-Fusion lights up the stage

Burna Boy took center stage at the 66th

At Music's Biggest Night, GRAMMY-winning Afrobeats artist Burna Boy brought a piece of his homeland to Crypto.com Arena.

Decked out in bejeweled threads, the Nigerian superstar danced among throngs of performers and colorful buildings. The joyous performance featured several of his nominated works, including "On Form," "City Boys" and "Sitting On Top Of The World" — the latter featured a special appearance by Brandy and 21 Savage.

His single "City Boys" had a brief moment in the spotlight before Brandy stunned with her divine vocals, showing why her 1998 single "Top of the World" was prime for sampling on Burna Boy’s "Sittin’ on Top of the World." Along with a guest verse from 21 Savage, the trio delivered the updated version in style — as Burna Boy sings: "I pull up in my high fashion, every light flashing."

Burna Boy came into the 2024 GRAMMYs with four nominations, including Best Global Music Album (I Told Them...), Best Global Music Performance ("Alone"), and Best Melodic Rap Performance ("Sittin' on Top of the World"). The powerhouse was also nominated in the inaugural Best African Music Performance Category ("City Boys"), one of three new Categories introduced this year. Burna Boy is a previous Best Global Music Album recipient with his 2020 LP Twice as Tall, making him the first male Nigerian artist to win for an original work.

As one of Afro-fusion’s key contemporaries, Burna Boy is as much a student of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti as he is American hip-hop and R&B. On I Told Them…, he further leaned into the latter’s sounds, bringing in J. Cole, the Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA and RZA, and 21 Savage as collaborators. The LP debuted at the top of the UK Albums chart, marking his first No. 1 album and the first time an international Afrobeats artist has achieved the feat. I Told Them… also topped the UK R&B Albums chart.

Those were only some of the firsts that Burna Boy collected in 2023. In June, he was the first Nigerian artist to headline a US stadium show when he hit New York City’s Citi Field. In July, he was the first African artist to headline a UK stadium show when he sold out London Stadium.

Before he heads back out on tour next month, Burna Boy is slated to appear on Usher’s upcoming album, Coming Home.