News Brief

Nobantu Shabangu

Mar. 15, 2021 12:26PM EST

Still from the Grammy Awards YouTube channel.

Burna Boy performing at the 2021 Grammy Awards

Watch Burna Boy's Stunning Performance & Grammy Acceptance Speech

Burna Boy: "This is a big win for my generation of Africans all over the world."

Burna Boy has proven himself to be the standout African act for 2021 after winning the "Best Global Music Album" award last night at the 63rd Grammy Awards. The award show which was hosted by South African comedian and Daily show host Trevor Noah were nothing short of amazing. Burna Boy performed a medley of his singles "Level Up", "Onyeka" and "Ye" from his Grammy-winning album Twice As Tall.

The award marks Burna Boy's first Grammy win after being previously nominated the same category last year for African Giant. Beninese artist Angelique Kidjo bagged the award and dedicated the win to Burna Boy. Burna Boy's excitement after the announcement of finally bagging a Grammy award for Twice As Tall was uncontainable in the video which had sounds of family and friends celebrating in the background.

Read: Burna Boy and Wizkid Score Big at 2021 Grammys

"This is a big win for my generation of Africans all over the world," Burna Boy said during his acceptance speech. "This should be a lesson to every African out there, no matter where you are, no matter what you plan to do, you can achieve it... because you are a king."

The Afrofusion pioneer's performance at the Grammys features Burna alongside his band The Outsiders. The four-minute performance medley of hit singles "Level Up", "Onyeka" and "Ye" is captured with stunning shots from outside a stadium and leads inside into a mirrored room filled with white smoke. The Outsiders reworked the musical arrangements which added a live performance zest to the virtual Grammy award show.

Watch Burna Boy's Grammy performance and his Grammy win acceptance speech below.

BURNA BOY: "LevelUp/Onyeka/Ye"-MEDLEY | 63rd GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremonyyoutu.be

Watch Burna Boy's Grammy acceptance speech below.

Burna Boy Wins Best Global Music Album | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show Acceptance Speechwww.youtube.com

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Music

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Rema Sends Solidarity Message to the 5 Iranian Women Arrested for Dancing to His Music

Rema has spoken out in support of five Iranian girls who were arrested for dancing to his music.

Nigerian Afropop star Rema, sent out a message of solidarity to five Iranian young women who were reportedly arrested for releasing a video dancing to his music.

On International Women’s Day, which occured on March 8th, the women created a buzz online after they released a video showing themselves dancing to the global smash "Calm Down." In the video, the women were wearing no headscarves, while slightly exposing midriffs.

According to reports, the Iranian government soon caught wind of the video, and began looking for the girls. On March 9th, the Shahrak Ekbatan Twitter account—an account that belongs to activists from the Ekbatan area—first alerted the general public by posting the dancing video online and stating that authorities had been asking residents in the area if they knew the women.

"They looked for CCTV footage of Block 13 to identify the girls who were only dancing and were not involved in any political activity. Police were seen checking the footage and questioning the guards," the account said.

Earlier this week, the Ekbatan-based activists reported that the women had been detained and forced to make an apology video, dressed in regalia that completely covered them from head to toe. The news soon caught the attention of Rema, who tweeted out a solidarity message in support of the women earlier this week.

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Although it is unclear how long the Iranian women were detained for, the Shahrak Ekbatan Twitter commented under the Twitter thread, stating that the girls were apprehended for about two days.

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Historically, Iran girls have faced a number of restrictions that have limited their freedom. Some of these restrictions include legalities that require them to cover their hair and dress modestly in public.

Although there have been demands to abolish the compulsory headscarf rule, no progress has been made in that regard, and the rule is still in effect.

News Brief

Tim Nwachukwu.

Burna Boy Set to Perform at the UEFA Champions League Final

The upcoming UEFA final kick off show will feature a musical performance from the African Giant himself, Burna Boy.

Burna Boy has confirmed that he will perform at the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show. On his Twitter page, the Nigerian superstar and Grammy Award-winning artist announced that fans could catch him performing at the anticipated event in June.

According to a press release, the "Last Last" crooner will co-headline the event alongside another artist who has not yet been announced. The event, which is powered by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Pepsi, will take place on June 10.

In a TikTok post, the African Giant excitedly addressed his fans and gave them the update. In the video, Burna Boy encouraged fans to showcase their best dance moves or ball skills like several world-renowned Pepsi ambassadors and post them to TikTok using the hashtag #PepsiKickOffShow. According to the press release, the best fan submissions will be hand-picked to show off their skills as part of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show.

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News Brief

Photo by Amos Gumulira

Malawi’s President Says Half the Country Damaged by Cyclone Freddy

The death toll in Malawi has reached 447 people, with 282 residents missing and close to 400,000 people still displaced.

It has been a month since Cyclone Freddy ravaged Madagascar and then made a downfall in Malawi and Mozambique. But the aftermath of the tragedy still rages on. As more officials work to uncover the devastating effects of the cyclone that led to the loss of many lives, more details are surfacing.

In an interview with The Guardian published on Monday (March 20th), Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera said that over half of his country has been damaged by Cyclone Freddy.

“This demonstrates that climate change issues are real and we are standing right in the path of it,” Chakwera told The Guardian. Chakwera also stated that the devastation of the cyclone could very well keep Malawi in the cycle of poverty.

According to reports from the country’s authorities, the death toll in Malawi has reached 447 people, with 282 residents missing and close to 400,000 people still displaced. (When you factor in Mozambique and Madagascar, there have been close to 600 confirmed deaths.)

Cyclone Freddy first mounted in Australia before traveling across the Indian Ocean and settling in south-east Africa, where it destroyed property and killed residents across Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and now, Malawi. This intense deadly storm has been dubbed one of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones ever recorded in history.

Chakwera also detailed the effects of the tragedy, stating that the country, which has a population of over 19 million people, was in dire straits.

“We need everyone’s help and support for this tragedy to be mitigated,” Chakwera said. “We are suffering and we can’t meet the needs. We have set up temporary camps and food is needed, shelter, yes, but must go past that and build stronger because of the damage.

There is also concern over an elevated cholera risk; since last year, there has been a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 1,700, making it one of the deadliest on record. Those numbers are now expected to go up.

“With the floods, people’s toilets have been washed away and most people have no access to safe drinking water,” Storn Kabuluzi, health services director, said.

Music

Kengol DJ/Jailtime Records

Get to Know Kengol DJ’s Cameroonian Drill Music

The 32-year-old is blending drill and coupé-décalé—all from a prison in Cameroon.

Kengol DJ, born Magloire Noumedem, entered a world of suffering when faced with intense stares from the shadows of the notorious Central Prison of Douala—a place which operates more like a small walled city than a high-security jail.

"Arriving in prison is exactly as you might imagine — I can only laugh now, everyone half-naked, and the voices ringing out...it was terrifying." Kengol is an emotional man. Over two hours in his presence, he acts out his life experiences rather than recount them. It becomes an interview that is as much a performance, where Kengol lays himself bare—spitting bars wide-eyed one minute, singing his heart out the next, gesticulating wildly as tears run down his face.

The 32-year-old's latest single “Ca Va Aller' (It's Gonna Be Ok),” his cry of survival, is a fresh take on Drill that "Cameroon has never seen before--I call it Atalaku Drill,” Kengol explains, “I've crossed it with coupé-décalé." It was released this month on Jail Time Records, a label set up in prison to rehabilitate talent fallen to the wayside.

Noumedem was, by his own admission, lost to the streets when he was arrested for possession of drugs and sentenced to a term of 6 months: "Not many go inside to find the light, but I started to have visions. I could work day and night on my music, my God-given talents were no longer lost.”

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