Burna Boy reacts to industry gatekeepers, claiming they tried to block his rise in the Nigerian entertainment scene.

Grammy-winning artist Burna Boy has claimed that gatekeepers within the Nigerian entertainment industry tried everything possible to sabotage his rise to fame.

His comments were in response to recent remarks by Nigerian music executive Obi Asika, who recounted the struggles Burna Boy faced early in his career. Asika, currently the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, spoke during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast.

This same Burna Boy that’s a million dollars plus today, they be blocking him... He’s from Port Harcourt, not Lagos, so they be blocking him, Asika said. “The same Burna Boy has bypassed everybody and exploded and now he can’t be blocked anymore.

Reacting via Instagram, Burna Boy confirmed Asika’s claims but said they only scratched the surface of what he endured.

“This is not even half of the story. They did everything they possibly could to break me. They are even still trying their best lol. But all they did was create this unquenchable FIRE that will continue to burn them for eternity,” he wrote.

Burna Boy has previously stated that several figures in the Nigerian music industry, including media stakeholders, had once blacklisted him.