In the Nigerian entertainment industry, clashes and controversies often steal the spotlight, but the latest one involving two of its prominent stars has sparked a heated debate among fans and critics alike.
Burna Boy, the self-proclaimed African Giant, has fired back at veteran rapper Eedris Abdulkareem, who accused him of being ungrateful and arrogant in a yet-to-be-released podcast episode.
The Honest Bunch Podcast shared a teaser of its upcoming episode on X on Saturday, in which Abdulkareem lambasted Burna Boy for saying “no Nigerian artist helped him in his journey to fame.”
“You hear someone like Burna Boy say no one helped him in Nigeria. That’s stupid talk,” Abdulkareem said in the viral clip.
Burna Boy, who is currently in the Bahamas for a show, did not take kindly to the criticism and responded in a now-deleted post on his verified X handle.
He said he did not blame Abdulkareem for his comment “but the people who donated money to settle his hospital bills when he underwent a kidney transplant in 2022.”
He also threatened to confront Abdulkareem physically to settle their scores.
He wrote in Pidgin: “Abdul Kareem abi wettin dem dey call your papa, I no blame you. I blame people wey donate money for your hospital bills. And I wish say you be person wey fit dey enter the kind places wey I dey, make we use mistake jam.”
Abdulkareem, who is known for his outspoken and controversial songs such as “Jaga Jaga” and “Mr Lecturer”, did not back down and replied via his Instagram page.
He said Burna Boy wishing him or any other person dead was “truly saddening and very disappointing. Making fun of my health crisis and blaming people that helped to keep me alive is very shameful.”
He also announced that he will release a single soon to address the rift.
“I will reply through the only medium that I have… and that is music; so I will be dropping my heartfelt response via a single aptly named ‘Essay to Burna Boy’ in a fortnight,” he added.
This is not the first time Burna Boy has clashed with other Nigerian artists over his claims of being the best and the most influential in the industry.
He has previously had beefs with Davido, Wizkid, MI Abaga, and AKA, among others.
Some of his fans have defended his stance, saying he is confident and proud of his achievements, while others have criticised him for being disrespectful and arrogant.
Abdulkareem, on the other hand, has been praised for his courage and honesty, but also questioned for his relevance and motive.
As fans eagerly await the release of Abdulkareem’s diss track and further developments in the feud, social media users are pondering the underlying motives behind the clash. Is it a clash of egos or simply a calculated move for publicity?
