Odogwu redeemed: Burna Boy’s electrifying performance erases years of Kenyan resentment

Nigerian superstar Burna Boy was in Nairobi this past Saturday for a heavily billed concert at Uhuru Gardens.

That’s public information by now, and a great deal has already been said about what a thrilling performance he gave Nairobians for two hours straight; but what many people have not been saying, at least not out loudly, is that Burna Boy was also in the country to try to get back into the good graces of his Kenyan fans.

It may have been marketed as just any other concert, but those who are old enough know that the self-declared African Giant was also in town to redeem his image.

He does not have the best reputation with Kenya, or just Kenyans, in general. Let me recap a little for the Gen Zs at the back who have no idea what I’m talking about.

Burna Boy has consistently left a bad taste in the mouths of Kenyans almost every single time he has been here.

All the way back from when he first came for the Coke Studio Africa recording in 2014 and took journalists in circles for interviews, and whenever he showed up, he always brought with him a giant sack of salted attitude.

But, perhaps, the most prominent Burna memory etched in the minds of most Kenyans was when he was booked to perform at the then-popping Privee nightclub in Westlands, Nairobi, on April 1, 2017.

Revellers who had thronged the venue from as early as 7pm were forced to wait for hours as Burna Boy only hit the stage some minutes to 4am, gave a sub-par performance while visibly drunk and went on his merry way.

The following day, Kenyans on Twitter (or X, as it is known now) were seething with rage, with the event attendees blasting the singer for wasting their time and money.

As the negative comments were coming in, Burna Boy also logged into his Twitter and did the most Burna Boy thing ever; he blocked every single Kenyan that made a comment he did not like.

When a Nakuru-based radio host said he would no longer play his songs on his show, Burna Boy told him off saying he was very capable of buying the entire radio station and turning it into a darn ashtray.

Then he called Kenyans “peasants” and said if he was ever booked here again, he would conduct IQ tests at the entrance because he did not want dumb Kenyans in his shows.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and injured Burna Boy’s reputation in the eyes of Kenyans, myself included. And so, even as I made my way to Uhuru Gardens for his grand return this past Saturday, I did so with the memories of 2017 still fresh in my mind.

I went because I was hoping the Burna Boy that got off that flight at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) this time was not the same arrogant, dismissive, trigger-happy Burna Boy of 2014, 2017, and 2019.

He has gone international, won a Grammy award, and worked with Beyonce since then - that has got to change a person’s mindset, No? Not the Grammy, I’m talking about breathing the same air as Beyonce, that has to transform a man, right? Anyway, I digress.

I walked into Uhuru Gardens a few minutes before 5pm, and the first thing I immediately noticed and commended was the general security and coordination of ticketing.

It was a terribly long walk from the entrance on Lang’ata Road all the way into the venue, but there were police officers and private security guards every step of the way.

Our tickets were checked at least four times before we could access the actual location, but we did not mind at all.

Kenyan event organizers have in the past been accused of stifling the budget for security, which in my opinion is the most important aspect of any event.

It does not matter how great a musician performs if I’m mugged and my phone is stolen at the event because then that’s all I’m ever going to remember, not the good memories I made there. So, seeing Madfun group put that much effort into security was a big step in the right direction.

DJ Rude Boy was already on the decks holding it down, ensuring the vibes were just right, by the time we settled into our seats.

I like going to events early or on time because I hate the traffic jams and congestion that build up into the night as Kenyans struggle to beat the rush hour, and I’m also insanely lazy which means I hate running up and down or standing through a performance.

I always want to pick a spot where I can sit through the show and enjoy a polite drink as I observe the happenings.

Bensoul stepped onto the stage at 7:05 p.m., easing into his set with ‘Row’ featuring Okello Max. His performance was a soulful journey that captivated the crowd before he took his bow at exactly 7:55pm.

Charisma then took over at around 8:10pm for what he emotionally termed his first major concert, and he could not believe that it was on the same stage as Burna Boy.

Bensoul returned a little later to join him in an electrifying rendition of the smash hit ‘Disko’ by Kodong Klan group, whose other members were not present.

Just when we thought it was over, Charisma – who also goes by ‘Luhya Heat’ - closed his set with a slow, emotional take of his fan favourite song ‘Sina Noma,’ before switching back to its usual tempo, wrapping up at 9pm on the dot.

I have to tilt my hat to Charisma; his performance was raw, intentional, emotional, and generally very moving. He sang and danced all his heart out, to put it plainly. Which is why I mean no disrespect by saying this, but if we’re going by the old event rule book, I still believe Bensoul is a bigger star and should not have performed before Charisma.

I’m not trying to start up anything, that is just an opinion that I’m willing to argue another day if my bosses allow me 2500 words.

All in all, the two gave noteworthy performances and did a great job flying the country’s flag high in curtain raising for the showstopper.

There were deejay sets after every performance, but the one that stuck with me the most was Mista C - an absolute crowd favourite, who won my award for best DJ set of the night.

His set was organised yet still all over the place, in a creatively addictive manner. He played with our feelings and emotions the entire time; tossing us to Afrobeats, then Amapiano, switching it up to throwback locals, even Bongo, and at some point throwing in some good old-school Hip Hop jams. Man-a-badman, I bow!

At 10:50p.m, it was finally time. The moment Nairobi had been waiting for. Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, took to the stage in what appeared to be an animal skin suit, launching straight into his 2019 feature with UK rapper Dave, ‘Location,’ setting off a wave of energy that rippled through the crowd.

Midway through his performance, Burna Boy paused, acknowledging his long-overdue Kenyan return amidst some slight commotion.

He stopped the music and said to the crowd: “Let nobody ruin the night. I came a long way from Nigeria. No fighting, none of that stuff. Security, handle the situation.” A brief interruption, a moment of tension. But like the pro he is, he got things back on track almost instantly and said he was finally going to make it up to Kenya for all of the lost time.

At exactly 11pm, another minor incident involving a crazed female fan in the crowd prompted Burna Boy to momentarily pause his set.

“So, I’m just gonna be quiet till you guys fix it,” he said. And with one quick “Get her out of here” to the security, order was restored, and the show rolled on as he burst into his Ed Sheeran collaboration, ‘For My Hand’ that took the lovers in the audience on an emotional rollercoaster.

A star-studded surprise, and Burna Boy just being Burna Boy

Burna Boy knows how to keep a crowd on its toes. At 11:13p.m, he took a nostalgic trip back with ‘Yawa Dey,’ a 2013 smash hit that catapulted him to continental fame, setting the tone for an old-school session.

Then, at 10:22pm, the unexpected happened - Sauti Sol emerged. The Kenyan icons joined Burna Boy for their Grammy award-winning collaboration ‘Time Flies,’ and the crowd erupted. A true moment of musical unity, bridging Afrobeats and Afro-pop in a seamless blend of sound.

Then came a classic Burna moment. Just as Burna Boy landed in the country a day earlier, the internet was awash with reports of a Nigerian socialite blasting him for allegedly promising to buy her a Lamborghini, and then failing to do so. And so, during the course of his performance, when he saw an opportunity to creatively respond to the said socialite, he took it and sprinted with it all the way to the finish line.

Burna Boy spotted a fan in the crowd with a T-shirt that read, “Odogwu buy me a house,” and he just couldn’t keep it in him. “So you no wan Lambo, you want a house?” he quipped, and then burst into an entire freestyle, mostly in Pidgin, that I understand is causing a ruckus on Nigerian social media spaces. The man improvises with the ease of a seasoned storyteller. A cheeky, seasoned storyteller.

At 12:30am., Burna threw in one last call to the crowd: “If you wanna party, take your shirts off!” And with that, the entire venue transformed into a sea of waving shirts, just in time for his mega-hit ‘Last Last.’

A few minutes later, the show wrapped up, but not before fireworks lit up the Nairobi sky, sealing the night with a final, dazzling touch.

A worthy show. A mentionable performance. And a reminder of why Burna Boy remains one of the greatest entertainers of our time.

I know by now you people have seen the videos going round, but don’t let them deceive you. Those videos were taken from the stage area alone. As someone who was on the ground, I want to authoritatively state that the turnout was decent- but it actually wasn’t that great.

Which is good for people like me, who hate sweaty crowds. Someone even whispered to me that the Sol Fest attendance, at the same venue, was over double the Burna Boy attendance. Maybe the ticket price disparity can be blamed for this.

The second miss was that, besides the performances, there was practically nothing else going on at the venue.

There was no experience, nothing else fun was going on. Someone joked that all the event budget was spent on Burna Boy. Another person said that the organisers ought to have a sit-down with Muthoni Drummer Queen, the brainchild of Blankets & Wine, for a masterclass on how to curate an event experience. And they could also share with her how to properly coordinate and make an event secure. It’s a win-win.

The final miss for me was the drinks on service. Hennessy was apparently the alcohol partner for the event, which I didn’t know meant gave them a carte blanche on all alcohol vendors.

There were very select, mostly foreign, alcoholic brands being sold on site (one of the waiters told us they were operating on a “Strictly No EABL alcohol” policy) which limited the options for many revellers. It didn’t seem fair, but that’s the price of business, I guess.

Madfun did not play with security, performance time management, sound, and general event coordination. Even without the experience aspect of the event, I agree with critics who are calling it largely the most organised Kenyan concert in recent times. It was a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of.

Burna Boy absolutely made it up to Kenya. He has served his time and now stands forgiven in my books. That was an absolute cracker of a performance, for almost two straight hours. A definite 11/10 set. But a man must keep his word, so just buy the damn Lambo, Odogwu.