Burna Boy will leave his record label Aristokrat Records at the end of 2013.
Dancehall star Damini ‘Burna Boy’ Ogulu, who signed with Aristokrat Records in 2011, is looking at launching his own company at the start of 2014. Burna has made this clear with Aristokrat even though the news of his departure has not been made public.
A few weeks ago, the dark-skinned Port Harcourt bred hinted at leaving the label, ‘Change is about to happen. I know #BBG will stick with me no matter what. Watch out for future announcements #BBG‘, he tweeted.
#BBG refers to his newly formed crew ‘Burna Boy Goons‘.
The tweet was deleted moments later.
Little-known Burna signed with Aristokrat in July 2011 and released two mixtapes, ‘Burn Notice’ and ‘Burn Identity’ in April and November 2011, respectively. He then went on to drop the mid-tempo hit record ‘Like to Party’ in mid-2012. Burna rose to fame and made a name for himself with two successful singles, ‘Tonight‘ and ‘Run my race‘.
Netng gathered that problem started when his debut album ‘L.I.F.E’ dropped in August 2013. Burna Boy wasn’t pleased with how the label handled the marketing and release of the album.
Contrary to earlier reports, Burna did NOT get a N10m upfront payment for the album. The artiste feels the label should have done better – probably with a high-budget album launch and a major campaign.
‘He can’t be told anything to do. He’s a big boy right now. He won’t just listen anymore; the label is frustrated with his actions‘.
Netng also gathered that Burna moved out of the apartment his label secured for him in Lekki Phase 1 and relocated to another apartment at Chevron Estate in Lekki, Lagos. He has extricated himself from them and now handles his career with a former label employee who now only answers to him (Burna).
A rep for the label confirmed to Netng that there is an ongoing rift but insists both parties are still in agreement.
‘His contract expires in 2014, but what he thinks is of his own. The label has provided everything for him‘.
The rep also told us that Burna wants a new arrangement and agreement with the label. ‘He wants to be in more control of his career’.
Netng learnt that Burna is also not too pleased that Aristokrat is now concentrating on other acts signed to the label – Pucado, Kamar, Ozine and Mojeed. This year alone, they have all released official singles with videos.
Burna Boy’s ‘uncontrollable’ mannerism and persona didn’t just start yesterday; Netng investigations and sources have linked him to a criminal past, a period of his life he would rather not make public.
We reliably gathered that while in the UK back in 2010, Burna Boy was arrested by London Police for allegedly being part of a gang that stabbed someone to death. He was tried as a minor and sent to jail.
After 11 months, he was released and given two months parole plus community service on the grounds of being of ‘good behaviour’ when in jail. But Burna is said to have disobeyed authorities and travelled back to Nigeria.
On his return to Nigeria, he signed his deal with Aristokrat. He later travelled back to the UK but was arrested at the airport and deported back to Nigeria. He is currently barred from the UK for the next 15 years.
With the help of his mother, Bose Ogulu (who serves as his booking agent/manager), Burna Boy will be looking at forming their own company/movement soon.
Unfortunately, his career might just go downhill from there; we gathered that his mother fully supports her son Burna’s bad habits and is no more aligning with Aristokrat Records. Sources close to their camp tell us she fumbled a recent deal with Guinness, asking for a 200% increase in a proposed endorsement deal fee. They never got it, and Burna was taken off. We were also informed that Globacom, the telecoms company that handed him a mouth-watering deal earlier in the year, is unwilling to extend their contract after his one-year deal lapses.
Bose Ogulu is the daughter of Benson Idonije, the veteran broadcaster (and authority in Highlife music in Nigeria) who once managed Afrobeat creator Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.