Burna Boy Brings Afrobeats to the 2024 Grammys with medley performance featuring Brandy and 21 Savage
(People) By Brenton Blanchet and Nicole Acosta
The Nigerian musician, 32, was joined by both Brandy and 21 Savage during the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 4, 2024) where he became the first-ever Afrobeats artist to perform at the annual ceremony.
During the show, the trio joined forces for a performance of “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” Burna Boy’s 2023 track featuring 21 Savage, 31. The song notably samples Brandy’s 1998 hit “Top of the World,” which featured Mase.
Burna Boy kicked off his performance wearing a red jacket with silver jewels paired with matching light blue jeans as he sang his song “On Form” alongside dancers dressed in what appeared to be traditional Nigerian clothing. He performed his smash hit “City Boys” next, as the stage lit up with colors and he danced enthusiastically.
Brandy then appeared, coming out from the top of a set of stairs, wearing an all-black outfit with red knee-high boots singing part of her hit of “Top of the World.” 21 Savage also graced the stage wearing an all-red leather jacket and pants as he performed his verse on Burna Boy’s “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”
Grammys executive producer Raj Kapoor previously announced news of the trio’s performance on Rolling Stone Music Now earlier this week.
The performance wasn’t just a big deal for Burna Boy either. It also marked 21’s first time rapping on the Grammys stage. It was also Brandy’s first time performing at the Grammys in several years.
As for Brandy, she previously made her mark on the Grammys stage in 1997 for a performance of “Sittin’ Up In My Room.”
Burna Boy and 21 were up for best melodic rap performance on Sunday night, but lost to Lil Durk and J. Cole’s “All My Life.” Burna Boy also earned a nod for “City Boys” in the best African music performance category. Ref: People
Burna Boy, the Grammy and political illiterates. By Chido Nwangwu
