Nigerian mega-star Burna Boy recently took to Instagram to share a snippet of a tribute song he wrote for AKA after the latter’s death on 10 February 2023. Burna Boy and AKA have a long and complicated history, as the two were once frequent collaborators, who later turned into each other’s nemesis.
In the song, Burna reflects on their relationship, speaking honestly that he was shocked to learn of AKA’s death despite the two not being on good terms. He reveals that he had advice for AKA on how to protect himself but now that he’s dead, he hopes that his death is resolved.
Objectively speaking, the song sounds good. Burna raps in a more traditional rap structure on a haunting production fit for a dirge, which is a slight departure from his now popular rap-sung style delivery of verses. He sounds truly disturbed but perhaps it’s his brutal frankness regarding his and AKA’s relationship in the lyrics that people don’t seem to take kindly to. He raps, “And I ain’t really fuck wit you/ But I didn’t want you dead, it was like that with me and you/
Wicked!
Read the rest of the lyrics to the verse and watch the snippet below:
“WTF is all of that about/
I just heard he died/
Seen that video at that restaurant/
Took me out of a positive mood/
Took me back to that day when you saw my gun and you said I was wild/
Then I told you you should have one too/
‘Cuz it weren’t like niggaz wasn’t dying but I thought you knew/
And I ain’t really fuck wit you/
But I didn’t want you dead, it was like that with me and you/
Wicked!/
I hope they catch whoever did you wicked/
I hope you rest in peace, even though we ain’t kick it/
At the end of the day we some grown ass niggaz…”
