Rap star 21 Savage and Afrobeat icon Burna Boy are among the personalities listed on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024.
21 Savage, who has been having a standout 12-months, including bagging two #1 albums and several billboard charters, was officially confirmed among music’s most influential people by the esteemed publication in the Artiste section.
The British-born artiste was the only rapper named in the overall list, which includes pop star Dua Lipa, noted Novelist James McBride and actor, playwright and director Coleman Domingo.
Burna Boy penned his tribute saying,
“I trust my gut when it comes to my music and collaborations, and I find myself naturally drawn to artists like 21 Savage—those who remain grounded in their convictions and consistently defy the constraints imposed upon them. Like 21, I know what it’s like to rise above challenging beginnings, and it makes his success all that much more remarkable.”
Burna Boy on the other hand was named in the Icons category.
The “African giant” was credited for his work on spreading African music and culture globally and helping to pioneer the various genres from the continent to mainstream recognition.
Grammy award-winning musician, Angelique Kidjo wrote the tribute to the “Last Last” hitmaker to honour his listing.
“You don’t need to mimic American artistes! The world needs the amazing richness and beauty of our traditional African music and our culture.”
She continued “This land is where most of modern music comes from. This source of inspiration is inexhaustible. Its freshness and its elegance will get the world’s attention for sure.”
Burna Boy has made that vision a global reality. Inspired by the fantastic drums of Nigerian folk music and having studied the craft of the great African singer-songwriters. He follows in the footsteps of Fela Kuti—the internationally celebrated Afrobeats artiste and activist.
In 2023, he became the first African artiste to sell out a U.S. stadium, and in 2024, he became the first Afrobeats artiste to sing at the Grammys.
Burna, was one of two artistes selected in the Icons section the other being, Kylie Minogue. Actress Taraji P Henson and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban were also in the category.