Raised on the southern coast of Nigeria before moving to London for university, Burna Boy has become one of the most prominent African pop artists of the moment. In the process, he fuses his specific background with a global vision that encompasses Afrobeat, dancehall, trap, UK hip-hop, and everything else that might fit under his diasporic umbrella, as heard on 2018’s harmonious “Ye.” His 2019 breakthrough, African Giant, featured collaborators as disparate as Angélique Kidjo, Skrillex, Damian Marley, and Future while Burna sang about his experiences in a bright multilingual mélange that exuded pride in his birth country. In 2023, his 21 Savage collab “Sittin’ on Top of the World” reminded us just how well his casually dynamic delivery can slot into 1990s-style rap tropes. And on 2024’s inspiring single “Higher”—dedicated to his hometown of Port Harcourt—he mingles a choir of children with very modern Auto-Tune. More than just an ambassador for globe-trotting sounds, Burna brings his unmistakable personality to everything he does.