At 13, Burna Boy Shares How He Made His First Song Recording

Internationally celebrated musician Damini Ogulu, popularly called Burna Boy, recently revealed that he crafted his debut track when he was just 13 years old.

During a candid interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, the ‘African Giant’ shared nostalgic details of his early foray into music, using nothing more than a humble radio and tape recorder. He ingeniously sampled beats from iconic video games like NBA Street, Volume II and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to create his first composition.

Burna reminisced: “My very first recording was a DIY project—no studio, no fancy equipment. Just me, a radio, and a tape recorder. Believe it or not, my early beats came straight from gaming soundtracks.

“NBA Street, Volume II provided my first instrumental, along with something from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It’s crazy thinking back—just pressing play on those game tracks while rapping into the recorder. How old was I then? Must’ve been about 13—time flies, man.”

Now 34, the Grammy-winning artist has evolved into an Afrobeats pioneer with a global fanbase. His distinctive fusion of sounds continues to redefine African music on the world stage.

In another recent discussion, Burna Boy revisited controversial remarks he once made about Afrobeats’ depth. He offered a sincere apology, acknowledging he had underestimated the genre’s unifying power in showcasing Nigerian music globally.