Nigerian hip-hop artiste Phenom has revealed that Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy received a $5 million advance payment before signing a recording deal with American record label Atlantic Records in 2017.
He claimed that Nigerian-American music executive Matthew ‘Baus’ Adesuyan, the owner of Bad Habit, an imprint of Atlantic Records, to which Burna Boy is signed, facilitated the payment.
The ‘Murder Dem’ crooner disclosed this in the latest episode of The Yarns podcast.
He also stated that he would return to rapping if presented with a $1 million advance payment offer from any record label.
He said, “If you really want someone like me to rap, give me $1 million. Lock me up in the studio. Those rapping in America, they [music executives] give them big contracts. Even before Burna Boy made a comeback to music, the guy that gave him the connection to Atlantic Records [Matthew ‘Baus’ Adesuyan], they gave him [Burna Boy] $5 million when he was coming back.”
Phenom said raving rappers like Odumodublvck would soon quit rapping for singing because hip-hop is no longer lucrative.
“If someone like Odumodublvck is given $100,000 advance by his label, he will have to drop rap, start singing and enter TikTok to make it back for the label,” he said.
