South African celebrity musician, Master KG, known for his song, Jerusalema, has disclosed that he never paid Burna Boy to feature on the remix of his hit song.
Although the original version of the song enjoyed commercial success, the remix where the African giant was featured has enjoyed more success.
Burna Boy, while listing his 2020 achievement, on his Instagram handle, said that Jerusalema remix is certified gold in Austria, diamond in France, and platinum in Belgium.
During a Zoom interview with The Punch, Master KG said the reason no payment was paid for the feature was that the original song was one of Burna Boy’s favorite music.
The musician said, “I did not pay Burna Boy to feature on the remix of the song, Jerusalema. There was no paid fee for this feature to happen. The amazing thing about the song is that it was already popular. According to what I heard; the song was one of his favourite songs as well. It was so easy to make it work and make the collaboration a success. So, there was no payment for the feature.
“I also feel that the reason there was no money involved is because Burna Boy also loves the song and he related well with the song. It was not something he did for money, instead he did it because it comes from his heart.”
The South African multiple award-winning singer further stated that he was surprised when Burna Boy sang in Zulu Language on the song.
He said, “I remember the first time I heard his verse, he sang in Zulu language and I was shocked. I asked him where he learned the Zulu language from but he just said, ‘don’t worry about that. How do you feel about the song?’ It was amazing. A lot of people think that he asked me how to pronounce the words but he never did that, which shows you that he is an African man and an African giant. He showed that we are all one in Africa despite the languages we speak.”
The South African artist mentioned that the reason he featured Burna Boy on the song was due to the fact that he is ‘one of the best of them in Africa.’
In his words, “The reason I asked Burna Boy to feature on the remix of the song, Jerusalema is that Burna Boy is one of the best in Africa and he is my brother. I felt that this song is not just a song for Master KG, it is a song for the world and in order to take it further into the world, I wanted someone from Africa to feature on the song; I could not think of anybody other than my brother Burna Boy for us to take the song further.
“My team reached out to him and he agreed. It was great because Burna Boy was also aware of the original song, it was not new to him so that also made things easier for him to relate and accept to be part of the song because it is something that he knew about. It was all good vibes. We shared ideas, he recorded the song and sent it back. He asked for my thought on his verse and I told him I was blown away.”
Master KG who visited Nigeria about a week ago said he has fallen in love with the Nigerian jollof rice. He added that he had started working with other Nigerians artists.
He said, “I was in Nigeria about a week ago and I will still work with more artistes from Nigeria. We are one in Africa. I am already working with some artistes but I will not want to let the cat out of the bag; just expect some good music from Master KG and my brothers and sisters from Nigeria.
“When I came to Nigeria I fell in love with jollof rice, I ate it every time from morning till night. I really enjoyed it. I also love the Nigerian scenery. I felt the good vibes.”
The entertainer, who was a nominee of the MTV African Music Awards Best Male and Artiste of the Year Category, said that he was happy about the nomination and would not feel bad if he does not win the award.
“It is amazing to be nominated for the MTV Africa Music Award. It is a celebration. I am not the only one celebrating but everyone that was nominated as well. It is a reward for the work we have done to promote our culture as Africans and taking African music to the world. It is a celebration for me whether I win or not, for me, it shows that they see the work that we put out there and they see the amazing impact the music is having. I am so happy for the nomination.”
