After his tour-inspired music video for ‘It’s Plenty’ in September 2022, Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Burna Boy has touched the first checkpoint of 2023 with new visuals for ‘Common Person’. Taken from Love, Damini (2022), the song’s music video was helmed by Director K and JM Films and featured a cameo from Nissi Ogulu, who also provided extra vocals to the song’s making.
The visuals begin with two scenes alternating between those of a motorcade rolling across the sand and a girl running to her brother’s bedroom. In the bedroom, the boy sleeps next to a homemade guitar, the walls a jigsaw puzzle of Burna Boy’s posters, from magazine covers to his Grammy Award gramophone.
The two kids tear out of the house, jostle past a frenzied crowd, and make it to Burna, who hugs both the kids and gifts the boy a new guitar, bow-tied and all.
The Archetypal Good Samaritan
The ‘Common Person’ storyline unfolds like an anthology of events as the 31-year-old musician goes around the village, playing the Good Samaritan. Throughout the music video, he assists an elderly lady and carries a bucket of water for her. The superstar helps ladies prepare food over an open fire and lends a hand to a group of men trying to push a broken-down car.
The good karma of the Afrobeats leader comes around in fulfilment during a jamboree, where all the people he helped come together to eat, drink, and dance with him. The intimate festival sees men in agbada and women stylish in gele, among other things.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the music video, a poor family sleeping in one bedroom breaks into a wild celebration when their breadwinner (remember tat man with a car that broke down?) comes back with the news that Burna helped push his car after it had given up on the job.
The good karma of the Afrobeats leader comes around in fulfilment during a jamboree, where all the people he helped come together to eat, drink, and dance with him. The intimate festival sees men in agbada and women stylish in gele, among other things.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the music video, a poor family sleeping in one bedroom breaks into a wild celebration when their breadwinner (remember that man with a car that broke down?) comes back with the news that Burna helped push his car after it had given up on the job.
Bridging the Gap Between Fame and Humble Beginnings
Playing around the Good Samaritan trope, the music video’s artistic direction stands as a mirror to the song’s title. It reflects the desires and everyday happenings of the common person who hopes to attain greatness. The contrast between Burna Boy’s superstar status and fancy lifestyle, compared to the humble abode and its simplistic people, calls to attention the gap between superstardom and ordinary citizenry. However, Burna’s presence in the place does more than being a mere beacon of hope – it serves as a bridge between two worlds.
The ‘For My Hand’ hitmaker’s willingness to forsake shooting in private jets in favour of celebrating with everyday folk lends greater strength to the song’s title. Through this gesture of humility, he commemorates his former status as a common guy by performing acts of ordinary people. This is a video of a man who knows where he comes from and the power of his influence. Notice how the woman says: “Burna Boy pushed your car?” with widened eyes and a gaping smile. He was one of them, and he leverages this influence to bring joy and positivity instead of turning up his nose at them.
Although a globetrotting star flying the Naija flag high, Burna Boy has taken his time to trace his success down to his roots. And in ‘Common Person’, the singer not only unapologetically shows the most run-of-the-mill parts of his beginnings, he celebrates them.
The uniqueness of the visuals for ‘Common People’ finds its strength in its dwellers and how they live.
Watch ‘Common People’ here:
