Nigerian music star Burna Boy will co-host an African music station in Grand Theft Auto VI, but he is not the first Nigerian artiste to take on the role in the video game franchise.
Rockstar Games announced on Thursday that Burna Boy and British DJ Palms Trax, known in the game as Palmsy, will lead AfroBank FM, one of the radio stations featured in the upcoming title.
The announcement has sparked interest among fans, with some online claims describing Burna Boy as the first African artiste to host a station in the franchise. However, Nigerian Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti previously hosted International Funk 99, also known as IF99, in Grand Theft Auto IV, released in 2008.
IF99 featured funk and Afrobeat, including music by Femi’s father, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Its playlist included Fela’s songs “Zombie” and “Sorrow, Tears & Blood”.
Burna Boy is therefore the latest Nigerian artist to feature as a radio host in the series, with AfroBank FM offering a more contemporary focus on African sounds.
Rockstar describes the station’s musical selection as spanning African classics, amapiano and 3-step. Confirmed tracks include Asake’s “Joha”, “Gye Wani” by Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor, and “Shay’sana” by DJ Lag and Robot Boii featuring Kamo Mphela.
Burna Boy told Hypebeast that the project was personal, saying AfroBank FM gave him “a space to bring our sound, our energy, and our culture” into a game he had enjoyed as a fan for years.
Unlike IF99, which mixed West African music with funk from the United States and elsewhere, AfroBank FM is being presented as a station dedicated to African music, from older recordings to current dance genres.
Rockstar unveiled the first six radio stations for GTA VI on 8 October, ahead of the game’s scheduled release on 19 November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Other announced hosts include Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny on Latin music station Cocoteo FM, while Morgan Wallen and Lana Del Rey will feature on Back Country Radio.
The game will also introduce on-demand podcasts to the franchise. Players will be able to listen to radio stations and podcasts while on foot using in-game headphones and earbuds.
Rockstar has yet to reveal the full AfroBank FM playlist, leaving fans to discover how extensively Nigerian music will feature when the game is released.
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