Afrobeats singer, Daniel Benson, popularly known as BNXN, has stirred conversation online after declaring that NBA players earn significantly more money than Nigerian musicians, despite the global rise of Afrobeats in recent years.

Speaking during a recent livestream session with streamer Ojo, the “Finesse” crooner explained that his personal friendships with several NBA players have given him an up-close look at the scale of wealth enjoyed by top American athletes, wealth he says far outstrips what most Nigerian artists earn.

According to BNXN, aside from footballers, NBA stars are among the richest entertainers in the world, a bracket Nigerian musicians simply have not reached.

“I am friends with a few NBA players. These guys have so much money. Nigerian artists don’t even have as much money as them. NBA players are insanely rich. A player of Jaylen Brown’s calibre have so much money. Afrobeats are not close to athletes in terms of earnings,” he said.

BNXN acknowledged that while a number of Nigerian artists have accumulated considerable wealth, they still fall short of the financial bracket occupied by NBA superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, and Stephen Curry, whose earnings are boosted by guaranteed contracts, endorsement deals, and the league’s multi-billion dollar broadcasting structure. His comments touch on a recurring conversation in the industry about the gap between Afrobeats’ massive global cultural reach and the actual financial infrastructure supporting the artists behind it, with streaming royalties, piracy, and weak intellectual property enforcement often cited as limiting factors for African musicians compared to their counterparts in more established, unionised industries like the NBA.

During the same livestream, BNXN also gave fans a glimpse of what is to come from him musically, teasing new material as he continues to build on the success of his previous projects, including his debut album “Sincerely, Benson” and his sophomore effort “Captain.”

Photo Credit: The Niche