Burna Boy, Tems, Rema Perform At 2023 NBA All-Star Game

In celebration of African contributions to the NBA, the 2023 All-Star Game Halftime Show featured three of Africa’s most prominent Afrobeats/Afropop performers: Burna Boy, Rema, and Tems, who were all introduced by the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, who is from Cameroon.

The show opened with Burna Boy, who played his hits “Anybody” and “It’s Plenty,” followed by a truly exuberant performance by Rema, who got the crowd hyped with energetic renditions of “Calm Down” and “Holiday.”

Tems is fresh off her 2023 Grammys win—her first—for Best Melodic Rap Performance with her Future and Drake collaboration “Wait for U.” She’s nominated for the 2023 Oscar for Best Original Song for her work on Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

She came out last to close things out with a huge set of her own featuring “Crazy Tings,” “Free Mind,” her verse from Wizkid’s “Essence,” and her verse from Future’s “Wait For U.”

They were all accompanied by dazzling visual effects, a dance team that incorporated both traditional and modern African dances, and a band that kept the vibe lively.

And just when it appeared that things were winding up, Burna Boy returned for renditions of his megahit “Last Last.”

Before the half-time show, Post Malone performed his songs “Wow.” and “Rockstar” for a crowd of fans. For the latter song, he brought out 21 Savage, who appears on the original studio version of that track.

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