Gunna Swaps Burna Boy for Chris Brown on 'WGFT' Remix: Chart Chase or Creative Overhaul?

In the cutthroat world of hip-hop and global beats, remixes are not just tweaks, they are reinventions. Gunna's latest move with "WGFT" (that's "We Gettin' F****d Tonight" for the uninitiated) is stirring up the kind of online dust-up that keeps timelines buzzing. 

The original track from his 2025 album The Last Wun featured Nigerian powerhouse Burna Boy, hitting No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even sneaking back onto UK charts with its steamy video. Now, Gunna has dropped a version that axes Burna entirely, sliding in the iconic Chris Brown for that silky R&B polish. 

Fans are evidently split: some hail it as a radio-ready upgrade, while Afrobeats loyalists are crying foul, spinning narratives of "ditching" for U.S. dominance. 

As someone who's dissected tracks from both sides, let's break this down logically. 

The original features a hypnotic echo on Burna's opener.. The original opens with a hypnotic echoed voice sample incorporated into the beat produced by Shottie and Turbo, creating a late-night vibe, while the remix opts for Brown's effortless flow. But is this a betrayal or just business? Let's dive in.

First off, if you're new to this game or just scrolling through without the deep cuts, let's clear the air on what a remix really means. Remixes are not always about slapping on a new beat or speeding up the tempo. They can straight-up overhaul the guest list, turning a track into something that feels like a whole new beast. Think of it as recasting a blockbuster movie: sometimes the original star gets sidelined for someone who fits the sequel's vibe better, and yeah, it can still smash. The Spider-Man franchise is the ultimate example of successful film recasting through reboots, moving from Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield and finally Tom Holland. Each transition led to massive box office hits, culminating in Spider-Man: No Way Home earning over $1.9 billion USD.

The goal? Fresh appeal, wider reach, or dodging whatever didn't click the first time. It's not shady; it's bold strategy. And musicians are not exempt from this. Artists do this to tap new audiences, juice streams, or pivot for radio playlists that favour certain sounds over others. 

In Gunna's case, swapping Burna's Afro-fusion edge for Brown's pop-R&B sheen screams “U.S. takeover,” especially with The Last Wun already riding high. But this is not rare nor suprising. It's how hits evolve in real time.

To put Gunna's play in perspective, let's pull from the archives without getting academic: we're talking real examples where lineup shakes led to double wins for originals and remixes alike. 

Let’s rewind to Jennifer Lopez's 2001 ‘I'm Real.’ The album version was a solo pop affair, debuting at the summit of the Billboard 200. But it was the ‘Murder Remix’ ditched that changed the song’s future entirely. J.Lo brought in Ja Rule for a gritty hip-hop twist, and the result? Massive! The original built J.Lo's credibility, but the remix exploded to No. 1 on the Hot 100, dominating airwaves and MTV. Both versions coexisted, proving a total feature swap can elevate without erasing the roots..

 Fast-forward to Lil Nas X's ‘Old Town Road’ in 2019. The solo original went viral on TikTok, charting at No. 1 for weeks but the “Billy Ray Cyrus remix” added country flair, extending its reign to a record 19 weeks at the top. No one got ditched. It was simply an addition that saw the lineup shift turn a niche banger into a global phenomenon, with both versions racking up billions in streams.

Now, flipping to Afrobeats, where crossovers are king, Wizkid's ‘Essence’ is the blueprint fans are already invoking in this Gunna drama. The 2020 original with Tems was a sultry slow-burn that became a cultural phenomenon, topped African charts and built Wizkid's international buzz. Then came the 2021 remix, keeping Tems but bringing in Justin Bieber's pop gloss. What happened? We saw the song immediately crack the Hot 100 Top 10. It snagged Grammy nominations,, and turned Afrobeats into a U.S. staple. Both versions thrived: the OG stayed a cultural staple in Nigeria and beyond, while the remix opened doors for the genre in the US.

Another gem? Master KG's ‘Jerusalema’ in 2019. The original with Nomcebo Zikode was a South African dance anthem that spread like wildfire during lockdown, hitting global charts. The 2020 remix swapped in Burna Boy for added star power and Afrobeat swagger. It was a vocal overhaul that kept Nomcebo's essence and increased the song’s commercial appeal. The original stayed beloved in its pure form; the remix fuelled international tours and awards.

And let's not overlook Shallipopi's ‘Laho’ from 2025, a prime case of evolving a track through sequential features without losing steam. The original ‘Laho’ dropped as a solo Benin City-flavoured banger, racking up 75 million YouTube views with its infectious pidgin hooks and street cred vibes, dominating Nigerian playlists. Then came ‘Laho II,’ enlisting Burna Boy for a high-energy collab that amped the Afro-fusion, hitting 51 million streams on Spotify and crossing over to international audiences.

Not stopping there, ‘Laho III’ brought in Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro while completely removing Burna, blending reggaeton flair for a Latin-Afro hybrid that streamed over 4 million times on Spotify alone, expanding Shallipopi's reach into Hispanic markets. While fans on X accused Burna of stunting the song's natural trajectory with his feature on Laho II, the sentiment is mainly centered on stanship wars rather than outright erasure backlash.

Each iteration of Laho built on the last: the OG cemented his Plutomania brand, II added Grammy-winning gravitas, and III pushed genre boundaries by ditching the prior feature for fresh direction. All versions coexisted on platforms, proving how Afrobeats artists like Shallipopi use remix-like sequels to keep hits alive and global.

It is not some sort of…. “original sin” to toe a different direction or even flip the beat entirely for a remix, as seen in Don Jazzy and D'Banj's iconic smash ‘Mr Endowed’ from 2010. The original was a Naija smash produced by Don Jazzy, all energetic Afro-pop vibes that solidified D'Banj's star power in Africa. 

The 2011 remix roped in U.S rapper Snoop Dogg for a laid-back rap verse, refreshing the production with international hip-hop flair and subtle beat tweaks which accommodated Snoop's flow. Jazzy did not delete the African percussion, he just "tuned" it. He did not erase the core rhythm. No major drama erupted; fans and critics hailed it as a landmark collab that bridged Afrobeats and American rap, with no outcry over the changes. 

Comments on the video praised Snoop's enjoyment and D'Banj's respect, calling it the start of Afrobeats' global success. The remix fared strong, boosting Bangalee's international profile, and becoming an iconic cross-continental hit that paved the way for future collabs. Even though some purists preferred the original, the remix extended the track's life without controversy. These cases show remixes with revamped rosters are not about erasure. They are multipliers, letting originals hold their ground while new takes chase a different goal.

Zooming back to Gunna's remix, the online chatter reeks of classic agenda flavour. Accusing Gunna of sidelining Burna for US airplay suggests Afrobeats is just a disposable tool. But let's apply logic: the original peaked at 25 on the Hot 100, a strong showing, with potential for even higher climbs. While the remix attempts a 'smoother' commercial appeal, it loses the ethereal, hypnotic intro that gave the track its soul in the first place.

Yet, data doesn't lie. Chris Brown's track record on R&B radio is gold, from 'No Guidance' with Drake to his endless features, this swap appears to target U.S. playlists wary of heavy Afro-elements, especially following the momentum of The Last Wun.

Fans praising Chris Brown on the remix have a point; his delivery meshes seamlessly with Gunna's laid-back flow, potentially unlocking Top 40 spins similar to the success of their 2019 collaboration 'Heat'.

That said, the Afrobeats crowd's jokes about it mirroring “keeping Tems on 'Essence'” highlight a deeper tension. It raises a question about whether this is a smart business move or if it hurts the culture. In reality, remixes have always helped genres grow without ruining the original success. 

While many feel the verse from Burna Boy is vital, the Chris Brown remix does not replace it. That is not the idea of a remix.

The original track is still available for everyone to listen to and enjoy. If anything, this sparks dialogue, drawing eyes to both. The fanwar is just overblown noise. In a streaming era where variants keep tracks alive, this could extend “WGFT’”s shelf life, benefiting everyone. 

To address the division head-on, check the numbers: as of January 17, 2026, the original with Burna Boy has amassed more than 130 million Spotify streams, a hefty tally reflecting its global appeal. The remix with Chris Brown, released just yesterday on January 16, is rapidly accumulating streams with early indicators suggesting strong initial performance, though exact counts are emerging. 

Both versions can coexist and win big. The original holds its cultural weight, while the remix taps new markets, proving there's room for multiple takes to thrive. And here's the key education for fans: there is no set rules dictating how an artist must approach a remix. It's all about creative freedom: whether keeping features, swapping them out, or flipping the beat entirely. Artists like Gunna get to experiment, evolve, and chase relevance on their terms, without owing loyalty to any one formula. In the end, the real winners are the listeners getting fresh spins on a solid track.