Nigerian artists are on the rise: this past weekend Afrofusion Superstar, Burna Boy, released his fourth studio album titled African Giant. The 28- year-old artist has already had a very impressive year. So far in 2019, he has performed at Coachella Valley Music Festival, was announced as Apple Music’s “Up Next” artist, and has won several awards including Best International Act at the BET Awards. He even landed himself a feature on Beyonce’s new Lion King album The Gift on the smooth track “JA ARA E.”. Since working on African Giant back in 2018, the time has finally come for him to unveil his best musical project yet.
The 19 track album kicks off with the song “African Giant” and you can almost immediately feel the authenticity. The entire sound production throughout the song gives off a genuine feel of Nigeran culture from the melody to the tribal chants at the end. The speed then picks up on the second track “Anybody” and you can’t help but move your body to the beat. With a mix of both English and Nigerian Pidgin, Burna uses “Anybody” to reflect on the times when he was serving others, but also to talk about how people are now serving him. Despite flaunting his well-earned success in music, Burna’s humility is evident on this track with lines like “Respect is reciprocal. Even though una know say I special”
As far as messages on the album go, Burna uses 19 tracks to discuss a wide range of topics, from his consistent efforts trying to get a woman's attention on “Gum Body” to discussing political issues on “Collateral Damage”. The track “Another Story” featuring M.anifest even directly educates listeners on the history of Nigerian independence, including some dialogue from Jide Olanrewaju about the British government that may shock you.
Ultimately, Burna’s ability to mix signature Afrobeat, dancehall, pop, and hip hop sounds all on one album makes him a standout artist that should be on everybody's radar. Beyond his talents, African Giant even includes collaborations with some worldwide recognizable names in music. Jorja Smith, Jeremih, Future, Damian Marley, Angélique Kidjo, Serani, and Ziantan are all featured on the album. Burna Boy’s hit track “On The Low” also makes an appearance on the album which has racked up nearly 50 million views on Youtube.
Burna Boy will be headlining at the Interswitch One Africa Music Fest in Brooklyn, New York on August 10th. Most importantly, The “African Giant Returns Tour” beings next month starting in Toronto, Canada August 9th. Check out if Burna Boy will be performing in your city soon.
AUGUST
9 – Toronto, ON – Rebel
11 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia
16 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
17 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
28 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
SEPTEMBER
4 – Denver, CO – Summit
8 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
10 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
13 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
15 – Washington, DC – The Fillmore Silver Spring
20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
OCTOBER
20 – Brussels, BE – Palais 12
24 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live
NOVEMBER
3 – London, UK – The SSE Arena
6 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
9 – Leicester, UK – O2 Academy
You can stream and purchase African Giant on all platforms.
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