The much-anticipated AFRICAN GIANT is here and there is a lot of buzz surrounding Burna Boy’s latest studio release. Music lovers are in for a treat and Burna Boy fans will have a lot of songs to dance to.
The controversial singer wasn’t afraid to say that he named the album AFRICAN GIANT because that was the way he saw himself. The ON THE LOW crooner aimed for lofty heights this time around and largely succeeds as the album delivers, proving that there is more to the artiste than meets the eye.
Burna Boy tackles the ineptitude of the government in ANOTHER STORY, a song with an enjoyable beat that reminds us that despite gaining our independence since 1960, we are far from being a country that knows what it wants. Apparently, all we have done is make things worse for ourselves as we keep coming up with excuses for our failures rather than owning up to our mistakes and learning from them.
Burna Boy channels his inner Fela in the album, showing his empathy for the struggling African individual in the track WETIN MAN GO DO.
In the song, the artist talks about the harsh and unforgiving society the African finds himself and his never-ending struggle for survival. Other tracks like GUM BODY, ON THE LOW, SPIRITUAL and KILLIN DEM (ft Zlatan) are sure to entice the senses and make us dance.
Also worthy of note is DIFFERENT (ft Damian Marley and Angelique Kidjo). It is a fusion of raga and reggae and another guaranteed hit banger.
The album succeeds largely because it deals with a variety of topics from love and romance to the incessant issues plaguing our society today. Burna Boy has proven that he can wow us with club hits and also leave us pondering and meditating on serious matters.
The album isn’t without its shortcomings though. One that stands out is that a lot of the songs have similar beats and one gets the feeling of listening to a song several times. But that doesn’t stop it from being an outstanding artistic achievement.
While it doesn’t live up to its name of being the African Giant, it definitely leaves a lasting impression from an artist that is sure to keep making us dance for a long time to come.
