here comes the AFRICAN GIANT / Burna Boy (2019)

yeah the first run of songs (before the non-j hus guests start showing up) is pretty flawless imo, but i haven't been returning to the second half beyond "common person," "vanilla," and the blxst/kehlani collab

agree that the first half is stronger & more interesting, but idk the only dud is the khalid track

here’s a Nigerian review that makes more sense than the Joey Akan one - although I don’t agree with some of the song assessments.

meanwhile, it’s “Vanilla” that gets a video besides the Ed Sheeran collabo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNYl4ZCZDAI

It's pretty subtle but does the album mix of Kilometre sounds different to anyone else? Not just different but a little better/more banging if my ears can be trusted

Yeah, I noticed it at once. Not sure if it needed it, but there’s more going on in the mix for sure.

more Burna chart stats - I know you love ‘em:

“Last Last” enters the Billboard Hot 100 at #86, his first US hit. it’s now #7 in the UK, where “For My Hand” debuts at #30 - making it the first amapiano-ish(-ish) track to go top 40, I think?

Love, Damini enters the UK (and Dutch) album charts at #2, and the Billboard 200 Albums at #14, highest peaks for an afropop/afrobeats album ever (for comparison, Made in Lagos debuted at #15 in the UK and #80 in the US (and #28 for the Deluxe Edition when “Essence” was blowing up)

listening to the album again today after a couple of days hiatus: first half remains very strong, of the second-half collabos I still like the J Balvin one, but turns out “Solid” ain’t bad either. the others tho… nah.

"common person" too ordinary? "vanilla" too...you know?

I was talking about the songs with features specifically. the rest of the second half is also weaker than the first, but “Common Person” in
particular stood out much more for me this time

“Wild Dreams” is more like a tame impala tho

xp ah missed the word "collabos" in there

icymi, Last Last has been riddim-ized in JA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y36Bg8wvPg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yugwBn8doVk

Gotta love Skilli's minimalism. Bay-be.

new song, “Alone”, from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever thingy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8qGmBtXZV8

it’s growing on me

Burna x Balvin, “Rollercoaster”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyVVGW-5ITw

sounds like a rehash of “Anybody”/“Gbona”-era Burna, aimed primarily (or even exclusively) at the global market. not sure the song is all that strong tho.

it would have fit fine on the last album, it's pleasant but nothing special

sounding great on talibans - https://open.spotify.com/album/4EouhaKTJkW8xRpLsCz7va?si=dCzd-LIOR5mXGfiFg7K9TA

^otm

his new single "Big 7" is so much fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GATRApPww8

new album out 8/25

hell yeah

if this means there's a RZA beat on the album...oh man

yeah “big 7” is great … one of the best things from him in recent memory

i really love this song... "ghetto gospel preacher / two time community service breacher" is a great line

i can't quite put my finger on it but this feels like it harkens back to 'outside' era to me in that it's sorta this sui generis version of pop-rap that has clear west african/american/carribean influences but feels slightly unmoored from any specific region or genre, all the influences are baked in and not easily separable. it's kinda like he's just floating above the globe, absorbing sounds and then spitting out a song where everything feels seamlessly woven together (forgive my metaphor mixing). great record. i feel like i got burned a bit by the last album, which i really wanted to like (and which had a great lead single), but this song has me optimistic

https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/burna-boy-afrobeats-lacks-substance-faces-backlash-1234783091/

Burna Boy getting flack for telling Apple interviewer that afrobeats lacks substance

New album sounds perfect and unforced outside of the wu tang features.

he's kinda coasting in the same way as the last album but it's still good, very solid stuff

no idea what the point of the wu-tang interludes is though

yeah this is rather good! only listened once, but I think I was more into the second half? starting with Big 7 it really flows, though agreed about the Wu stuff and I probably just need to pay more attention to the first half

upgrading my opinion to: this rules

I'm curious what J0rd thinks?

have only listened once, but i am not entirely surprised by the mixed reception, considering this is such a blatant mainstream play. but i think it's pretty good overall, give or take a j. cole verse, definitely a major step above last year's alb.

I’m not sure what mainstream means in this context

it feels like he’s trying to speak more to the rap establishment with the wu appearances, plus 21 savage and j. cole guest verses

oh ok that makes sense. He’s bigger than j cole in my mind but that’s probably empirically wrong

caught his concert last night, the show is incredible. live version of “anybody” blew the roof off the place

he is awesome live

recorded version of “it’s plenty” was a bit too cheesy to me but a stadium full of people singing along and going nuts to it while Burna boy is jumping up and down with the worlds widest grin on his face with confetti cannons and fireworks going off behind him really warmed me on it