Afro Beats artiste Burna Boy has revealed his second studio album will be out on July 26. This album is following his 2018 effort Outside.
The album African Giant is well anticipated as his following has snowballed in recent months with songs like “Gbona” and “Ye” a mainstay on charts around the world. Burna Boy, who is a Nigerian artiste, is influenced by a wide array of music. In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Beats 1 Up Next, he explains how he was influenced by the likes of Naughty by Nature, Super Cat, and of course another African legend, Fela Kuti.
That would explain his dynamic approach to his music and why it touches such a wide range of people. His use of Jamaican patois is very frequent in his music, which he owes to spending time in the U.K. This familiarity with Jamaican culture has led to many Jamaicans falling in love with his music.
This should show local Jamaican artistes how influential the culture is; this should point the way forward. He is winning on the international stage with our language, yet we use our language as a scapegoat for not being international. Take notes from Burna and go back to the drawing board my people our culture and style are enough; there is no need to borrow from our hip hop counterparts as much as we do.
African giant will feature recently released tracks Gbona and Anybody two tracks that are already considered hits among the people, I for one can’t wait for its release. Speaking of release, it will be distributed by Atlantic Records. As any artiste would tell you, a big label push makes a big difference in taking an album to the next level.
Burna boy is looking to break the mold of being a superstar in Africa only. He is looking to be considered among the likes of Drake and Rihanna and based on what we have heard; he has all the potential to achieve it.
We wish the African Giant all the best with the project, Toast to July 26!