Burna Boy “I Told Them…” Album Review

I Told Them…

Burna Boy

• Genre: Afro-fusion
• Date: 25 Aug, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Region: NGA
• Track(s): 17
• ℗ 2023 Spaceship Entertainment Ltd.

Burna Boy, the tireless Award-winner, made history this summer by becoming the first African artist to headline the 80,000-capacity London Stadium and kicked off this year’s Champions League final in Istanbul, barely a year after the release of his most recent album, the eclectic and emotional “Love Damini.” He appears to be on the verge of breaking through to the US mainstream and turning a few gold-selling singles into something bigger. He recently made history by drawing 41,000 fans to a stadium concert in the United States at Citi Field in New York (shortly before, he made history by becoming the first African solo artist to headline a stadium show in the United Kingdom, selling out the London Stadium).

Burna Boy has been deftly expanding his fan base among Western audiences for some time. He has appeared on songs by Sam Smith and Justin Bieber and has worked on albums with Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran. The latter artist gave For My Hand, a song from 2022’s Love, Damini, his trademark first-dance-at-a-wedding balladry. Burna has repeated this success with some of the songs from “I Told Them” after his sing-along anthems “Last Last” and “For My Hand” (featuring Ed Sheeran) already dominated. The brandy-sampling song “Sittin’ On Top Of The World,” the politically charged song “Big 7,” and a guest appearance on the famous track “Taliban II” by rising Kittitian star Byron Messia are all additional evidence of the African Giant’s undeniable influence on the world of music.

Album Art

The album’s art exudes sophistication, style, and notoriety. Burna cracked the code and is having his wavy moments. He is obviously in a different location. The magazine-style illustration shows Burna Boy chopping up a star on the cover of a well-known business. Virgil Abloh’s voice note sparked Burna’s creativity, and the album’s artwork concept—a cut-and-paste magazine-style body with Burna standing tall and promising “big vibes”—is more powerful and impactful.

Tracks And Features

The opening line of Burna Boy’s seventh album, “I told them I’m a genius; I had to show them what the meaning is,” conveys two ideas: first, the Nigerian musician’s deserved confidence; second, an acknowledgement that Afrofusion King’s rise to international fame took a decade and not an instant. Strangely, the Wu-Tang Clan appears to have had more of an influence on it than the hip-hop stars of today: GZA and the RZA deliver brief spoken-word pieces, and the album is liberally sprinkled with the sound of punches being thrown and flying kicks hitting their targets, lifted from old kung fu movies, which is a Wu trademark. Put me on your song; it’s a hit record,” the singer says, continuing the self-congratulatory tone from the album’s opening track, “I Told Them,” which may come off as arrogant. However, the veracity of Damini Ogulu’s assertion cannot be disputed.

Kung fu samples notwithstanding, the album’s sound is as sunlit as a warm July morning and lacks none of Wu’s grimy darkness. It blends delicate synthesizer washes, sparkling guitar lines (the acoustic guitar figure on the ballad If I’m Lying carries a pleasing echo of TLC’s No Scrubs), and silky 80s pop cues, such as a languid sax solo on Tested, Approved and Trusted over snapping Afrobeats rhythms. On Form, for example, has a section where the bassline changes from leisurely to urgent, completely changing the track. This is one of the album’s low-key highlights.

The voice note from the late fashion visionary Virgil Abloh, whose words of wisdom inspired Burna’s creativity and the album’s artwork concept—a cut-and-paste magazine-style cover with Burna standing tall and promising “big vibes”—is more moving and impactful. It is titled “Virgil” and is more sombre and powerful. He later pays tribute to Abloh in the sombre “Big 7” to honour his legacy, saying, “First of all, rest in peace, Virgil Abloh; don’t spill no drink on my clothes when I’m Louis V drippin’.”

Burna exhibits a similar level of self-respect in other songs as well. The appreciative ‘If I’m Lying’ features soft acoustic guitar and Burna’s vulnerable side, close with an echoing vocal that sounds like a choir. ‘Normal’ and ‘On Form’s’ hooks and ‘Tested, Approved, and Trusted”s smooth saxophones, which add a level of sophisticated sensuality, are just a few examples of the album’s many sing-along choruses and interesting production choices that make it radio-ready gold. It has a great sideline in expertly placed vocal samples, including a stammering cover of Brandy’s vocal on Sittin’ on Top of the World and a cleverly twisted nod to Kwabs on Cheat on Me with Dave.

The ability to consistently entice megastar collaborators comes with such internationally renowned star power. Burna and Streatham rapper Dave reunite for the endlessly replayable “Cheat On Me,” which follows their massive 2019 hit “Location.” It sounds like a surefire hit because it features beats from current producers LiTek and whYJay and is based on a flipped sample of the same-titled song from 2015 by London singer Kwabs. The Amapiano groover “Giza,” which features Seyi Vibez of Nigerian street-hop fame, is also highly addictive. The uncharacteristically angry song “Thanks,” which features Burna shouting, “Is this the motherfucking thanks I get for making my people proud every chance I get,” is another example of J Cole’s technically impressive but slightly disjointed pep talk.

Rising Kittitian star Byron Messia’s viral track “Taliban II” further demonstrates the African giant’s undeniable influence on the international music scene. It serves as the album’s closer and a bonus track. 

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	Big 7	2:29
2	Sittin’ On Top Of The World (feat. 21 Savage)	3:19
3	I Told Them (feat. GZA)	3:09
4	Normal	2:04
5	On Form	3:43
6	Sittin’ On Top Of The World (feat. 21 Savage)	3:08
7	Tested, Approved & Trusted	3:40
8	Cheat On Me (feat. Dave)	3:42
9	Virgil	1:19
10	Big 7	2:23
11	Dey Play	2:33
12	City Boys	2:33
13	Giza (feat. Seyi Vibez)	2:59
14	12 Jewels (feat. RZA)	0:27
15	If I’m Lying	3:17
16	Thanks (feat. J. Cole)	3:36
17	Talibans II	2:56

Album Summary

‘I Told Them…” is exceptionally rich in hooks and bulletproof songwriting, two criteria often used to evaluate albums. Overall, ‘I Told Them’ is not more memorable and condensed than its expansive predecessor that saw him bag nominations and awards. Still, it’s his strongest album to date because of how reputable he has grown to become. Burna Boy produces pure magic here, no matter what kind of mood he’s in—a true genius.

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