Ghosts of his past don’t stop Burna Boy from thumping into greatness on ‘Twice As Tall’
Burna Boy’s new album can be summarised in three acts; “Level Up”, “23” and “Bank On It”. All three tracks give his Twice as Tall narrative some sort of cohesion, but “Level Up”, is the real kicker that blows the weighty message of all 15-tracks wide-open. On the brutally honest opener, Burna Boy, the usually braggadocious, impersonal wordsmith, names a few moments of personal and growth-inspired vulnerability. Lamentations about nearly giving up segue into being validated by sold-out arenas, anti-climaxing with the agony of losing out at the Grammys.
“Level Up” is not the personality-defining exposé you’d want from a reclusive artist who seems to have bottled up so much over the years. Even with an accompanying motion comic set on the origin story of Burna Boy: wielder of the ‘secret flame’ Twice As Tall, still leaves so much unsaid. It appears with Burna Boy, we may never get to hear the full story on anything—his life in the trenches? Who his enemies are? Or why his journey is littered with so many tales of betrayal?
Burna has been here before—musically and artistically. In fact, he’s always been here. We have heard him internalised and moody on “Ye”, reflective yet unyielding on “Pree Me”, paranoid but self-reliant on “Heaven’s Gate”. The angst runs deep, but those broody, aggressive, pseudo-political songs can also become predictable and exhausting. Luckily, on Twice as Tall, you get the sense Burna Boy may finally be willing to move on from some of the uncertainties and losses from dark times in his life. If not for any other reason, because he's compelled by the responsibility of what is unfolding to be a divine purpose. A path way bigger than him and his unrelenting trust issues.
Since the release of his 2018 ‘Mixtape’ Outside, Damini Ogulu has embarked on an evangelical mission of bridging the divide between the motherland of Africa and her diaspora community. Over the past 24 months, he has transitioned into becoming an international titan of Afro-Fusion music, embarking on a successful tour of the US, releasing a grammy nominated album in African Giant, and selling out the Wembley SSE Arena in London last year. Barely a decade since the MoHits, G.O.O.D. Music partnership set the parameters of how far Nigerian music could travel, Nigerian artists are making their presence in the international scene felt, one determined stride after another.
Burna himself, can no longer pretend to be unfazed by how much things have levelled-up. Whilst Outside laid the experimental framework for his robust persona, refined for a relentless onslaught of politically-charged bangers on African Giant, Twice As Tall is distinctly more insular, reserved and neurotic.
Released in the restrictive and cautious period that is 2020, Twice As Tall aims to coalesce ideology, and Burna Boy’s unique pan African experience, offering an authentic perspective to the world. At a time where black identity and unity all over the world has been intensely scrutinised, from banditry and terrorism across parts of Nigeria, continued police brutality in America, and the struggles women of colour face, the words ‘they only respect the money and the violence’ cuts through a reality all too familiar to every black person. Beneath Burna’s call to action however, is the human element of a superstar coming to grips with having the world at his fingertips, after toiling for so long, and indeed the re-affirmation of greatness needed in the face of public intrusion.
This contextualises the aspirational yearnings grounded by fear and uncertainty that opened the project. In spite of the despair he once felt at the start of his journey, Burna has remained resilient, choosing to “never stop”. “Level Up” swells to a conquering reprieve when Senegalese legend Youssou N’Dour encourages listeners to believe in themselves and keep their head up. As a Diddy voice over transitions to the next track, the magnanimity of the tools at the African Giant’s disposal become apparent. An energized prophet for unity, a conglomerate of elements from diverse contemporary African genres, synergised collaborations, and the ultimate secret weapon: the greatest music marketer the world has ever seen: Sean Diddy Combs.
According to Diddy, Twice As Tall was 80% complete before he got involved in the process. Through frequent Zoom sessions, and file transfers, Diddy added fresh ears, decades of experience, and introduced Timbaland and Anderson paak amongst others as collaborators. Speaking to The Breakfast Club, Burna says he had envisioned Twice As Tall to serve as a bridge to all Black diaspora communities, and saw Diddy as the best person to ‘bring that power in’. Recognising Burna's unique standing, Diddy notes “A lot of times when an artist wants to be coached or pushed to maybe a greater level, that’s where I’ve come in,” he said. “He, as every artist, he wants his music to be heard by the world.”
Through most of Twice As Tall, Burna leans on the rhythmic and youthful dexterity of wonder kids, Rexxie, & Telz. He glides on the intoxicatingly jovial “Bebo” where he buys the bar. The playful nature is enhanced by pitched vocals on the hook, a subtle trademark of Rexxie’s. “Wonderful” is a treat of Burna’s vocal textures, as he opens the track with charged call and answer refrains akin to zulu chants. Telz crafts a transcontinental thumper built on groovy house percussion, and accented with a rich array of melodies, horn arrangements, and light tones for a sweet composition. “Onyeka (baby)” is a rich homage to the foundational elements of Afropop (and ofcourse the legend that is Onyeka Onwenu), wise sayings, romantic yearnings all served in a relaxed highlife atmosphere.
On “Way Too Big” he challenges anyone to name a comparable contemporary. Having realized just how big he’s gotten, Burna is staying above the BS. He recounts the lessons and experiences that have brought him this far, and contends with the claustrophobia of having little room for error. Featuring Diddy and Timbaland as well as Leriq as producers, the track closes with a heavenly guitar solo from Mike Dean.
The album centrepiece “23” is one of Burna’s most introspective records till date. Detailing his love for music, and the travails he’s endured being an artist that has long-been persecuted by the court of public opinion, Burna has worked hard to craft his own path. And so he understands there are many roads to victory. Despite being triumphant, he cannot shake the anxiety he feels around people, only this time, his approach is less ‘Burna the paranoid’ and more ‘Burna the documentarian’. This near-sociological observer gaze sustains throughout Twice As Tall.
Despite best efforts to be blind to the ills of society, noticeable on Outside smash-hit, “Ye”, he’s still concerned enough to lend his voice to it. His cadence is less rigid on “No Fit Vex”, as he accepts the commonalities in the human struggle. This track stands out, because it’s one of the few moments where Burna’s warmth is reverberating.
“No Fit Vex” echoes the humbled philosophy of veterans like 2Baba. The music goes, we are all just trying to get ahead, and despite how things look, life is not easy for anyone. His ontological perspective of life intricacies reflects a keen understanding of African life. In this part of the world, the grind is eternal because bellies are rarely full.
As Burna reiterates he doesn’t judge others even when he disagrees with their lifestyles, you can hear some of the demure optimism that surfaced on his L.I.F.E debut when he sings “And when i hear better news about you, and I smile, E dey ginger my soul”. Burna knows we have to do, what we have to do, even if the world disagrees— a fact of life, he tried to make obvious on “Intro: My Life”, the opening track off his debut when he sings: “Y’all won’t understand, I’m just an ordinary man”.
Back then, his clamour for acceptance was in relation to his misunderstood personality. But admitting flaws is an intrinsic part of what makes art relatable. From his self-indulgence, seeing through fake smiles, and admitting he can’t even trust his neighbours, he focuses on his human vulnerabilities on Twice As Tall in a way that almost contradicts his self-ordained prophethood. He is still haunted by his past, and offers his perspective from that vantage point. Whilst there is nothing wrong with sharing trauma, there is a fine line between being hurt, and living life through the filter of old scars. Especially now that he aspires to continental greatness of historical proportions, leadership becomes a consequence of his very art; and you cannot lead with love, if you do not trust people.
Demanding Africans in diaspora return ‘home’ to make things better is also not a new line of thinking. Countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Haiti, have shown us that while black unity is important, if we cannot contend for the challenges we face internally, we would simply be changing masters and not the system. Inevitably, due to timing, scope and subject matter, Black is King and Twice As Tall should serve as complimentary records. Burna, given his global black African experience, should be a corrective narrator in the depiction of African identity. Diddy's addition, though entertaining, does little to build on this pan-African vision (originally espoused on African Giant), and sometimes his presence comes off generic and patronising. Burna’s vigour and activism are commendable and apparent, though, perhaps we can expect that same passion to be channeled into future projects.
For now, we’ll have to make do with music about the larger than life egos and restrictive forces that Burna Boy had to contend with on his creative path. Twice As Tall is a shining example of the heights attainable through collaboration with Africa’s diaspora. It paints a picture of the psyche, and internal chaos inside a young sage striving to bridge a people that have been torn apart for so long. As the inspiration behind Twice as Tall, it should be said that the demand for Burna Boy to deliver projects with narrative reason is a great indicator of his creative growth.
A lot of Nigerian and indeed African music has leaned on hip-hop music for structure and inspiration, in much the same way that traditional and contemporary African music have formed the basis of a majority of black arts. To see these worlds collide in so many ways, and in such an organic fashion is a dream come true for fans and artists alike, and is testament to the power only the African Giant can wield.
Images abriged from original pictures by Sanaa Abstrakt