African Giant

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Burna Boy recorded African Giant between August and November 2018 with producer Kel-P. They spent six weeks in a hotel room in Lagos and made twenty-three tracks. The title comes from his angry reaction to the organisers of Coachella over the small letters in which his name appeared on the poster. The album was released on 26 July 2019 and mixes Afrobeats, Afrobeat, dancehall, pop and hip hop. He called it his most personal record, with themes such as the political situation in Nigeria and violence in the region.

Anybody contains a sample of Angélique Kidjo. Dangote, partly in Yoruba and Nigerian pidgin, is an angry indictment of poverty in Nigeria, with horns in the style of Fela. Gum Body is a love duet with Jorja Smith. Critics called the record coherent and praised him for not diluting his sound. It received a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album.

Listening

Track list

1. 1African Giant3:05Apple Music ↗
2. 2Anybody3:09Apple Music ↗
3. 3Wetin Man Go Do3:08Apple Music ↗
4. 4Dangote3:45Apple Music ↗
5. 5Gum Body (feat. Jorja Smith)3:15Apple Music ↗
6. 6Killin Dem (feat. Zlatan)3:41Apple Music ↗
7. 7Omo2:27Apple Music ↗
8. 8Secret (feat. Jeremih & Serani)3:24Apple Music ↗
9. 9Collateral Damage3:18Apple Music ↗
10. 10Another Story (feat. M.anifest)4:16Apple Music ↗
11. 11Pull Up3:08Apple Music ↗
12. 12Blak Ryno (Skit)1:07Apple Music ↗
13. 13Destiny3:17Apple Music ↗
14. 14Different (feat. Angélique Kidjo & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley)3:16Apple Music ↗
15. 15Gbona3:08Apple Music ↗
16. 16On the Low3:06Apple Music ↗
17. 17Show & Tell (feat. Future)2:43Apple Music ↗
18. 18This Side (feat. YG)3:23Apple Music ↗
19. 19Spiritual3:42Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗