On this day, 5 years ago, the African Giant, Burna Boy blessed us with this beautiful body of work, Outside. It was released on January 26, 2018, through Spaceship Entertainment, Bad Habit, and Atlantic Records. Outside is the third studio album by Burna Boy, which the Grammy-Award-winning artist describes as a mixtape. According to some “Outsiders,” the 13-track album is Burna’s most outstanding project so far in his career. Do you agree with this? This album gave us bangers like “Ye,” “Rock Your Body,” and “Heaven’s Gate,” amongst many others.
This album has so many gems in it, from the start to the finish. Burna Boy has been known to have an introspective outlook on his projects, where he speaks about his experiences, bares his emotional state of mind, and lets us into bits of his life. He also speaks on societal ills and issues surrounding the life of an average Nigerian. The relativity of his art is also a reason why many are attracted to his sound. Over the years, many have disagreed with his personality and public reputation, but this doesn’t take away the fact that he is exceptional at what he does. Not only is Burna Boy a great writer and singer with a unique style and delivery, but he is also one of the greatest performers to have come out of Africa.
Outside- A Thematic Review
This album explores various themes, including emotional distress and the need to relax and enjoy life as seen on the opening track, ‘More life’. A laid-back song about relaxation with elements of house music infused in it.
Hold ‘pon vibes,
Burna Boy, More Life
Put me drink ‘pon ice
Pree more life
He also shows his love for the African continent on ‘Streets of Africa’. He expresses his happiness on the bouncy trap beats, and you can definitely feel the vibe as you listen. It is also some form of affirmation “How can I not be happy always, I’m from the streets of Africa”. Happiness lives here, regardless of the challenges we go through. The above-mentioned tracks carry an air of nostalgia.
Background and Life Story
Burna Boy is not one to forget his background. He always pays homage to where he is from and tells his story while growing up. ‘City Vibrations’ where he spoke about his family background and his childhood growing up in Port-Harcourt City in Rivers State, Nigeria shows this vividly. In ‘Where I’m from‘, Burna talks about the struggles of growing up in a violence-ridden society, a city where you either fight to survive or take the flight option to survive. For those who grew up in areas like this, you know well that the best survival skill is a mix of both fight and flight responses. The theme of violence and betrayal is also seen in ‘Heaven’s Gate,” featuring Lily Allen. This track is one of the hidden gems of this project, one of my favorites, and Lily Allen delivered it beautifully.
Sultry Intentions and Vibes
‘Rock your body‘ is that party banger that gets you grinding on your partner and rocking them left to right all over the dancefloor. I have a particular dance pattern I do anytime this song comes on at parties, back then in uni. This was a party mood changer and still is. Perfectly delivered on a Dancehall/Afro-fusion beat, Burna expresses how he wants to rock his partner’s body and do many things to her as she mesmerizes him with her body and moves.
‘Sekkle Down,’ featuring Jhus also gives the sultry vibes as the duo takes turns speaking words of “affirmation” to their partner, appreciating every bit of her beauty and poise.
Ambitions and Aspirations
Burna Boy eulogizes himself on ‘Koni Baje’ praying that the light that has come on will never go off. “Ina mi to ti tan, ko deni baje”. He prays for his ambitions and declares things won’t go south for him. He restates his position as a top dog and rockstar on ‘Giddem’ because he is out to give them as it is. Well, he’s still giving it to us, and some have even received it physically too.
On the greatest song off this project, ‘Ye’, Burna Boy preaches a soft life and speaks about his stress-free one, one that doesn’t involve any form of trouble but rather riches and enjoyment. This song is still an anthem any day. Once this song comes on, the whole place lights up immediately, and everyone is doing the “Fela” dance while chanting the lyrics out loud. There is always a song that becomes the anthem of the moment whenever he releases a project. ‘Ye’ was the national anthem in 2018.
Pain and Struggles
Burna Boy also expresses his pain and struggles on ‘Calm down’, ‘Devil in California’, and ‘Outside’ ft Mabel. He expresses his pain and how he drowns them by indulging in certain vices on ‘Calm down’, while driving a thought-provoking narrative on ‘Devil in California’. He speaks about how he’s been living on the edge and feels like something is missing in his life.
Concluding Remarks
As always, Burna Boy’s delivery is always top-notch, clearly communicating either in English, Pidgin, Patois, or sometimes Yoruba. The production on this album is also not lacking, as top producers in Nigeria and the UK collaborated on the project. The likes of Jae5, Juls, Chopstix, Phantom, Fred Gibson, and Peter Jay, amongst many others were the producers on this project.
Outside still sounds as though it was released within the last 2 years.
Happy 5th anniversary to Outside.
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