Ahead of the release of his keenly awaited 8th album ‘No Sign of Weakness,’ Burna Boy released 5 tracks that offered insight into the range and diversity the project would offer.
On the album cover art, his mannequins could be spotted looking in from the corner, each holding signs with the words “Prayer, Resilience, Love, Party, and Endurance” while he sits next to a version of himself playing the therapist.
The cover art conveys the themes that have shaped Burna Boy’s career as well as his latest album. It also conveys his decision to subject himself to introspection in a bid to identify and quell all forms of weaknesses.
With 16 tracks and notable guest appearances from Rock music legend Mick Jagger, American hip hop star Travis Scott, Country music chart topper Shaboozey, and French music icon Stromae, fans had a lot of songs to choose from.
Here is the first listen ranking of the top 5 tracks on Burna Boy’s ‘NSOW’.
Although he switched the hook that made the snippet go viral, the replacement was equally fitting.
Mick Jagger’s famous electrifying vocals and rock punctuation add beauty to the bouncy record that holds up Burna Boy’s talent.
No Sign of Weakness (track 2)
On ‘NSOW,’ Burna Boy didn’t take time before sending shots to his detractors and restating his status.
The eponymously named track 2 was an energetic hip-hop fusion where he showed his range and rap credentials with top-notch lyricism and swaggering delivery.
Love (Track 4)
Using his familiar free-flowing delivery and melody molding technique, Burna Boy gets personal as he addresses human frailty and the fair-weather relationships wealth and success attract.
In one of the moments where he sings on the album, the Grammy winner pledges his love and loyalty to those who stand by him.
28 Grams (Track 9)
Burna Boy’s mastery of dancehall has been established in many of his past works. On ’28 Grams,’ he taps into Konto (a Nigerian dancehall-inspired sub-genre) bounce to pay homage to the euphoric grass that has formed the subject of several other iconic songs.
Kabiyesi (Track 10)
One of the finest songs on the album, Burna Boy shines on the Telz-produced funk fusion to celebrate his status as a music royalty whose superlative talent and feats tower above the rest.
