Burna Boy burst into the music scene in 2010 and later in 2012 he gave us a ground breaking single/video ''Like To Party'' and we all knew this chap was special, rewinding it back to 2018 we see Burna Boy release another beautiful mixtape titled Outside. And this release came after several average projects in my opinion but this mixtape promised to be a solid one at least considering the fact that it was tipped to feature UK artist Lilly Allen. The Mixtape was released on the 26th January, 2018 and consist of Thirteen (13) tracks and judging from the lead singles, it promises to be nothing but an experience worth the while.
More Life: Is a nice intro into the mixtape Outside, this 1:32 second intro takes listeners on an experience of what Burna Boy plans to dish out on this project. More life is a mid -tempo record brilliantly produced as his bass vocals glides on this beat producing nothing but magic. This is certainly a very good way to kick start the a project, as he gives his listener nothing more than a carve for more.
PH City Vibration: This is a very brilliant afro-pop single off this mixtape, as we see Burna Boy bring the 'gala lala' vibe back to life with a fusion of that modern pop instrumentation. And what makes this record even more massive is how Burna Boy brought this concept for PH City Vibration to life. What he did was only to make listener who haven't been to Port Harcourt City (the oil rich city of Rivers State in the south south region of Nigeria. i.e for those who are not Nigerian's or been to Nigeria) to want to visits and for those who have, it only brings back that nostalgic feeling which is simply genius. This is by far one of my favorites off this project and i would like to see a musical video of this track capturing the essence of this oil rich city of Port Harcourt.
Koni Baje: The title of this record Koni Baje is a Yoruba word for ''It Wont Spoil.'' We see Burna Boy channel his Lagos influence on this beautifully produced record which has that heavy vibe of the African drums, the guitar and saxophone, making it an enjoyable track anyone would want to dance or listen to. This is certainly an appropriate choice of song to have made this project.
Sekkle Down Feat. J Hus: It is safe to say that Sekkle Down is the follow up single to Heaven's Gate featuring Lilly Allen as this record was cross-faded into one video with Heaven's Gate, upon the release of this project and the track features UK act J Hus. Well, i was excited to here the intro of this song which was very groovy and catchy with Burna Boy holding his fort but was let down by J Hus first verse which was a bit misplaced and he eventually redeemed himself on the second verse but Burna Boy was the star of the show on this record. This is a good record that can be a favorite for D jays and the clubs.
Heaven's Gate Feat. Lilly Allen: This is the lead single off the mixtape Outside and it features English multi talent act Lilly Allen which had a very engaging and relate-able music video most especially for those who reside/have lived in England. The synergy between Burna Boy and Lilly Allen was blissful, in as much as it was an unlikely feature when it was first announced in 2017 that both artist working together on a record. They did nothing less than bringing on their A game, as we see Burna Boy go hard on his verses with a fusion of the Patois (Patwah)/Pidgin English as well as with Lilly Allen's smoothing retro vocals making it the best collaboration i have heard in 2018. Period!!! Also the production of this record by Fred Gibson was impeccable as he was able to merge the diverse genre into a beautiful record called Heaven's Gate. This is one of the best records off the Outside project and also out of Africa.
Ye: This song Ye has to be the best record off the Outside mixtape based on the following reasons; hook, flow, grove, beat, ecstatic nature of the production with the lyrical content, Burna Boy brought to life the dynamism of his talent on this record with a touch of that Fela vibe. I can only say this song was done to perfection and deserves nothing less than a 10/10 rating.
Giddem: This record has a very interesting title Giddem that is; (Give Them), i love the way it was creatively twisted. Also we see Chopstix and Burna Boy sample and flipped Tamia's 1998 hit single So Into You, turning it into a brilliant dancehall record. Giddem is a superb record that can be a favorite in the clubs if well promoted and i must commend Burna Boy's A&R who is simply a genius for the songs selection for the Outside mixtape.
Streets of Africa: Burna Boy once again teams up with longtime producer LeriQ to create this beautiful record titled Street of Africa, as we see him display his songwriting skills on a very wavy level, making this track sound like something that our nursery school kids would like to listen to during break times or after school hours. Lol. Anyways, you can tell Burna Boy poured out his heart on this record and it nice to see him represent where he comes from but this time on a broader perspective.
Rock Your Body: This record Rock Your Body was produced by talented producer Juls who has produced a lot of trendy/hit records in the last few years, so you can expect him to do nothing less than bring on his superlative vibe on a Burna Boy track. It is great to see Burna Boy give us a 'dutty' love song with that party vibe that is somewhat radio friendly and a 100% club banger. This is one of my favorite records on this mixtape.
Devil In California: This is a straight up 808s record and it is the reason why we love Burna Boy. He once again showed us his musical diversity on Devil In California, because this track is totally; fresh, trendy, soulful and has that dark cloud of a breakup love song . A visual compliment and interpretation of this record by an eccentric director will do all the justice that this track deserves.
Calm Down: Burna Boy displays his vocal prowess on this amazingly soulful beat as he laces his lyrical content on a song that is to die for.... and the production level on this record is unbelievably the best..., its fun and chilled at the same. Calm Down is a record we see Burna Boy pour out his heart on a J Five production and it is nothing less than blissful to listen to. This record sounds like a something a Kanye West would love to jump on. Great job!
Outside: This is a beautiful conscience record and probably the crux of this project as it is the theme/title of the mixtape. This track off the mixtape has this beautiful sonic Afrohouse vibe that keeps you nodding to the grove while Burna Boy hits you with that delivery of the reality of life that will most definitely sink in. This is a fabulous way to end this project.
The Outside Mixtape by Burna Boy is by far the best embodiment of work i have heard out of Africa in 2018 and this is tied to following reasons; the sonic quality of the production by (Chopstix, Fred Gibson, Juls, Leriq and J Five), relatively apt features by Lilly Allen and J Hus, lyrical content, vocal dexterity and overall production concept for the artworks, etc. The mixtape had a great balance of new skool vibes, mid-tempo and afrofusion/house records which gave listeners an insight of the essence and creative genius of Burna Boy. Therefore, I would like to rate this mixtape a 9.5/10. This is by far the highest mixtape rating on this blog and it is exciting to see this happen in our life time. Lol! Burna Boy has given his listeners a personal collection of quality records that would last a lifetime. Overall this is a brilliant work that I enjoyed listening to and i look forward to more great work and consistency from this dynamic artist.
in case you haven't listened or downloaded Outside by Burna Boy please download it here:
DOWNLOAD HERE
DOWNLOAD HERE
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