New York, NY (Top40 Charts) GRAMMY/BRITs-nominee, two-time recipient of BET's Best International Act award and MTV
Europe Music Award's Best African act BURNA BOY, officially unveils the release date and full tracklist for his fifth studio album, TWICE AS TALL.
Executive produced by Sean "
Diddy" Combs, Bosede Ogulu and Damini "Burna Boy" Ogulu, TWICE AS TALL serves as the official follow-up music platter to the GRAMMY-nominated album AFRICAN GIANT. This marks Diddy's return to the studio since Executive Producing Nipsey Hussle's VICTORY LAP in 2018.
With the first single from the album, "
Wonderful" produced by Telz garnering widespread praise from media publications including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, TIME, Entertainment Weekly and many more. Burna described the song as being "about the 'wonders' of seeing the impact of my music on people's lives while touring, and it also serves as a note that no matter how far you go, or how hard you work; you must be ready to come home. Above all, Africa is home, it is the motherland to all people."
The album, mostly recorded in Lagos during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a beautiful mélange of sounds. 11 songs from the 15-track album were produced by Nigerian producers 8 of which are from the Spaceship
Collective including LeriQ, Telz, P2J and Rexxie, while Mike Dean, Timbaland, Skread and Jae5 add an extra spice to the sound, completing the album.
'Alarm clock', the second track on the album, produced by P2j and co-produced by Diddy, is one of those unique sounds that glorifies the Afrofusion genre that is Burna Boy.
One of the album's most haunting songs, 'Monsters You Made' produced by LeriQ sees
Burna Boy and Chris
Martin of
Coldplay bring to life an echoey roots reggae and rock fusion. This track condemns miseducation, addresses historical and social injustice from the Niger Delta in Nigeria to the pillage of African land and resources to global systemic racism, police brutality and corruption. Delivered perfectly in a sound that's bound to question and resonate.
"Wetin Dey Sup" is the 13th track on the album, produced by Telz and co-produced by Timbaland; punctuated by gunshots and sirens that warn: "They only respect the money and the violence," speaks to the pulse of the Nigerian youth. Telz also produced Real Life featuring Stormzy.
Other tracks to look out for on the 'Twice As Tall' album are 'Level Up', produced by DJDS, featuring legendary Youssou N'dour. 'Bebo produced by Rexxie, 'Onyeka' and 'Naughty by Nature' both produced by Telz, 'Comma' produced by Rexxie, and 'No fit Vex' another one by LeriQ.
In the 15 songs on the "Twice as Tall" album,
Burna Boy takes stock of his accomplishments, his vulnerabilities and at the same time, encouraging ambition, perseverance in the face of uncertainty and against all odds.
While this album is a pure, unapologetic African body of work, it boasts of a global contemporary sound that is for everyone. For the "African Giant" this project is a product of a potpourri of emotions and he is now standing "twice as tall."
The 'TWICE AS TALL' album is set to be released on August 14, 2020 at MIDNIGHT BST
TWICE AS TALL - BURNA BOY
Level Up (Twice As Tall) feat. Youssou N'Dour
Alarm Clock
Way Too Big
Bebo
Wonderful
Onyeka (Baby)
Naughty By Nature Ft. Naughty By Nature
Comma
No Fit Vex
23
Time Flies feat. Sauti Sol
Monsters You Made feat. Chris Martin
Wetin Dey Sup
Real Life feat. Stormzy
Bank On It
