Kendrick Lamar, “N95”
Post Malone f/ Roddy Ricch, “Cooped Up”
Burna Boy, “Last Last”
Leikeli47, “Get the Riches”
Lil Eazzyy, “No Hook”
Best New Music This Week: Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Burna Boy, and More
burna boy
Burna Boy Drops “Last Last” Single
Burna will release his sixth studio album in June 2022.
Burna Boy Is The King Of His Castle In The Grandiose Video For ‘Last Last’
In 2019 and 2020, Burna Boy declared himself king of afrobeats with his fourth and fifth albums African Giant and Twice As Tall. For what it’s worth, the star Nigerian singer proved that he was worthy of the title with the projects. African Giant gave Burna worldwide recognition, together with the release of “Ye,” while the success of Twice As Tall was stepped after it gave Burna his first Grammy award. Nearly two years after he released the award-winning album, Burna is ready to bring things to a new level, and its starts with his new single, “Last Last.”
On the new record, Burna conquers heartbreak and reinforces the claim that he is the best of the best. The track also arrives with a grandiose video that captures him in a celebratory mood around friends as he flaunts his lavish mansion, flashy jewelry, and of course, his Grammy trophy. “Last Last” was released together with an announcement about Burna’s sixth album.
Love, Damini, with the latter word being the singer’s first name, will arrive on June 30. Burna first announced the project last month at his Madison Square Garden show where he became the first Nigerian singer to have a headlining performance at the legendary venue. Love, Damini will feature 19 songs including “Last Last” and the previously released “Kilometre.”
You can watch the video for “Last Last” above.
Love Damini is out 6/30 via Atlantic. You can pre-save it here.
Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Burna Boy Reveals His Plan To Release His New Album ‘Love, Damini’ During His MSG Concert
Burna Boy released his last album, Twice As Tall, under very different circumstances than his US breakthrough African Giant. Twice As Tall dropped in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — which didn’t stop it from reaching No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and garnering a Best World Music Album Grammy Award. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to tour the album when it came out, the only thing truly detracting from its impressive success.
However, it doesn’t look like his next album will have those same problems. Burna unveiled the album’s title at the biggest signifier of his success so far: his recent concert at Madison Square Garden. It’ll be called Love, Damini, and according to a press release, it’s due to “release for his 31st birthday,” which would make it available on July 2. While that date is probably subject to change, it’s certainly exciting news for fans of Afrobeats — and for the 20,000 or so fans in attendance at his concert last night, where performed his global hits.
If you missed the show, not to fear; it streamed live on YouTube, with the video remaining available to watch.
Watch Burna Boy’s Madison Square Garden concert above.
Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Inaugural ‘Billboard’ Afrobeats Chart Is Dominated By Justin Bieber And Ed Sheeran
Last week, Billboard announced they were partnering with Afro Nation on the new US Afrobeats Songs chart, which “ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country based on a weighted formula incorporating official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services, plus download sales from top music retailers.” The inaugural edition of the chart launched today and dominating the top spots are some big names not traditionally/primarily associated with Afrobeats music.
Three of the top five spots on the April 2-dated chart are occupied by songs featuring Ed Sheeran or Justin Bieber: CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” is No. 1, Fireboy DML and Sheeran’s “Peru” is No. 2, Wizkid’s Bieber- and Tems-featuring “Peru” is No. 3, Omah Lay’s Bieber-featuring “Attention” is No. 4, and Tems’ “Free Mind” is No. 5.
This week’s top 5 on the inaugural U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart:
1. @ckay_yo Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)
2. @fireboydml & @edsheeran Peru
3. @wizkidayo ft. @justinbieber & @temsbaby Essence
4. @Omah_Lay & @justinbieber Attention
5. @temsbaby Free Mind— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) March 29, 2022
Nos. 6-10 on the inaugural U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart:
6. @Pheelzonthebeat & @BNXN Finesse
7. @goyamenor & @nektunez Ameno Amapiano (You Wanna Bamba)
8. @temsbaby ft. @brentfaiyaz Found
9. @heisrema Calm Down
10. @ckay_yo Emiliana— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) March 29, 2022
Looking at the full top 50, Tems is the clear leader overall with eight entries, followed by Wizkid’s six, Burna Boy’s five, Rema’s four, and Davido’s three.
When the chart was announced last week, Afro Nation founder, co-head of UTA London, and Event Horizon founder Obi Asika said, “The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, influencing culture and fashion across the globe and I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people. There is still so much more potential within the scene and the community that has grown around it and I believe it is vital that with Billboard we now have a US chart that reflects this growth and provides a platform for emerging artists from every continent to showcase their talent to new audiences.”
Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard‘s SVP of Charts and Development, added, “Billboard is excited to collaborate with Afro Nation on the launch of the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart. As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America and we are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Burna Boy And Wizkid Have A Ball In Their Triumphant ‘B. D’OR’ Video
Burna Boy and Wizkid bring out the titular trophies in their triumphant video for “B. D’OR” — which they promptly slice in half, turning the coveted football awards into expensive-looking chalices. While I’m almost certain the trophies used in the video — which was shot in Lagos and features a cameo from UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman — are replicas rather than the real thing, it’s still a flex for the two Nigerian superstars, who spend the remainder of the video riding jetskis and hosting a yacht party in the Lagos bay.
The collaboration, which is the second in a year for the two famed Afrobeats stars, is named for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award given to the “best male football player in the world.” While the two stars’ own soccer skills are mostly unknown, the two certainly can claim to be in a similar echelon of worldwide popularity as the award’s various winners, as they are the most well-known artists in their genre (incidentally, the last and only African player to receive the award was Liberian striker George Weah in 1995).
Burna and Wizkid are both set to headline the upcoming Afro Nation festival later this year in Portugal (COVID protocols providing) alongside Megan Thee Stallion.
Watch the “B. D’OR” video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Burna Boy And Wizkid Demand Their Trophies On The Exuberant ‘B. d’Or’
Burna Boy and Wizkid are, at this point, probably indisputably the most prominent and recognizable Afro-fusion artists in the US. If you ask any music fan to name a Nigerian artist, the odds are pretty high that one of the two (or Davido) will be the first names mentioned. While Burna became the first Nigerian artist to headline Madison Square Garden, Wizkid’s “Essence” is widely regarded as one of the biggest songs of 2021. So, when the two decide to collaborate, it’s always special.
Picking up where they left off with their January collaboration “Ginger,” Burna and Wizkid reunite for the upbeat “B. d’Or,” which is named for the Ballon d’Or (“Golden Ball”) soccer trophy for extraordinary male players. Produced by P2J, the same name behind the dominant “Essence,” the track incorporates beatboxing within its propulsive, tropical sounds as the two artists compare themselves to past winners of the prestigious trophy like Lionel Messi, asserting that they’ve earned similar levels of recognition.
Wizkid and Burna are set to headline Afro Nation, the biggest afrobeats festival in the world, in Portugal next July along with Megan Thee Stallion, solidifying their claim as the biggest afrobeats artists in the world — and when there’s a trophy for that, you can bet they’ll be the ones taking it home.
Listen to “B. d’Or” above.
Burna Boy Becomes The First Nigerian Artist To Land A Headlining Show At Madison Square Garden
Burna Boy’s accomplishments over the last few years have been hard to overlook. The Nigerian-born singer had one of the most popular afrobeats albums in 2019 with African Giant. The following year, he released his fifth album, Twice As Tall, which became his highest-charting release and earned him a 2021 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. He’s also delivered impressive collaborations with the likes of Polo G, Wizkid, Headie One, Sia, and more. With just a few weeks left in the year, Burna Boy has already unveiled plans for what he’s doing next.
On April 28, Burna Boy will take over Madison Square Garden to headline his show “One Night In Space.” The upcoming performance will make him the first Nigerian artist to headline in the iconic stadium, which has enough seats to hold 20,789 people. Burna Boy celebrated the accomplishment in a post to Instagram. “From the Garden city , Port-Harcourt to the “GARDEN” New York!” he wrote. “If you’re crazy enough to think it, you’re crazy enough to do it!”
Tickets for Burna’s “One Night In Space” will be available starting with an artist presale that launches on Wednesday, December 15. General tickets for the show will be available two days later on December 17 at 12pm EST.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Burna Boy, Megan Thee Stallion, And Wizkid Will Headline Afro Nation 2022
Afro Nation, the biggest afrobeats festival in the world, is returning in 2022 after a two-year hiatus with a star-studded lineup including Burna Boy, Megan Thee Stallion, and Wizkid. Taking place in Portugal on July 1-3, the festival took two years off as a result of the global COVID-19 population but is returning next year with what the organizers call a “landmark” iteration.
In addition to the above headliners, the festival is bringing more big names from multiple genres across the diaspora, including Beenie Man, Ckay, Diamond Platnumz, Koffee, Naira Marley, Rema, Tekno, Tems, Wande Coal, and more. While most of the names are obviously big in the afrobeats world, Megan Thee Stallion’s presence expands the purview of the festival to include an even broader perspective of the diaspora.
These are just the first wave, though, with more names to be announced in the future, so expect to see some more surprises down the line. With the festival taking place on the sand at Praia De Rocha Beach, there will certainly be more artists excited to join the fun. Pre-sale tickets will go on sale starting at 9 am on Friday, November 5, with general release tickets going on sale starting at noon.
You can find out more at the official website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
New Music Friday: Wale, Meek Mill, Polo G, and More!
Heavy hitters in the game Meek Mill and Booka600 drop solo albums today while Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid dropped a joint album. Plus, more from Roddy Rich, Polo G, and Yo Gotti. New Music Friday This Friday, the streets are getting major drops for what we can expect will be a chart-topping week […]