It’s been an insane level of consistency from Burna Boy since he got his breakout hit ‘Ye’ in 2018, he has been churning out some of the best music the world has ever heard since then, dropping 3 critically acclaimed albums in the process.
With “I told them” Burna Boy was positioned to transcend into that global music superstardom, similar to what we’ve seen artist like Bad Bunny attain in recent years.
Like someone blinded to this opportunity The African giant has gone on a self-serving, self-praising, “middle finger to my haters”, “I have arrived” ballad and knocking his home fans for rightly criticizing him for his many childish endeavours.
From the controversy that ensued after the Lowe interview about substance in Afrobeats, there was a heightened level of expectation from the audience however set out to make a statement that he failed to make “Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ album failed to back the talk.
The album opens with “I told them” a boastful and braggadocious rendition, a very justifiable record that highlights his status and a tongue out to all the unbelievers on his journey to greatness.
There are songs that leaves you a little confused like “cheat on me”, which you keep looking for something to hold on to while listening, then the guest artist comes in and you’re left further confused on the exact direction of the record.
On Giza, Seyi Vibes gets his biggest cosign till date. Sticking to his signature style, he delivered perfectly. This is obviously Burna Boy’s attempt to appeal to the street and a perfect example of a bunch of nothing he just criticized on the controversial interview. Although, it was interesting to see that he could follow up and operate on the guest artist’s frequency.
City boy highlights the lifestyle that comes with his status as a superstar, but the track as well drops you at a point, you can hardly adequately follow up till you get to the “ o ye ke …… damon”.
His distinctive voice and confident delivery stands out as every other Burna Boy album. He made switches between singing on tracks such as Tested, Approved and Trusted and If I’m Lying and rapping on BIG 7, showcasing his intent to appeal to different audience as a global artist he is.
With a wide variety of beats and instrumentals that represent Burna Boy’s appeal around the world, the production on “I told them” is a standout. The album is heavily influenced by Afrobeat while also drawing inspiration from Hip Hop, RnB and other genres. A dynamic and interesting audio experience is produced by mixing electronic and live instruments. The album’s deep and layered sound is a impeccable.
Overall, Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ lacks the vim of a Burna Boy album, it lacks the musical journey and it fails to take you to the musical heaven a Burna Boy album takes you to. Instead of showcasing growth and evolution as an artist, he has delivered an album that shows lack of effort as he rather just stayed in his comfort zone uninspired, and devoid of the passion that made his previous work stand out. but ‘I Told Them’ is a testament to the result of complacency and a failure to innovate.” As he was asked by a reporter “Burna Boy, How is this album different from the other albums” and he replied “It’s not”. It’s obvious on the album that he stuck to the old script, which doesn’t mean it is bad, but it lacks excitement and it felt redundant.
