Burna Boy – L.I.F.E – Leaving an Impact for Eternity (Deluxe Edition)
On the cover of his debut album, Burna Boy appears as a child, mic in hand, superimposed over a collage of legends such as King Sunny Ade, Bob Marley, and Fela Kuti. Not only gesturing to his sonic influences, Leaving an Impact for Eternity’s artwork reflects a preoccupation with legacy. “L.I.F.E was such a personal project for me,” he tells Apple Music. “It’s my first LP that literally chronicled my life from when I was two years old, performing on tabletops at my parents’ favorite restaurant.” That narrative is housed in lyrics that are woven into hip-hop, funk, highlife, reggae, Fuji, jazz, and Afrobeat-infused soundscapes, helmed by producer LeriQ. This fusion of sounds—the localized dancehall of “#YawaDey” and the EDM-inspired “Always Love You”—revealed an artist with a unique sonic approach. Yet it's through the Fuji-esque “Ma Loda Ma Motto,” Fela-sampling “Boom Boom Boom,” and socially conscious “My Cry” that we get a glimpse of both the person and the locale behind the sounds. “We are a product of our environment, experiences, and breeding,” he says. “I released ‘Like to Party’ and the album at a time when my sound was definitely not the norm.” Alongside guests such as Tuface, Wizkid, M.I Abaga, Timaya, Reminisce, and Olamide, Burna Boy established his voice. “I’m thankful for all the joy and pain that went into creating this,” he says. “It helped me fully understand that authenticity is key and you have to stay true to your own identity.”