The Arrival of Burna Boy Remembering L.I.F.E Ten Years Later

Exactly ten years ago, Burna Boy released his debut album. L.I.F.E was a bold and unsafe debut; has it lived up to its promise?

On 12 August 2013, ten years ago, Burna Boy’s debut album, L.I.F.E (an acronym for Leaving an Impact for Eternity), was released. This was six years before Burna Boy became the self-proclaimed African Giant; eight years before he won a Grammy for Twice as Tall in the questionable ‘Best Global Album’ category in 2021; nine years before he performed at his sold-out Madison Square Garden show in April 2022; and nine years before his December 2022 Lagos show, where he kept fans waiting for over four hours. 

Revisiting Burna Boy’s first album for this 10-year review transported me to a simpler time—when Burna Boy was not such a controversial figure and Afrobeats albums were commonly bought in traffic (not streamed on Apple music or Spotify). It took me back to the era when Afrobeats was gearing up for the huge momentum and the widespread success it is currently benefitting from in today’s music climate. Re-visiting Burna Boy’s L.I.F.E—ten years later—is a nostalgic experience...