How Burna Boy Uses Dancehall Music To Grow His Illustrious International Career

No doubt one of the most in demand artists right now is Burna Boy. The African Giant’s latest album Love, Damini debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. Charts and debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling 25,000 units in the United States in its first week. He has the distinction of having the highest charting album of all time by a Nigerian. 

Burna Boy also made the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time as a solo or lead artist, with Last Last entering at No. 86. and climbing 14 spots this week to No. 72.

This week he rules the top two U.S. Afrobeats chart slots with Last Last at No. 1 and For My Hand feat. Ed Sheeran at No. 2.

Toni Ann Singh featuring dancehall deejay Popcaan moves down two spots to No. 14.

Burna and Popcaan was seen partying it up in the U.K. recently but the two are yet to perform on a major stage together.

Burna’s affinity to collaborate with former Gaza members started with his African Giant album. Reggae singer Chronixx posted on Wednesday (July 27) a picture of Blak Ryno, former Portmore Empire deejay on his Instagram stories with the caption “The the arc architect.”

Ryno had a brief reign at the top of dancehall in the mid 2000s with some singles that still get the dancehall going like “Money Haffi Mek”, “Shot A Buss”, and “Diss Di Link (Ay Ya Ay Ya)”, the later of which Burna Boy samples and interpolated for Destiny off the African Giant album. Burna kept most of the lyrics from Ryno’s song, even the line “Done know man a Gaza Thugs.”

Ryno posted a mashup of the times Burna borrowed his lyrics and melodies for his music on Instagram with the caption:

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Ryno was also on Burna album African Giant on a skit doing his melodies.

On African Giant the grammy award winning Nigerian also had a Damian Marley Collab, “Different.”

On Different he code-switches to patois singing the conscious lyrics, matching

Ya dun know we different
Different style we delivering
I don’t have no equivalent
Different predicament
Every day a different problem
Different lie from the government
Different politics, people with different qualities
Different tings dem happening

Serani shared with World Music Views how Burna wanted to keep the track Secret for his album, and as such he had to sell his rights to the song.

Serani Told World Music Views that he agreed to sell his rights to the song because he knew it would have been an “undeniable” hit, so he could benefit from the “bigger picture.”

He is yet to perform the fire starter track with Burna Boy who did a number of sold out shows all over the US, but he believes the success of the song will benefit him in the long run.

Serani says, “I sold the master yeah.” Although he says he holds no grudges for selling the song, he says the success of the song is mutually beneficial.

“It benefited me to collaborate with Burna and it benefitted him to collaborate with me,” he says.

“At the end of the day sometimes you have to be smart about the game, what I want to say is it’s pointless in owning a hundred percent of nothing,” he continued.

The No Games hitmaker said had he stuck to his guns and kept the song for himself it would be harder to turn it into a hit like Burna Boy did because he has the machinery to push the song.

“It would be way too difficult, it would be really difficult, you know why? It would be as if I am started fresh, it’s a new genre so it made sense to let him have it, I wanted the collab, I liked his songs, I wanted the collab, he liked the song but the only way he would have done it is if he got the song for his album. So we just said alright take it. Now I am once again I am way more relevant than before. Having a fresh song allows me to make more money, to be more successful, more relevant then I can think of owning my own masters later on. Sometimes you need to give a little to get a lot.”

“We helped each other, I did a good job clearly, I got a lot of good feedback, people ask me to sing the song randomly, so clearly I did a good job, It benefited both of us, that’s one of the best ones out there for him.”

Serani also says even though he harbors no regrets, the choice to sell his intellectual property was difficult, “Business is difficult, a great example is I had to sell my favorite song, that was difficult for me, its my favorite song, I love that song, cherish that song, listen to that song right now still. That song is a benchmark for me of the level that I cannot be below.”

Burna Boy’s Love, Damini released July 8, is currently No. 1 on 33 countries on Apple Music including Jamaica. It is the most charted album by a Nigerian artist.