5 years after the release of Burna Boy's 'Outside': Is it his most important album?

5 years ago on January 26, 2018, Burna Boy released his third album 'Outside'. The album is the spark that ignited his commercial success and rocketed him to the apex he always craved.

This week's Pulse Afrobeats Throwback celebrates Burna Boy's career-defining album 'Outside'.

'Outside' came off the back of a disappointing sophomore album that failed to position him for the success he desired. Circa 2018, Burna Boy was an artist whose talent was indubitable but career and status music roamed an Afrobeats purgatory space. He was a star but not a superstar in the ranks of Wizkid, Davido, and Olamide which was where he craved to be.

For Burna Boy, it wasn't a question of talent or ability as he had consistently shown he possessed those in abundance. It was more a question of his ability to reach the upper level amidst a love/hate relationship he shared with the industry.

At that point in his career what he needed went beyond just good music. Clearly, the acceptance of fans was not enough to get the giant chip off his shoulders. What he needed was one song that would drive his fame far and wide, and raise his profile to the level he craved. Burna Boy needed luck and 'Outside' came bearing gifts.

The album delivered 13 songs which 5 years later remain some of the best records he has made. When he released 'Outside', Burna Boy was still largely a Dancehall artist whose music gleans from Carrebean Dancehall, Ajegunle's Ragga style, and Fela Kuti's Afrobeat.

Topically, the album was personal as it didn't explore the regular subject matters of women, money, fame, and pleasure. For the most part, Burna Boy talked about himself.

He examined his reality which presented him as a misfit in the mainstream of Nigerian mainstream music. He shared memories of his experiences as a kid who grew up in the streets of Port Harcourt as well as retaining the conscious part of his artistry.

The album achieved sonic coherence in a way only a few Nigerian artists could muster at that point. In the ridiculously good record 'Heavens Gates' where he featured Lily Allen, he delivered what is still one of the greatest performances in Afrobeats.

On the tracks 'Where I'm From' and 'Devil In California', he showcased penmanship that none of his contemporaries could replicate. And on 'YE' he displayed an effortless ability to make music in a way no other artist could match.

He made an effort to give the Nigerian audience something to dance to with 'Rock Your Body' while attracting international listeners with 'Heavens Gates'. Yet it was the Afrobeat record 'YE' which is largely a freestyle lacking in the commercial appeal that resonated most with listeners.

The album received critical acclaim but from all indications, it wasn't destined for commercial success until lady luck played a major role. American megastar Kanye West released an EP in the same month he called 'YE', and the rest, as they say, is history.

5 years after its release, 'Outside' ranks high in Burna Boy's catalogs, and a case can be made for it as a classic.

Is it Burna Boy's most important album?

For its tremendous career-altering effect, this writer is obliged to say yes. Without 'Outside' and 'YE', there might not have been the existing version of Burna Boy - the world-renowned, Grammy-winning Afrobeats exporting megastar.