Burna Boy entered a new level of global recognition with African Giant. Released on July 26, 2019, the album became a defining moment in his career and helped establish his sound beyond Nigeria and across the international music scene.

More than an Afrobeats album, African Giant brings together Afro-fusion, dancehall, hip-hop, reggae and traditional African influences. Burna Boy uses that mixture to tell stories about identity, love, ambition, inequality, African pride and everyday life.

The project arrived after the success of Outside and continued Burna Boy’s move toward a more ambitious international sound. At the same time, he refused to lose the Nigerian and African influences that made his music distinctive in the first place.

Across 19 tracks, Burna Boy works with artists including Jorja Smith, Zlatan, Jeremih, Serani, M.anifest, Damian Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Future and YG. The album also contains several of his biggest songs, including On the Low, Anybody, Dangote, Gbona and Killin Dem.

This complete Aswehiphop review explores African Giant, including the full tracklist, featured artists, production, standout songs, commercial impact, critical reception, Grammy recognition and our editorial rating.

Pitchfork’s review of African Giant examined the album’s wider sound, cultural identity and Burna Boy’s growing international presence.

African Giant Tracklist

African Giant contains 19 tracks. The album moves between personal records, social commentary, love songs and Afro-fusion anthems, giving Burna Boy enough room to show the full range of his sound.

1. African Giant
2. Anybody
3. Wetin Man Go Do
4. Dangote
5. Gum Body (feat. Jorja Smith)
6. Killin Dem (feat. Zlatan)
7. Omo
8. Secret (feat. Jeremih & Serani)
9. Collateral Damage
10. Another Story (feat. M.anifest)
11. Pull Up
12. Blak Ryno (Skit)
13. Destiny
14. Different (feat. Damian Marley & Angélique Kidjo)
15. Gbona
16. On the Low
17. Show & Tell (feat. Future)
18. The Side (feat. YG)
19. Spiritual

About African Giant

African Giant gave Burna Boy the space to define exactly what his music represented. Instead of following one sound, he blended Afrobeats with dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and soul while keeping African identity at the heart of the project.

The album also reflects Burna Boy’s growing confidence at the time. He had already built a strong following in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, but African Giant pushed his music further into the international market.

Much of the album focuses on real-life experiences. Burna Boy touches on relationships, money, inequality, African pride and the pressures that come with success. Because of that range, the album feels personal without becoming difficult to connect with.

The collaborations strengthen that approach. Jorja Smith brings an R&B influence to Gum Body, while Zlatan adds street energy to Killin Dem. Elsewhere, Damian Marley and Angélique Kidjo help expand the album’s African and reggae influences.

The Recording Academy’s Burna Boy profile records African Giant as a 2020 Grammy nominee for Best Global Music Album, confirming the project’s importance on the international stage.

Another major part of the album’s story is its title. Burna Boy adopted the African Giant identity as a statement of pride and ambition. The project turns that idea into music by presenting African culture as something global, powerful and worthy of the biggest stages.

Standout Songs From African Giant

Although the album works best as a complete project, several songs became major highlights. These records helped introduce African Giant to listeners around the world and remain among Burna Boy’s most recognised songs.

On the Low

On the Low became one of Burna Boy’s biggest international songs. Its smooth melody and romantic lyrics gave the album a softer moment while keeping the Afro-fusion sound intact.

The song also helped expand Burna Boy’s audience beyond Africa. Its success made it one of the essential records from the African Giant era and remains a major part of his catalogue.

Anybody

Anybody delivers a more energetic side of Burna Boy. The song combines a catchy rhythm with lyrics about relationships, trust and independence.

Its upbeat production made it easy to connect with in clubs, playlists and live performances. At the same time, Burna’s delivery keeps the record rooted in his Afro-fusion identity.

Dangote

Dangote is one of the album’s most memorable songs because of its message about ambition and financial success. Burna Boy uses the name of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote as a symbol of wealth while questioning the pressures that come with chasing money.

The song became a favourite among listeners who connected with its motivational message. It also demonstrates Burna Boy’s ability to turn everyday African experiences into globally accessible music.

Gbona

Gbona brings a more traditional Nigerian feel to the album. The rhythmic production and infectious hook give the song a strong cultural identity while keeping it accessible to international listeners.

It is one of the records that best demonstrates why Burna Boy’s music cannot be placed into a single genre. He moves between Afrobeat influences, modern production and his own vocal style without losing the song’s central energy.

Killin Dem (feat. Zlatan)

Killin Dem combines Burna Boy’s Afro-fusion approach with Zlatan‘s street-oriented sound. The result is one of the most energetic collaborations on the album.

The song also became a major fan favourite because of its memorable hook and danceable production. It shows Burna Boy’s ability to connect commercial appeal with sounds that feel distinctly Nigerian.

Production & Overall Sound

Production is one of the strongest parts of African Giant. Burna Boy works with producers such as Kel-P, P2J, Benjamz, DJDS, Dre Skull, Skrillex and others to create a sound that feels both African and global.

The album does not depend on one formula. Instead, Burna Boy moves between Afrobeat rhythms, dancehall influences, reggae, hip-hop and soulful production. This variety gives the project enough movement while keeping his voice and African identity at the centre.

Kel-P played a major role in shaping the album’s sound. His production helps connect traditional African influences with modern melodies, basslines and percussion. As a result, songs such as On the Low, Anybody and Gbona feel accessible without losing their Nigerian character.

The production also gives the guest artists enough room to contribute naturally. Jorja Smith, Damian Marley, Angélique Kidjo, Future and the other collaborators add different textures, but Burna Boy remains the clear focus throughout the project.

Themes & Lyrical Depth

African Giant is not only built around catchy songs. Burna Boy uses the album to talk about issues affecting his life, his country and Africa as a whole.

Several songs address poverty, corruption, inequality and the pressure created by wealth. Dangote, for example, connects ambition with the reality of working hard to achieve financial freedom. Meanwhile, Collateral Damage takes a more serious approach to injustice and social problems.

African identity is another major theme. Burna Boy does not hide where his music comes from. Instead, he uses Nigerian languages, rhythms and cultural references as important parts of the album’s identity.

That approach helped make the project feel different from music created mainly for international crossover success. Burna Boy was expanding his audience while still making Africa the centre of the story.

The Guardian’s review of African Giant also highlighted the album’s mixture of Nigerian pop, Afrobeat influences and Caribbean sounds.

Commercial Performance & Critical Reception

African Giant became a major breakthrough for Burna Boy on the international stage. The project received strong reviews from music publications and helped establish him as one of Africa’s leading global artists.

Critics praised the album’s consistency and cultural confidence. Pitchfork gave African Giant an 8.3/10, describing it as broader and more cohesive than much of Burna Boy’s earlier work.

The album also received a nomination for Best Global Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. That recognition represented another important step in Burna Boy’s growing international career.

Its long-term impact has been even more impressive. African Giant eventually surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, placing it among Burna Boy’s most successful projects on the platform.

More importantly, the album helped change how international audiences viewed Nigerian music. Burna Boy did not need to remove the African elements from his music to reach a worldwide audience. Instead, those elements became one of the project’s greatest strengths.

Aswehiphop Review

At Aswehiphop, we consider African Giant one of Burna Boy’s defining albums. It feels ambitious, confident and deeply connected to the culture that shaped him.

The album’s biggest strength is its identity. Burna Boy never sounds like he is trying to become an international artist by abandoning his roots. Instead, he brings Nigerian sounds, African languages and Afro-fusion into a wider musical conversation.

The songwriting also gives the project staying power. Records such as Dangote, On the Low, Collateral Damage, Anybody and Killin Dem offer different experiences while still fitting the album’s larger message.

The guest appearances are another advantage. Jorja Smith, Zlatan, Damian Marley, Angélique Kidjo, Future and the other collaborators expand the album’s sound without taking away Burna Boy’s identity.

There are a few moments where the album could have benefited from tighter sequencing. However, its ambition, musical variety and cultural confidence make those minor issues easy to overlook.

Most importantly, African Giant helped establish Burna Boy as more than a successful Nigerian artist. It presented him as a global voice who could bring African stories and sounds to audiences without compromising his identity.

Aswehiphop Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.9/5)

For anyone exploring the rise of modern Afrobeats and African music on the global stage, African Giant remains an essential album.

Stream African Giant

Listen to Burna Boy’s complete African Giant album through the official streaming platform below.

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At Aswehiphop, we build evergreen album guides using official music listings, recognised publications, industry records and verified historical information. We combine that research with editorial analysis to give readers a clear picture of an album’s music, career impact and cultural importance.

This African Giant review covers the original album, its official tracklist, collaborations, production, themes, reception and lasting impact. We also update our evergreen pages when important information changes or new historical milestones become relevant.

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