LAGOS (CONVERSEER) – GRAMMY-winning artist Burna Boy joins Apple Music’s Ebro Darden to celebrate the release of his eighth studio album No Sign of Weakness. During the interview, the Afrobeats singer talked about his experience creating the album and collaborating with iconic artists Shaboozey, Travis Scott, and The Rolling Stones.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about working with Shaboozey on track “Change Your Mind”
Burna Boy: Well, okay, so here’s the thing. I didn’t know he was actually Nigerian. Nigerian, right? But obviously before he came, they would tell Matthew and Chib [Chibueze/Shaboozey] like, “Hey, do you know this guy’s Nigerian? Right?” But then when Matthew says someone is Nigerian, it’s like they probably just have one drop of Nigerian blood somewhere. There’s never been there. You know what I mean? But we love and appreciate them the same way. You know what I mean? But then it’s like, I don’t expect to start speaking Pidgin to you or start speaking Yoruba to you and expect you to understand type shit. You know what I mean?
Ebro Darden: Yeah.
Burna Boy: But with Shaboozey, when I’m speaking, when his name is Chibueze and everything, and I’m speaking Pidgin and he understands that. You feel me? Now from the first day we met, it was like we knew each other for ages.
Ebro Darden: Yeah. Very familiar.
Burna Boy: Yeah. So it’s like, that’s my brother, man.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about working with Travis Scott on track “Ta Ta Ta”
Burna Boy: Man, I just knew. After I made this song, I just knew if I wasn’t going to do the song alone, the only person that was-
Ebro Darden: Travis [Scott].
Burna Boy: Yeah. He is the only one I heard on it.
Ebro Darden: Yeah.
Burna Boy: You know we’ve linked up a few times.
Ebro Darden: That’s right. Quick phone call, let’s get it done.
Burna Boy: The energy’s always been amazing to him. Yeah, man, shout out to-
Ebro Darden: A Burna Boy Travis tour might… I don’t even know if there’s a building that could hold that.
Burna Boy: Sounds like chaos.
Ebro Darden: But in a good way.
Burna Boy: Yeah, but still chaos nonetheless.
Ebro Darden: It’s a one-time thing though. It’s definitely, it is not 10 of those. That’s a one night.
Burna Boy: Because imagine this. Imagine all Travis Scott’s fans and all my fans under one place.
Ebro Darden: It wouldn’t work.
Burna Boy: It will, but I feel bad for whoever owns the place. So whoever’s insurance.
Ebro Darden: Yo, Ta Ta Ta. Ta Ta Ta.
Burna Boy: Scientific.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about connecting with Mick Jagger and collaborating with The Rolling Stones on track “Empty Chairs”
Burna Boy: Yeah. That’s like for me-
Ebro Darden: You said you was going to be a rock star.
Burna Boy: That’s what I’m trying to tell you is what else? What do you… I feel like that’s all I should have just come here to this interview. We should have sat down and I should have just said, I have a song with The Rolling Stones.
Ebro: And not said another word.
Burna Boy: Every question you ask me, the reply would be, I have a song with The Rolling Stones.
Burna Boy: Like another sample or another actual collaboration between me and The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. You know what I mean? This shit is the most exciting shit to me, to be honest.
Ebro Darden: How did it happen?
Burna Boy: Man, Naomi Campbell, shout out to Naomi Campbell.
Ebro Darden: Shout out to Naomi Campbell.
Burna Boy: Yeah, man. She made that happen.
Ebro Darden: Was it something that, it was her idea? Was it-
Burna Boy: It was literally her idea. Literally. She just thought, she was like, “Nah, you and Mick Jagger, this should be so legendary.” And she pressed about it for so long. She went, she literally saw it. How do I even put this? Probably even more than I saw it.
Ebro Darden: Got it. She knew this was important.
Burna Boy: She saw the video and yeah, this shit happened, man.
Ebro Darden: Where do you rank that? I mean, it is one of your biggest moments of your career.
Burna Boy: Most definitely. Most definitely.
Ebro Darden: This puts you in a whole other stratosphere. You realize this is a whole other thing.
Burna Boy: It feels like a whole other thing. I mean, it feels like I’m finally doing what the fuck I wrote on that paper when I was a kid.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about the new direction for his latest album ‘No Sign of Weakness’
Ebro Darden: This joint came out last week. 15 tracks. Normally you go a higher number. Why only 15 this time?
Burna Boy: Because I was trying to make it short and sweet, first of all. And then second of all, I was trying to make something that I haven’t made before. In a sense that I’m trying to do the opposite of everything I’ve ever done in a weird way, in a good way. You know what I mean? Because I just feel like right now I’m big enough to do it. I’m big enough to enjoy it now and just do everything. Everything that just feels, everything that I would want to listen to if it wasn’t me. You know I mean? Everything that I, like if I go to the club and they’re playing stuff, the shit I would want to hear, or if I go to in every situation, anywhere I go, or if I’m in the bath… every time I perform, it’s like this album is mostly songs that I would enjoy performing and that me and my fans would enjoy because that’s really my focus on this album is just songs that my fans and me can enjoy in every show.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about plans for tour
Ebro Darden: Your set length, set list on your performance is like two hours now.
Burna Boy: Yeah. Well, with this album, we’re looking at three or four.
Ebro Darden: Yeah. Do you have any information to share for us on touring for after this album? You know what I mean? Because I mean, before the album we saw you in, I think that was in Paris, big show. Doing a lot of Europe pop-ups.
Burna Boy: Most definitely. I mean, the actual tour for the album and stuff is going to start in September, but until then I’m going to be doing festivals and just pop out here and there with… I decide to just do something somewhere for 5,000 people or something. Just low-key, you know what I mean?
Ebro Darden: Yeah.
Burna Boy: Yeah, man. Maybe just put a nice chorus to put a chorus to it, because there’s too many choruses right now.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about recording his first song at 13 years old
Burna Boy: First song I ever recorded was by myself. I recorded down on, you wouldn’t even believe this, it was… I had a tape, a radio, right? And I had a tape recorder, whatever, and I would use the beat from video games and some shit. So I used one from NBA Street, Volume II, I think, one from Grand Theft Auto, San Andrea- No, no, no. Was it San Andreas? Which one is it? Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, du-dum, dum, dum, dum. Some shit like that. It was one of the GTAs, one of the early GTAs, I guess. So the first song I actually recorded was with that, playing that beat and then recording on the whatever, right? And then, yeah, that’s how it went. How old is I, man? I don’t know, man. I can’t remember.
Ebro: 15, 13, something like that.
Burna Boy: Yeah, around 13.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about the meaning behind the album title ‘No Sign of Weakness’
Burna Boy: Yeah, there’s No Sign of Weakness. It’s like a slogan. You understand? It’s like a thing we say, man, in response to almost everything. Like now ask me something. Just ask me.
Ebro: Me? Anything?
Burna Boy: Just ask me anything. Yeah.
Ebro Darden: When did you get your teeth done like that with the fangs on them?
Burna Boy: Man, did that shit last year. No Sign of Weakness. That’s how it is.
Ebro Darden: Wasn’t scared to do it at all.
Burna Boy: Yeah, man. No sign of weakness.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music connected with Joé Dwèt Filé to then collaborate on the French-Haitian artist’s record “4 Kampé II”
Ebro Darden: How did you get on the Joé Dwèt Filé record?
Burna Boy: The Zoe Dollaz.
Ebro: Zoey linked it.
Burna Boy: Yeah.
Ebro Darden: Shout to Zoey Dollaz, man. Great dude.
Burna Boy: Yeah, to be fair, I had not heard the song before. Zoey played it to me.
Ebro: He was like, “This is about to go.”
Burna Boy: No, the n*gga just sent it to me. This guy sent me a text message, bro. He sent me a text message and the song and then I read it and whatever and played it and didn’t really pay it no mind or whatever. But then he got persistent. You know what I mean? And he doesn’t really hit me for… He’s not persistent about shit normally. You know what I mean? Normally, it’s like, I feel like this was the first time he was persistent about one thing. You know I mean? So I was like, “Come on, let see what this about really.” You know what I mean? So I just played it one day randomly. This is maybe… I can’t remember how it went exactly, but I know I played the song. Now I’m like, “Shit.” And then I hit him, I’m like, “Is this really the biggest song?” Because he’s hyping it up, he’s talking about, “Yo, this the biggest Kompa song ever in life.” Dah, dah, dah. He’s like, “Imagine how it would be if you are on it.” He’s like, “Bro, this will be…” I’m like, “All right, we’ll see.” So I played it and then it felt exactly like what he said. You know what I mean, I’m like, “Shit, all right, did this shit and send it back quick.”
Ebro Darden: It was easy for you. Light work.
Burna Boy: Yeah.
Ebro Darden: Just it came with all the lyrics. Everything come right to you.
Burna Boy: Everything just comes.
Burna Boy tells Apple Music about bringing French-Haitian artist Joé Dwèt Filé on stage in France, and paying homage to the Haitian people and culture
Ebro Darden: Now you bring Joé Dwèt Filé out at your concert in France. What did that feel like for him? In my view, this is a very big moment, right? Because I feel like Haitian people don’t get the acknowledgement and the love and the embrace.
Burna Boy: Exactly. Which they should. They should probably get more love than everyone else because they started the revolution.
Ebro Darden: That’s right.
Burna Boy: So really we should all be paying homage.
Ebro Darden: Be very thankful.
Burna Boy: We should all pay homage to them and they still suffer for it to this day.
Ebro Darden: That’s right.
Burna Boy: So really we should all rally behind them to make sure that those consequences that they say that are being imposed on them for being the leaders of the revolution don’t fly.
Ebro Darden: That’s right.
Burna Boy: Because we are so powerful and we’re so many, so why are we letting what’s happening in Haiti happen? You know what I mean?
Ebro: That’s right.
Burna Boy: Why are we letting what’s happening in Congo happen?
Ebro Darden: That’s right.
Burna Boy: You know what I’m saying? Why can’t everybody rally?
VIDEO | Burna Boy: No Sign of Weakness, Working with Shaboozey & Tour on Apple Music
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