L.I.F.E

L.I.F.E (an acronym for Leaving an Impact for Eternity) is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Burna Boy. It was released on August 12, 2013, by Aristokrat Records.[1] The album serves as the follow-up to his second mixtape Burn Identity (2011). L.I.F.E sold 40,000 copies on the first day of its release. Aristokrat Records later sold the album's marketing rights to Uba Pacific for ₦10 million.[2] The album's release was preceded by five singles: "Like to Party", "Tonight", "Always Love You", "Run My Race" and "Yawa Dey".

L.I.F.E
Studio album by
Burna Boy
ReleasedAugust 12, 2013
Genre
Length59:00 (Standard edition)
63:05 (Deluxe edition)
LabelAristokrat Records
Producer
Burna Boy chronology
Burn Identity
(2011)		 L.I.F.E
(2013)		 On a Spaceship
(2015)
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from L.I.F.E
  1. "Like to Party"
    Released: May 30, 2012
  2. "Tonight"
    Released: September 24, 2012
  3. "Always Love You"
    Released: March 6, 2013
  4. "Run My Race"
    Released: March 11, 2013
  5. "Yawa Dey"
    Released: August 5, 2013

Produced entirely by Leriq, L.I.F.E features guest appearances from 2face Idibia, M.I, Timaya, Olamide, Reminisce and Wizkid.[3] Nigerian Entertainment Today ranked the album 10th on its list of the 12th Best Albums of 2013.[4] The album's music draws heavily from the music of Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Bob Marley. L.I.F.E received generally positive reviews from music critics, who applauded its production. It was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart in August 2013.[5]

Background and launch concert

The album was mixed and mastered by Leriq at Solid Sound Studios in Ikota, Lagos.[6] In an interview with BellaNaija, Burna Boy said he titled the album L.I.F.E in order to leave a lasting impact and showcase the realism of his life.[7] In another interview with Toolz on NdaniTV, he described the album as a journey through life.[8]

On July 17, 2013, Aristokrat Records unveiled the album's cover art to the general public. Peedi Picasso designed the cover art for both the standard and deluxe editions of the album. Burna Boy shares the cover art with Fela Anikulapo Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Bob Marley. In a press release, the record label said the album would be released in three installments: street, original and deluxe. The record label also said the album's release would be accompanied by a release party, CD signatures and a tour.[9] In August 2013, Burna Boy held an album listening party at Cafe Vanessa in Victoria Island.[10] In September 2013, he launched a concert titled "The Burna Boy Experience" to promote the album in the cities of Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi.[11]

Composition

L.I.F.E embodies a mixture of reggae, dancehall, Afrobeat and fuji sounds. The album draws heavily from the music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Bob Marley. "No No No" is a fusion of the aforementioned genres. The groovy highlife track "Say So" contains a saxophone riff. "Na so E Suppose Be" is an ode to the coolness of 90s music. "Yawa Dey" is a tribute to the galala sound of several ragga artists from Ajegunle, including Daddy Showkey and Baba Fyro. In "Run My Race", Burna Boy impersonates Fela Kuti over an electro-Afrobeat instrumental. In "Boom Boom Boom", he samples a line from Fela Kuti's "Army Arrangement". The hook of "Smooth Sailing" consists of a Yoruba fairy tale. In "Outro: Remember Me", Burna Boy reiterates the album's themes to listeners.[12][13]

Singles

The album's lead single "Like to Party" was released on May 30, 2012. The music video for the song was shot and directed in Lagos by Adasa Cookey.[14] The album's second single "Tonight" was released on September 24, 2012; it was recorded in English, Yoruba, and Igbo.[15] The music video for "Tonight" was directed by Mex and uploaded to YouTube at a total length of 4 minutes and 4 seconds.[16] The video was nominated for Most Gifted Newcomer Video at the 2013 Channel O Music Video Awards.[17]

The album's third single "Always Love You" was released on March 6, 2013; the song is a pop song with influences from house and dance music.[18] "Run My Race" was released as the album's fourth single; it was recorded in English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin.[19] The music video for "Run My Race" was shot and directed by Clarence Peters at the New Afrika Shrine.[20] The album's fifth single "Yawa Dey" was released on August 5, 2013. Its music video was also directed by Clarence Peters and features various light-hearted scenes of posse dancing and beach soccer. A hyperrealist color scheme was used to shoot the video.[21]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Hip Hop World Magazine[22]
Nigerian Entertainment Today[12]
Jaguda.com8.5/10[23]

L.I.F.E received positive reviews from music critics. Reviewing for Nigerian Entertainment Today, Ayomide Tayo praised the album's production and commended Leriq for not making it sound repetitive. However, Tayo also said it "lacks a knock out hit to seal the stateliness."[12] Wilfred Okiche of YNaija reviewed the album and said it "avoids the pitfalls of monotony and boredom that could easily have befallen the disc but the overall sound is still a tad unsatisfying, like there is stuff Burna Boy is holding back."[13] Ayo Alloh of Jaguda.com gave the album 8.5 stars out of 10, concluding it was never monotonous despite being solely produced.[23] Enemigin Neye of Hip Hop World Magazine awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, saying "it goes to show the everyday improvement in the sound called Nigerian music".[22] Neye "believes Burna Boy is here to stay, and believes the album is definitely one to remember."[22]

Accolades

L.I.F.E was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[24] The album was also nominated for Best R&B/Pop Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2014.[25]

Year Awards ceremony Award description(s) Results
2014 The Headies Best R&B/Pop Album Nominated
Album of the Year Nominated
Nigeria Entertainment Awards Best Album of the Year Nominated

Commercial performance

The album was released in Nigeria and reportedly sold 40,000 copies on the first day of its release. The marketing rights for the album were later sold to Uba Pacific for ₦10 million.[2]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro: My Life"Damini OguluLeriq3:14
2."No No No"OguluLeriq2:37
3."Say So"OguluLeriq4:36
4."Abeg Abeg (Remix)" (featuring 2face Idibia and Timaya)
  • Ogulu
  • Innocent Idibia
  • Enetimi Odom
Leriq3:32
5."Na so E Suppose Be"OguluLeriq4:16
6."Run My Race"OguluLeriq4:14
7."Boom Boom Boom"OguluLeriq3:50
8."Yawa Dey"OguluLeriq3:57
9."Ma Loda Ma Motto"OguluLeriq3:04
10."Tonight"OguluLeriq4:10
11."Like to Party"OguluLeriq4:09
12."Smooth Sailing"OguluLeriq4:06
13."Don't Run" (featuring Reminisce and Olamide)
  • Ogulu
  • Olamide Adedeji
  • Remilekun Safaru
Leriq3:22
14."Jahs Love Is True" (featuring Wizkid)
  • Ogulu
  • Ayodeji Balogun
Leriq4:09
15."Outro: Remember Me"OguluLeriq3:40
Total length:59:00
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Wombolombo Something"OguluLeriq3:24
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Always Love You"OguluLeriq4:23
18."My Cry" (featuring M.I)
  • Ogulu
  • Jude Abaga
Leriq3:55
19."Guilty"OguluLeriq3:36
20."Dem No Know"OguluLeriq3:48
Total length:63:05

Notes

  • Leriq performed additional vocals on "Intro: My Life", "My Cry", and "Like to Party"
  • Simon Okechukwu performed additional vocals on "Guilty"
  • Paul "Pucado" Orisakwe performed additional vocals on "Ma Loda Ma Motto"

Sample credits

  • "Boom Boom Boom" samples a line from Fela Kuti's "Army Arrangement".

Personnel
  • Damini "Burna Boy" Ogulu – primary artist, writer, performer
  • Eric "Leriq" Utere – producer, instrumentation, engineer, production co-ordination, mixing, mastering, background vocals
  • Enetimi Odom – featured artist, writer
  • Innocent Idibia – featured artist, writer
  • Olamide Adedeji – featured artist, writer
  • Remilekun Safaru – featured artist, writer
  • Jude Abaga – featured artist, writer
  • Simon Okechukwu – background vocals, guitar
  • Paul "Pucado" Orisakwe – background vocals
  • Josiah – Saxophone
  • Maria Okarende – Voice tags
  • Piriye "Peedi Picasso" Isokrari – executive producer, management, album art direction

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[26] 7

Release history
Country/Digital platform Date Version Format Label
  • Nigeria
  • iTunes
 August 12, 2013 Standard
Aristokrat Records

References
  1. "L.I.F.E - Leaving an Impact for Eternity (Deluxe Edition) by Burna Boy". iTunes.apple.com. iTunes. 12 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  2. Abulude, Samuel (6 September 2013). "Nigeria: Burna Boy Sells Debut Album Rights for N10 Million". allAfrica.com. allAfrica via Leadership Nigeria. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  3. Iwar, Sute (23 August 2013). "Burna Boy's Album Debut 'L.I.F.E'". Okayafrica.com. OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  4. Alonge, Osagie (29 December 2013). "12 best albums of 2013 – The definitive list from Nigerian Entertainment Today". thenet.ng. Nigerian Entertainment Today. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  5. "Burna Boy tops billboard reggae album chart with 'Outside'". Vanguard. 10 February 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  6. "Burna Boy – L.I.F.E Album Tracklist". Notjustok.com. Notjustok. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  7. O, Onos (17 August 2013). "BN Saturday Celebrity Interview: An Enigma and 'Boy' Who 'Likes to Party' Burna Boy Exclusively Sits Down with BellaNaija". Bellanaija. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  8. Aiki, Damilare (August 22, 2013). "Must Watch Video! Burna Boy gives Toolz all the Scoop on his Superstar Life on Ndani TV's The Juice". Bellanaija. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  9. "He's Ready! Burna Boy Unveils the Artwork to His Debut Album "L.I.F.E."". Bellanaija.com. Bellanaija. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  10. Debrah, Ameyaw. "Burna Boy's mum and grandma attend "L.I.F.E" album listening party!!!". ameyawdebrah.com. Ameyaw Debrah. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  11. "BURNA BOY TO LAUNCH L.I.F.E. ALBUM IN ACCRA & TAKORADI THIS WEEKEND". modernghana.com. Modern Ghana. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  12. Ayomide, Tayo (18 August 2013). "ALBUM REVIEW: Burna Boy's L.I.F.E (Leaving An Impact For Eternity)". Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  13. Okiche, Wilfred (29 September 2013). "Album review: Burna Boy's 'L.I.F.E' is not as good as you've been made to believe". ynaija.com. YNaija. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  14. "New Video: Burna Boy – Like To Party". 1TribeRadio. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  15. "Burna Boy – Tonight". NotjustOk. 23 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  16. "Video: Burna Boy 'Tonight'". OkayAfrica. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  17. "Channel O Africa Music Video Awards 2013 nominees announced". Biz Community. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  18. Itie, Harry (5 April 2013). "Audio: Nigeria's Burna Boy 'Always Love You'". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  19. "Audio: Burna Boy 'Run My Race'". OkayAfrica. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  20. Ogbu, Rachel (11 June 2013). "#InCaseYouMissedIt: Burna Boy drops new music video, Run My Race (WATCH)". YNaija. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  21. "Burna Boy 'Yawa Dey'". OkayAfrica. 12 November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  22. "ALBUM REVIEW: BURNA BOY – L.I.F.E". hiphopworldmagazine.com. Hip Hop World Magazine. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  23. "Album Review: Burna Boy – L.I.F.E". jaguda.com. Jaguda. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  24. Abimboye, Micheal (31 May 2014). "Pop duo, Skuki, reject Nigerian Entertainment Awards nomination". Premium Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  25. Ochugba, Mary (10 October 2014). "The Headies unveils 2014 nominees". Business Day. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  26. "Burna Boy Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
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