Grammy-winning afrobeats superstar Damini “Burna Boy” Ogulu is never one to rest his palms against his lap and take a breather, keeping his vocals and penmanship on the move with singles, albums, and features. After appearing on the remix of the viral hit “Tshwala Bami” and dropping the non-album single “Tested, Approved and Trusted”, Burna Boy has indulged his audience with another standalone single titled “Higher”.
With a playback time of two minutes and seventeen seconds, Burna Boy exhibits himself as a paragon of minimalist artistry on “Higher”. Braiding realism-inspired detail, emotional weight, and constellations of melodies, Burna’s latest cut is a soulful afro-fusion offering concocted from afrobeats tempered with the laidback ambiance of traditional private school amapiano. With unassuming log drums, soft percussion, metronomic snares and lingering piano notes, the skeleton-thin production lends the track a hypnotic regularity that chimes with the rhythmic pulse of a clock in an anechoic chamber, setting the perfect foundation for Burna to slide in with his introspective lyricism.
Burna Boy | SUPPLIED
For this one, Burna forsakes his supercharged persona and leans more into his sensitive side, reminiscent of his album opener “Glory” from his Grammy-nominated album Love, Damini. Heat signatures of Ogulu’s personal touch etched in the pidgin delivery tell on the multi-BET Award winner, with the beginning of the song – “Look at me dada” – placing him right at the center of what is a plaintive chant-cum-prayer. Predicated on the vitality of gratitude and the love for life (“Count your blessings one by one”), and possessing the wisdom of a serpent while retaining a dove’s innocence (“You know say streets don’t love you rara/It’s full of snakes and spiders”), “Higher” is a sober man’s opus with its intercessory songwriting and admonition that challenges the listener as much as the man charges himself.
Ogulu traverses paths of nostalgia and peace whilst negotiating the very things that exist in reality which threaten the wellbeing and preservation of both. With accusatory imagery of reptilian dangers walking in the skin of man and maintaining communication with the higher realms, Burna Boy achieves a telling contrast that portrays the dichotomous battlefield raging within the asymptote of good and evil. The output is a piece of work that underlines the importance of correct divine alignment without undercutting the importance of one’s ability to create their own paradise (or hell) by intentionally practising mindfulness and cultivating a spirit of thankfulness in order to reach the “Higher” echelons of life.
Listen to “Higher”:
