It seems that Afrobeats listeners are always debating whether the king of the genre is Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy. Frankly, this is an expected dilemma, as all three Nigerian artists consistently put out quality work while gaining global exposure in the process. Although Wizkid and Davido have been popular since the early 2010s, Burna Boy made his presence known with his song Ye from his 2018 album, Outside. Since then, it has been hit after hit for the self-proclaimed "African Giant."

Burna Boy's Upbringing and Music Style

Ameyaw Debrah from Wikimedia Commons

Before becoming the star we know today, Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1991. According to his Spotify biography, he started making music as a kid after a classmate of his gave him a copy of FruityLoops (aka FL Studio), the popular music production software. In 2010, when Ogulu was 19, he teamed up with producer LeriQ to use his studio. Three years later, he released his debut studio album, L.I.F.E.

Burna blends various genres into his music, such as R&B, Hip-Hop, and Rock, while still keeping the Afrobeats essence. One of his most underrated songs, in my opinion, "Giddem," incorporates the R&B classic "So Into You" by Tamia with an Afro twist.

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The Rise of an African Giant

Following Outside, which won Nigeria's Album of the Year, Burna dropped African Giant in 2019, Twice as Tall in 2020, Love, Damini in 2022, and I Told Them... in 2023. He won several Nigerian and global awards in the process, including a Grammy for Twice as Tall in 2021 (Best Global Music Album) and 11 Grammy nominations across his other pieces. Specifically, Love, Damini became one of the most certified albums in Nigeria with 5 platinum certifications, and the first African album to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify. The album additionally received gold certifications from the UK, France, and New Zealand. The subsequent album, I Told Them..., received three Grammy nominations, as well as winning album of the year at the 2025 Trace Awards, which honors the "incredible achievements of African artists, producers, and performers." Along with his accolades, he collaborated with huge musicians, such as Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and 21 Savage.

The Port Harcourt native has also been doing numbers on Spotify with over 9 billion streams and 23.9 million monthly listeners as of July 7th, 2025. Love, Damini is currently his most-streamed album with 1.4 billion streams, while his most-streamed song is "Location" with English rapper Dave, with 638 million streams. If we excluded features, "Last Last" would take the title, with over 508 million streams. From personal experience, this song is already a staple at African parties, despite only being three years old.

Making No Sign of Weakness

On July 11th, 2025, Burna Boy dropped No Sign of Weakness on all streaming platforms, with its lead singles including "Bundle By Bundle," "Update," "Sweet Love," and "TaTaTa" ft. Travis Scott.

The Nigerian artist took a different approach with this album, stating that "there was no serious recording," opting to just go with the flow with this project. Following his success with I Told Them..., Burna goes into his 8th studio album, oozing with confidence, intending to firmly establish himself as the king of Afrobeats with features from Stromae, Mick Jagger, Shaboozey, and, of course, Travis Scott.

Nuță Lucian from Wikimedia Commons

He also mentioned that this album is celebrating his longevity and "the fact that [he's] still here throughout all these years and all the trials and tribulations." Burna further told the AP that he made sure that "everyone on this project could comfortably and genuinely say they’re a rock star.” No joke, as soon as I saw this album on Spotify, I listened to it without hesitation.

Now it's time to rate the album. I'm not going to go through every song in depth, because I think that might be overkill, but I am going to provide insights on my personal favorites. Nonetheless, let's get started.

My Favorite Songs on No Sign of Weakness

Come Gimme (9.7/10)

This is hands-down the best song on the album. As soon as I heard the guitar at the beginning, I just knew this was going to be a hit. The background vocals work well by adding some substance, while the vocal harmonies in the chorus just elevate this song to a whole new level. I also love the chillness of the track, and its all around good energy.

Empty Chairs (9.3/10)

Again, for me, the vocal harmonies carry this song to another level, and I really resonate with the song's laid-back but conscious feeling. Additionally, the Mick Jagger part brings an interesting aspect to the song that I rock with. This is for sure a vibe.

No Sign of Weakness (9.2/10)

The album's title track, "No Sign of Weakness," showcases Burna Boy's signature style and versatility with its rap-type beat, reminiscent of late 90s hip-hop in my opinion. The background bells add a bit of an exposed, foreboding element to the song overall, which instead helps this song pop out as a "statement" track.

Born Winner (9.1/10)

"Born Winner" is the perfect outro song for No Sign of Weakness, with the powerful monologues at the beginning and end of the track, along with the messages of confidence, resilience, and faith. The song as a whole is very upbeat and inspiring, which appears to be a theme towards the end of the album in general.

So, those were my favorites. Here's how I rated the full album in the section below:

Rating No Sign of Weakness

Overall Rating: (8.7/10)

No Panic (8.9/10)

No Sign of Weakness (9.2/10)

Buy You Life (8.5/10)

Love (8.7/10)

TaTaTa (feat. Travis Scott) (8.2/10)

Come Gimme (9.7/10)

Dem Dey (8.8/10)

Sweet Love (8.4/10)

28 grams (8.6/10)

Kabiyesi (8/10)

Empty Chairs (feat. Mick Jagger) (9.3/10)

Update (8.9/10)

Pardon (with Stromae) (8.3/10)

Bundle By Bundle (9/10)

Change Your Mind (feat. Shaboozey) (8/10)

Born Winner (9.1/10)

The Verdict

While No Sign of Weakness has some standout songs, the project clearly maintains a high standard throughout, making this a high-quality album that a lot of people will enjoy. I know the ratings say that I wasn't a huge fan of the features (other than Mick Jagger), but in terms of the album as a whole, they each provide a unique dimension to Burna Boy's latest release.

But what does this mean? Does this album officially settle the king of Afrobeats debate? I honestly don't know, but for me personally, it did.

Burna kept his signature style and widened the gap between himself and Davido and Wizkid in my eyes. His exploration of the different genres is refreshing and tied this album together really well, allowing Burna to adequately express himself.