To simply call Burna Boy an Afrobeats artist does the Nigerian superstar a disservice. Across seven albums, he’s stirred dancehall, hip hop and R&B into his work to firmly establish himself as one of today’s most respected future-gazers. But despite the bullish nature of its title, ‘No Sign of Weakness’ shows the cracks starting to form.
No Panic is familiar fare and gets the album off to a steady start. The first thing that becomes immediately clear is that the production here glistens — every layer of each track is crystal clear and mixed gorgeously. Every beat of the percussion, bass and synths carry real weight.
The title track might turn things down a notch but it also has Burna Boy sounding more threatening and gritty than his usual measure, microdosing UK grime and drill.
Buy You Life and Love both revert to the bouncing Afrobeats he handles so well and the record is largely off to a decent start, although it’s already lacking the addictive qualities of ‘African Giant’ or ‘Twice As Tall’.
Also lacking in comparison to those earlier albums are the features. Travis Scott’s verse on TaTaTa is one of his most phoned in performances to date; Change Your Mind simply sounds like a Shaboozey song that wound up on this record by mistake; and Mick Jagger’s feature on Empty Chairs is so mismatched that it drives right by ‘interesting’ and straight into ‘perplexing’.
Having said all that, the Stromae collab Pardon is a seductive and enchanting piano-led entry that slows the record down, really highlighting Burna Boy’s versatility and willingness to go to different sonic destinations. Similarly, Sweet Love leans into old school reggae to give ‘No Signs of Weakness’ one of its biggest highlights. All told, this is another fascinating chapter in the life and times of Afrobeats’ reigning king. Unfortunately, though, his iron grip may be slipping.
Burna Boy Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
hu October 02 2025 - KINGSTON UPON THAMES Venue TBA
Thu October 16 2025 - MELBOURNE Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Sat October 18 2025 - SYDNEY Qudos Bank Arena
Mon October 20 2025 - BRISBANE Entertainment Centre
Fri October 24 2025 - PERTH RAC Arena
Wed November 12 2025 - DENVER Colorado - Red Rocks Amphitheatre (USA)
Sun November 16 2025 - SEATTLE Washington - Climate Pledge Arena (USA)
Tue November 18 2025 - OAKLAND California - Oakland Arena (USA)
Wed November 19 2025 - LOS ANGELES California - Intuit Dome (USA)
Sat November 22 2025 - HOUSTON Texas - Toyota Center - TX (USA)
Mon November 24 2025 - DALLAS Texas - American Airlines Center (USA)
Fri November 28 2025 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - Armory (USA)
Mon December 01 2025 - CHICAGO Illinois - United Center (USA)
Wed December 03 2025 - BOSTON Massachusetts - TD Garden (USA)
Fri December 05 2025 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - Capital One Arena (USA)
Sat December 06 2025 - NEW YORK New York - UBS Arena (USA)
Mon December 08 2025 - ATLANTA Georgia - State Farm Arena (USA)
Wed December 10 2025 - ORLANDO Florida - Kia Center (USA)
Fri December 12 2025 - NEWARK New Jersey - Prudential Center (USA)
Mon December 15 2025 - MONTREAL Quebec - Bell Centre (Canada)
Wed December 17 2025 - TORONTO Ontario - Scotiabank Arena (Canada)
Thu December 18 2025 - TORONTO Ontario - Scotiabank Arena (Canada)
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