L.I.F.E Leaving an Impact for Eternity

Background and production

The album was mixed and mastered by LeriQ at Solid Sound Studios in Ikota, Lagos. 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. In another interview with Toolz on NdaniTV's The Juice, Burna Boy said that the album describes his journey through life.

Album cover, listening party, and launch concert

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

Composition

L.I.F.E - Leaving an Impact for Eternity 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. The sound on L.I.F.E is an original contemporary sound created by Burna Boy. "No No No" is a fusion of the aforementioned genres. On the song, Burna Boy tells listeners that he is from Ahoada, Rivers State. "Say So" is a groovy jazzy highlight song with 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 championed by several Ajegunle ragga artists, including Daddy Showkey and Baba Fyro. On "Run My Race", Burna Boy impersonates Fela Kuti over an electro afrobeat instrumental. On "Boom Boom Boom", he samples a line from Fela Kuti's "Army Arrangement". The hook of "Smooth Sailing" consists of a Yoruba fairy tale. On "Outro: Remember Me", Burna Boy reiterates the album's theme to listeners.

Singles

On May 30, 2012, Burna Boy released the album's lead single "Like to Party". The music video for the single was shot and directed in Lagos by Adasa Cookey; it was uploaded onto YouTube on September 4, 2012 and ran for 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

On September 24, 2012, "Tonight" was released by Aristokrat Records as the album's second single. The song was recorded in English, Yoruba, and Igbo. The music video for the single, directed by Mex, was uploaded onto YouTube at a total length of 4 minutes and 4 seconds. The music video for "Tonight" was nominated in the Most Gifted Newcomer Video category at the 2013 Channel O Music Video Awards.

Burna Boy debuted the album's third single "Always Love You" on March 6, 2013 via iTunes. The song is a pop song with influences from house and dance music.

"Run My Race" was released as the album's fourth single. The song was recorded in English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin. The music video for the song was shot and directed at The New African Shrine by Clarence Peters.

On August 5, 2013, Burna Boy released the album sixth single "Yawa Dey". The music video for the song was also directed by Clarence Peters; it features various light-hearted scenes of posse dancing and beach soccer. A hyperrealist color scheme was used to shoot the video.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album was met with generally good reviews from music critics. Ayomide Tayo of Nigerian Entertainment Today gave the album 3.5 out 5 stars, stating that "the biggest flaw of the album is not what is in it but what is not. While new producer Leriq does a commendable job of producing the whole album and not making it sound repetitive or boring, L.I.F.E lacks a knock out hit to seal the stateliness of the LP."

Wilfred Okiche of YNaija reviewed the album and said that "L.I.F.E is a fair attempt at a debut album. 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."

Ayo Alloh, whose review was posted on Jaguda, gave the album 8.5 out of 10. He concluded that although the album was solely produced by Leriq, it was never monotonous.

Enemigin Neye of Hip Hop World Magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, adding that the album goes to show the everyday improvement in the sound called Nigerian music. He also added that he believes Burna Boy is here to stay. Moreover, he believes that the album is definitely one to remember.

Accolades

L.I.F.E - Leaving an Impact for Eternity was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. The album was also nominated for Best R&B/Pop Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2014.

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 N10 million.

Track listing