Burna Boy - Twice as Tall

Level Up (Twice As Tall) immediately establishes the sonic universe of the project, a solo opening where Youssou N'Dour's voice rubs against Burna Boy's. This presence is not merely an exotic wink; it places the album instantly within a universal tradition, transforming the opening track into a planetary statement of intent. The record builds from its first seconds as an architecture where the main producer's internal coherence collides with voices coming from across the Atlantic.

A rhythmic foundation forged by Telz, cracked open by the world

Similarly, Monsters You Made (feat. Chris Martin) introduces a pop-rock timbre into Ahoada's virtual studio, creating an intentional dissonance between the soul of the album and the British voice. Time Flies (feat. Sauti Sol), in turn, adds an African melodic color that is neither N'Dour's nor Stormzy's, yet fits seamlessly within this broader project to demonstrate that diversity is not a matter of chance but of design.

The shadow of Diddy and remote production

Alarm Clock and Way Too Big testify to another layer of production: the one where Sean "Diddy" Combs steps in as co-producer, often through file transfers and Zoom calls necessitated by the pandemic. His presence is audible in the spoken intros that punctuate certain tracks and in the balance between the lead vocals and backing tracks. Timbaland completes this setup on a few tracks, adding his electronic touch which contrasts with Telz's organic groove. This remote co-production, far from being a sign of weakness, reveals the logistical complexity behind an album conceived during a full-blown health crisis. The sessions took place primarily in Nigeria, in the hinterlands of Ahoada, far from Hollywood studios, yet the sound achieves international rigor.

A coherent record despite technical constraints

The mastering by Huntley Miller ensures a sonic uniformity that, while guaranteeing a consistent sound, also limits variation between the tracks. Yet, this is not a flaw but rather the strategy: each feature is conceived as a calculated interruption, a crack opened in the production wall to let the air of the world pass through. The rhythmic foundation forced by Telz goes beyond mere artistic direction; it constitutes the structural cement of an album that runs 52 minutes and 49 seconds, successfully transforming the logistical constraints of the pandemic into a narrative asset. Recorded primarily in the hinterlands of Ahoada, far from Hollywood studios, this fifth studio project by Burna Boy managed to impose international rigor without sacrificing its organic soul. The internal consistency of the main producer thus collides with voices coming from across the Atlantic, turning each feature into a calculated interruption rather than a simple commercial addition. This remote collaboration, made necessary by the epidemic, reveals the logistical complexity behind an album conceived during a health crisis: file transfers and Zoom calls were enough to link recording sessions in Nigeria to the project's global ambitions. Timbaland completes this setup on several tracks, adding his electronic touch which contrasts with Telz's organic groove, while the uniform mastering by Huntley Miller guarantees a consistent sound that, far from being a limitation, becomes the album's very strategy: each track holds within it the seed of meeting the other. Twice as Tall is therefore not an album of compromise, but rather a manifesto of consistency: each track, even those produced solely by Telz, holds within it the seed of meeting the other.

Technical Details

- Release: August 12, 2020 - Label: Atlantic, Bad Habit, Spaceship - Tracks: 15 (52 min 49 s) - Opening / Closing: Level Up (Twice As Tall) / Bank On It - Guests: Youssou N'Dour, Naughty By Nature, Sauti Sol, Chris Martin, Stormzy - Previous Album: African Giant (2019)