When did Burna Boy Sing check and balance?

Burna Boy, the popular Nigerian Afrobeats singer, first released his hit song “Check and Balance” in 2018. The track appears on his third studio album “Outside.” Released on January 26, 2018 through Bad Habit/Atlantic Records, “Outside” marked a major breakthrough for Burna Boy as an artist. “Check and Balance” emerged as one of the album’s most popular and acclaimed songs.

The Recording and Release of “Outside”

Burna Boy began recording “Outside” in 2017 after his rise to prominence with his debut album “L.I.F.E” in 2013 and subsequent mixtape releases. Intent on making a splash internationally, he spent time touring in Europe and the United States to build his fanbase beyond Africa. For the new album, Burna Boy collaborated with several well-known producers including Jae5, Juls, and Benny Blanco. He recorded between Lagos, Accra, and London.

In January 2018, Burna Boy formally announced the album and revealed the tracklist, which included songs like “Heaven’s Gate” featuring Lily Allen, “Streets of Africa,” and “Koni Baje” featuring Diamant. Leading up to the release, he dropped several singles, including “Sekkle Down” featuring J Hus, “Streets of Africa,” and “Heaven’s Gate.”

The album cover for “Outside” featured Burna Boy sitting on a throne wearing a military-style jacket and smoking. This fit with the album’s themes of struggling through adversity and fighting to reach your ambitions. As Burna Boy told Billboard, “It represents the struggle and the hustle and the challenges that brought me outside. Going outside means going beyond boundaries to reach my destiny.”

The Meaning and Lyrics of “Check and Balance”

“Check and Balance” is an upbeat, danceable Afropop track driven by syncopated drum patterns and sprinklings of synthesizer. Lyrically, Burna Boy delivers swaggering verses about his rise to success, wealth, and status. As the song’s title indicates, his focus is on balancing the good and bad, success and failure, positives and negatives in his life and career.

In an interview with Native magazine, Burna Boy commented on the meaning behind the song: “It’s a reality check for me. I’m just doing a check and balance on everything and also expressing myself freely with what I feel about a lot of things too.”

Here is a sample of the lyrics from “Check and Balance”:

Check and balance for my life, oh
Emi o mo ounje mi da (I know what I’m worth)
Mo fe ra offset, mo fe jet ski (I want an offset, I want a jet ski)

Oya tell them bring money
Oya make them bring money

The lyrics find Burna Boy confidently affirming his worth and success while acknowledging he still has further to go. The references to offset and jet skis indicate his appreciation for the finer things his career has afforded him. Overall, “Check and Balance” captures Burna Boy’s assured yet reflective state of mind at that point in his artistic journey.

Reception and Impact

“Outside” received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, with “Check and Balance” singled out as a highlight. Music critic Joey Akan wrote that the song “is littered with precocious lyrics as he reflects on his career.” In a review for Konbini Channels, Dayo Olatunji stated: “‘Check And Balance’ is that song you desperately need when trying to make sense of the chaos around you.”

Critically, “Outside” helped cement Burna Boy’s status as one of the artists leading the global expansion of Afrobeats. Commercially, it became his biggest debut on the Billboard charts. The album reached Number 3 on the Billboard Reggae Charts while “Check and Balance” individually made it to Number 4 on the Afrobeats Songs Chart.

Beyond the charts, “Check and Balance” remained a fan favorite at Burna Boy’s live shows and exploded in popularity on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Many consider it one of his definitive early hits. Its catchy beat and lyrics made it perfect for radio play as well as generating covers and dance videos across social media.

Ultimately, the success of “Outside” enabled Burna Boy to reach a wider international audience that would fuel his further ascent. Songs like “Check and Balance” helped introduce his talents to new listeners and set the stage for even greater recognition and chart success on his 2019 album “African Giant” and subsequent releases.

Key Facts About “Check and Balance”

  • Appears on Burna Boy’s 2018 album “Outside”
  • Released January 26, 2018
  • Produced by Chopstix, Fall Dada, and FTSE
  • Run time of 3 minutes, 33 seconds
  • Official music video released May 2018
  • Peak chart position of #4 on Afrobeats Songs

Live Performances

As one of his major hits of the “Outside” era, Burna Boy regularly performed “Check and Balance” during concerts and festival appearances in 2018 and 2019. Some notable performances included:

AfricoriGO Festival – April 2018

Shortly after the song’s release, Burna Boy delivered an energetic rendition during his set at the AfricoriGO Festival in Geneva, Switzerland on April 7, 2018. Fan footage shows the crowd singing and dancing along to the catchy beat.

Billboard Hot 100 Festival – August 2018

Burna Boy made his debut U.S. festival performance at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival on August 19, 2018. The well-received set included the first live performance of “Check and Balance” on American soil.

Coachella – April 2019

On April 14, 2019, Burna Boy performed at the Coachella music festival, marking his first time playing the iconic event. His set featured hits from “Outside” including “Check and Balance” as part of a celebration of the rising global popularity of Afrobeats.

Madison Square Garden – April 2022

After rising to even greater popularity, Burna Boy returned to New York City to headline Madison Square Garden on April 28, 2022. During the historic show, he performed “Check and Balance” along with many other fan favorites.

Legacy

While Burna Boy has continued evolving musically, “Check and Balance” remains a signature hit that helped propel his career to new heights. Its lasting popularity resulted in Burna Boy including it in the tracklist for his first live album “Live in Concert: Madison Square Garden” released in 2022.

Beyond streaming numbers and radio play, the song’s legacy can be seen in the reactions of crowds whenever those distinctive opening notes kick in during Burna Boy’s live shows. For many fans, it conjures nostalgia for the time they first discovered the artist’s fresh blend of Afrobeats, dancehall, and global pop.

Ultimately, “Check and Balance” holds a special place as an early smash that hinted at the star Burna Boy would become. Its lyrics provide insight into his mindset during that whirlwind period of his career. For these reasons, the song remains a timeless reminder of when Burna Boy first bounded onto the scene ready to take over the world.

Conclusion

In 2018, Burna Boy cemented his status as an Afrobeats star on the rise with his album “Outside” and its breakout track “Check and Balance.” The song’s lyrics find him assessing his life and career over a catchy, upbeat Afropop beat. It emerged as a fan favorite that also drew widespread critical praise. Propelled by its success, Burna Boy reached new audiences internationally and began his ascent to global stardom.

Years later, “Check and Balance” is still considered a signature hit and crowd-pleaser at Burna Boy’s concerts. It capped off a period of growth that opened the doors for him to thrive as one of the modern champions of Afrobeats. Looking back, the song captured a pivotal moment as Burna Boy balanced past struggles with his newfound success and planted the seeds for even greater things to come.

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