Reggae dancehall singer/songwriter Burna Boy has, this week, released a clip to accompany his latest single ‘Heaven’s Gate’ featuring none other than Brit Pop-deity Lily Allen.
‘Heaven’s Gate’ ft. Lily Allen is Burna Boy’s first single from his forthcoming mixtape, ‘Outside’. So far, the track has received over 140,000 streams on Spotify – with the official video clip earning close to 120,000 views on YouTube.
The clip initially plays like your typical music video: the camera introduces us to Burna and a pink-haired Lily stand in a doorway, and we can only assume they’re taking a breather before dropping us into a pit of their fire beats. And drop us, they do.
Burna’s reggae-esque flow contrasts beautifully with Lily’s fluttering vocals; which dare I say, she fortunately only lends during the bridge and chorus. A particularly popular sentiment echoed throughout the near 500 YouTube comments posted in response to the video, ‘I came here for Lily, but I stayed for Burna’.
The Nigerian singer has delivered a fierce performance in ‘Heaven’s Gate’; from blending his afrobeat spunk with some hellfire verses, to straight up flaunting his effortless ability to switch flows like it’s nobody’s goddamn business. Many fans have been quick to remark that Burna belongs in a genre of his own, and we couldn’t agree more.
The clip itself boasts a grainy, ‘burbsy vibe that compliments Burna’s edgy style. The mundanity of family life in the suburbs depicted in the grainy footage is brought to life with pops of candy colour – from shocks of green decor, to Lily’s bubblegum hair. And maybe it’s just Lily’s overtly British accent, but this clip reeks of London hipster… Surprisingly, it’s that very thrift store element that reels us in. No one is poppin’ bottles, and there aren’t scantily-clad women twerking in a whirlwind of paper money – this slice of reggae-style r’n’b is real and it’s artistic, and better yet – it’s believable.
Burna’s forthcoming mixtape ‘Outside’ is set to drop this Friday 26th January.
Catch the clip below, and let us know what you think!
