The path from Afrobeat sensation to international pop power inevitably includes some awkward moments. For example: Fall Out Boy tagging rising Nigerian emcee Burna Boy for a conspicuous reggae verse spliced into the middle of “Sunshine Riptide,” a song from their newly released album M A N I A. Fortunately, Burna also dropped his own single today, “Heaven’s Gate” featuring British pop singer Lily Allen, and the collaboration works brilliantly. Over a vicious marimba line and trumpet stabs, Burna spits infectious threats, with Allen playing a taunting damsel in distress.
The video features Burna performing in a humble home while a woman dances in the kitchen and young girls play video games, rendering the endless string of gunshot rhymes family-friendly. He also visits a grow house. “Heaven’s Gate” is the Lagos native’s fourth single since signing to Atlantic Records last fall, following “Streets of Africa,” “Koni Baje,” and the J Hus collaboration “Sekkle Down,” teased in this video’s outro. It’s Allen’s second new track since her 2014 album Sheezus, following her December single “Trigger Bangs” with Giggs. Watch below.
