Best New Music: Buruklyn Boyz are living their best life on “Confession”
a new summit for Kenyan Drill's pioneering voices
A renaissance in Rap music—particularly the Drill sub-genre—is prowling through Africa. From sprawling neighbourhoods in Nairobi, to bubbly clubs in Abuja, to the ends in Accra, the movement is precipitously percolating through every crevice of the continent. There’s no smoke without fire, and the Kenyan duo Buruklyn Boyz are some of the most exciting voices at the forefront of Drill music in Africa.
Hailing from Buruburu Estate, a sprawling neighbourhood in the heart of Nairobi, the duo has amassed throngs of loyalists, carved a lane for themselves, and exported their city to the world. In the time since their debut, they’ve honed in on their Drill fascinations and hit the ground running with their seminal, late 2020 hit song, “Nairobi.” In subsequent months, and over several singles and a new album, Buruklyn Boyz have consistently marked Kenya’s Hip-Hop scene with their irresistible essence; from their ominous rapid-fire bars delivered in a melding of Swahili and English, to their utterly compelling fashion sense; they always ooze undiluted swagger.
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“Apart from just doing music, we are also involved in entrepreneurial activities. We own our own clothing line selling B-Boy pants, shirts and durags,” the group’s manager said in a Buruklyn Boyz profile on Pan African Music. Ajay and Mr. Righht are not just a Drill duo, they’ve transcended that echelon and moved into the status of being cultural icons to the youths. Given their elevated iconography in the past year, a song for the culture is the right place for them to erupt and connect back to the culture that spawned them, and that’s the function that “Confession”—a standout off their just-released debut album ‘East Mpaka London’—serves.
The mood of Brukulyn Boyz’ music is largely defined by a dark, ominous ambience, but on “Confession,” they let in a stream of sunlight, to deliver one of their sleekest offerings—an upbeat anthem tailored to a young African audience. Over a beat that glints like sheet metal, they trade bars about sex, money and success. The beat is one of the most compelling features about the track, and its spellbinding quality offers the duo plenty of space to operate, without needing to intrigue with otherworldly flows. Ajay and Mr Right cut to the chase with their raps, which functions to accentuate the levity of the track.
“Confession” is not an attempt to conjure awe-inspiring punchlines showcase their lyrical prowess, the record is a feel-good anthem that showcases their successful lives. Years of ploughing through the dust has culminated in a successful career for the pair, and the song functions as the celebratory soundtrack of their newfound opulence and, predictably but aptly, serve as a brazen rebuttal to their detractors. “I’m healthy; check, wealthy; check/bad energy, don’t care about them,” they rap on the memorable hook.
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One interesting feature of the track is how it spotlights the synergy between the duo. Ajay, who is the muscle of the team with regards to crafting verses, pulls his weight, populating the track with gritty self-aggrandising lyrics. Even though the record is a breezy feel-good anthem, he barely keeps himself from hitting hard at his critics and contemporaries, and skirts the fringes of pensive introspection. Mr Right on the other end of the stick, is known for his hook-crafting prowess. On “Confession,” he intersperses the track with sunnier lyrics about sex and wealth, offering a breezy counterpoint to his partner’s headier inclinations. No one upstages the other, though, with their styles blending and bouncing off each other, creating a familiar but still fresh hybrid that eases into the mutating soundscape of the song’s beat.
The sleek chemistry between Ajay and Mr. Right is what makes Buruklyn Boyz one of the most compelling duos on the continent. It’s the foundation of their new album, where they expand their thematic range and find new layers into their Drill-based sonic universe. At their best, hearing a Buruklyn Boyz track can feel like a majestic walk through the streets that shaped them, and a vivid representation of their ethos, imbuing you with a fresh dose of infectious ambition and euphoria. “Confession” adds to the list of great Drill songs within the burgeoning African renaissance, the marker of a new summit for two pioneering voices.
Listen to “Confession” here.
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