via bye bye johnny

release date July 11, from the album "no sign of weakness"

https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/35/b8/npWeN82A_t.jpg

here's a tease...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzITXUMPCz0

There's more than a thousand schemin'
If you poor, you be victim, no profiling
If you no be politician, and you manage get dreams
Them go turn you to victim of society
My enemies are no longer on the street or the roads
They're now on the internet and the blogs
And in my sold out shows, looking for empty chairs

[Chorus]
Ah-ah, no empty chairs
Ah-ah, no empty chairs


CAN NOT WAIT TO HEAR MICK ON THIS !

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian
singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition in 2012 after
releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E
(2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed a record deal with Atlantic Records...

In 2020, Burna Boy won African Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music
Awards, and released his fifth studio album Twice as Tall, which won Best
World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards...

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him number 197 on its list of the 200 greatest
singers of all time...

Burna Boy is the first African artist to have two albums earn over
1 billion streams on Spotify.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMJ3Gogi2Qk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaaYgVRZTnE

Tickets announced yesterday and on sale today for Burna Boy's only two
UK shows, "intimate and special", Birmingham and London, July 15 and 16

My guess of course is that Mick will guest. Especially if Mick shows up in
the Empty Chairs vid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFVrNmC6u2Q

via AI

Afrobeats music has seen a meteoric rise in global popularity,
becoming one of the most influential music genres worldwide.
Its growth is evident through streaming data, chart performance,
global collaborations, and cultural impact.

Between 2017 and 2022, Afrobeats streams on Spotify surged by 550%,
growing from 2 billion to 13.5 billion streams annually.

Burna Boy holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by
an African artist, with six.

Afrobeats is streamed heavily in cities like London, Paris, and
Amsterdam. Major international artists like Beyoncé, Drake, Ed
Sheeran, and Justin Bieber have collaborated with Afrobeats stars.
Festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury feature Afrobeats
prominently. The Grammys introduced a Best African Music Performance
category in 2024, with Burna Boy performing as the first Afrobeats
artist on the prime-time telecast.

Afrobeats’ infectious rhythms and fusion with genres like hip-hop,
R&B, reggae and dancehall have made it a global phenomenon. Its
universal appeal, amplified by streaming platforms and social media,
ensures it continues to shape pop culture and dominate global stages.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJcGt6G928E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH5YkrzTqIc

via BBC

Burna Boy said of working with Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger on “Empty
Chairs”, “Naomi Campbell actually introduced us. And it was just love since
then. And then we've been going back and forth. And finally, he just picked
this one, but he had a whole band* on there doing this whole thing,
like the real Mick Jagger.”

* if i had to guess, i'd say mick's pick-up band for this project
   would be steve, darryl, andrew, and matt




https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t6JRCtV0Jhs/hq720.jpg

Burna Boy - Empty Chairs (feat. Mick Jagger) [Official Audio]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM-FYEuLJC8


source "genius lyrics"

[Chorus: Mick Jagger]
Am I the only one that's sitting in this hot seat?
Am I the only one that's listening to this heart speak?
Your friends all lie, and your enemies cheat
Watching the world drive by

[Verse 1: Burna Boy]
You might think that you're sitting on a throne
But, to me, you're just an empty chair, hm
And that's my icy glare
Last time I checked, there was nobody there, hm
Took my place without fare
Seems unfair, but this is more fair
Truth on the loose, no civilian here
'Cause my circle don't need no square, nah

[Verse 2: Burna Boy]
Because I dey for the long ride
I get to push all my feelings go one side
I be real general, so I can cry
I just say that is alright
And I don wise, don't reveal my plans
So they don't get no warning in advance
Take them by surprise, it's important
If you want your enemy's fate to be in your hands

[Verse 3: Burna Boy]
You might think that you're sitting on a goldmine
But it will soon be revealed, mm
All is not what it seems
Last time I checked, you were living in a dream
Woke you up, showed you what a good friend I've been
What a friend for, if not for inconvenience?
Not always there, I pull up when I'm needed
The seeds wey you sow, you could reap them
Was in the courtroom
It was me, the judge, and the jury, and some empty chairs, mm
And Uncle T was there
Looking at the judge with an empty stare, mm
Prosecution don't care
Tryna make the judge give me seventy years
Then God showed me myself in the heavenly mirror
Never lie, grandma I see there

[Chorus: Mick Jagger]
Am I the only one that's sitting in this hot seat?
Am I the only one that's listening to this heart speak?
Your friends all lie, and your enemies cheat
Watching the world drive by
Watching the world flash by

[Verse 4: Burna Boy]
No, this world na housing scheme
If you poor, you be victim of profiling
If you no be politician, and you manage get rich
Them go turn you to victim of society (Uh)
My enemies are no longer on the street or the roads
Now they're on the internet or the blogs
And in my sold out shows, looking for empty chairs

[Interlude: Burna Boy, Choir]
How do we, free up and break these chairs?
Why do we have, give up just 'cause we fair
I believe, I do my best everyday
Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah

[Chorus: Mick Jagger]
Am I the only one that's sitting in this hot seat?
Everyone around me is just so indiscrete
Your friends all lie, and your enemies cheat
Watching the world drive by
Watching the world flash by

Thanks Revy!!!!

A header with thanks to you

https://www.rocksoff.org/headers2025/j5-burna2.jpg
Burna Boy - Empty Chairs (feat. Mick Jagger) [Lick to listen] © Burna Boy with thanks to Rev. 20 Redlights

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Jul 10^th, 2025 at 10:12pm:

Thanks Revy!!!! A header with thanks to you

Voo, very kind of you


Rev 20 Redlights wrote on Jul 9^th, 2025 at 3:46am:

if i had to guess, i'd say mick's pick-up band for this project would be steve, darryl, andrew, and matt

no confirmation yet, but sounds like i might have guessed right

Voo after listening  ;D

:aimama :thatwassmart :blankfriggingstare1 :forfucksake :wtf1 :waka-jawaka :pukey :nanker :pullanolte :whatapostronnie :whydontcha :scary :nomames :stinkypost :nooslajaleisk

its a wonderful album, you can stream it here

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_Sc3Kp_QmNYDRUaCL38e07sqw1Qk5j86

Burna Boy, his band, and guests have produced a masterwork, smoothly
incorporating a dozen different sub-styles of Africa and its diaspora...

...except for Mick, whose feature strikes quite a white discordant note

interestingly?

intentionally?

yes. but why?

The key thing to understand is that Mick's feature is more addressed
to the Stones' neophobic audience than to Burna Boy's generally more
open-minded followers...


Am I the only Stones' fan sitting in this hot seat?
Am I the only Stones' fan listening to African hearts speak?

Mick just posted this short "empty chairs" vid on X

hopefully part of a soon-come complete vid

https://x.com/MickJagger/status/1943625762155692154

50,000 views in 12 hours...this will be seen by millions and millions.

Roll Me wrote on Jul 11^th, 2025 at 6:59am:

50,000 views in 12 hours...this will be seen by millions and millions.

1) according to kworb.net, the album "no sign of weakness" currently
has 84,631,619 ! streams on spotify so far
2) spotify is by far the preferred listening platform in sub-saharan africa
3) mick's listening fragment on X (above) seems to have a slightly
different and better mix than on youtube
4) there has definitely developed pushback against mick's feature amongst
a vocal minority of Burna Boy's online fans because they feel its stylistically
wrong. Above I tried to defend mick's odd choice to do rock, but I'm wavering

The Knight Who Says Ni-geria, innit?

Previously...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulFUf-VhrD8

Rev 20 Redlights wrote on Jul 11^th, 2025 at 10:09am:

4) there has definitely developed pushback against mick's feature amongst a vocal minority of Burna Boy's online fans because they feel its stylistically wrong. Above I tried to defend mick's odd choice to do rock, but I'm wavering

5) still a minority, but not a few Burna Boy fans are begging for a
mick-less version, with the original chorus restored
6) and my bet is that they're eventually gonna get it, and probably soon,
BECAUSE...
7) on all the vinyl and CD versions of No Signs of Weakness
the song Empty Chairs has been completely left off...
https://www.discogs.com/release/34509940-Burna-Boy-No-Sign-Of-Weakness
(thanks to NeddieFlanders for this info)
8) so yes, Mick's feature on this version is completely insincere, that is,
a joke (and I'm so relieved that Burna Boy is in on the joke). Very much
looking forward to the sincere version of this great track, whether it
contains a sincere afrobeats feature from mick, or no mick at all

Interesting

One YT review wrote Who the fuck is Mick Jagger?

I'd be a little surprised if Steve Jordan and Darryl were on this, but it would be pleasing to know Mick is working with them outside of working with Keith.

I love Mick's openness to new sounds and different styles because without it, the Stones would not be the band they are, but I can't pretend to like this. Shite mix and the less said about the song, the better.