Burna Bandz, An Artist from Toronto

Burna Bandz, An Artist from Toronto

Nickname: Burna Bandz

Real Name: Unknown

Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada

Instagram: @burnagotdawass

Toronto rapper Burna Bandz has been steadily pouring out excellent tracks for years now. A close associate of greats like Houdini, J Neat and Pressa, Burna has been pouring his lyrics on fantastic records all throughout the 6ix and has acquired a major following in the hip-hop scene. His newest project, “Bandemic”, continues to elevate the rapper’s melodic trap style. But what has Burna’s career looked like building to this point?

Growing up, Burna describes his youth as normal but thoroughly enjoyable. Born in Toronto’s West end, the young rapper spent his early days playing Madden and shooting firecrackers off in his neighborhood. An artist who inspired Burna in those times was Lil Durk, an MC whom he still listens to today. As he grew up, Burna saw many of the people in his life begin to rap and create music, and that was this that really pushed him to start laying down tracks at 16 years old.

The first release from Burna that can still be found today is the single “My Team”. Dropped in 2017, the cut is a collaboration with fellow artists Why S and TallupTwinz. All three bring their absolute best to an incredibly full sounding beat, which features heavily layered melodies over a piano sample. Firstly establishing the Burna Bandz sound, the record showed great potential building for the future.

Explosive Creativity and Debut LP

After building out several new singles for the next few years, Burna finally had the moment to put together a larger body of work in 2019. His debut full length, “Compact Burna”, was truly the rapper displaying who he was as an artist to the fullest for the first time. The album opener, “BeastMode”, sets the tone as high energy and powerful. Driving 808s underscore the rapper’s autotuned style, with hard lyrics about life growing up in the Finch area. Another cut on the album to lookout for is “Cardiac”, featuring deceased legend Houdini letting loose with one of his strongest verses. As a debut LP, it was one hell of a way to come onto the scene.

Over the next few years, Burna would drop a flurry of full-length projects and continue to build on his career. “North Boy”, “Play with Fire”, “Bandz Can’t Fold Pt 1 & 2”, and “Houligan Timing” all came out within a short three years. This explosive period of work culminated in his 2022 album “Bandemic”. Continuing to develop his style, it seems as though Burna has perfected the way he approaches music. His melodies are catchier than ever, and his bars and rhyme schemes are becoming denser and more personal. It’s truly a pleasure to watch as this artist grows and develops.

Burna Bandz stays active on Instagram, regularly posting about upcoming shows and projects. Not one to slow down, he is already for new music drops in 2023. Another fantastic representation of Toronto music, the rise of Burna Bandz is one you absolutely must tap into.