Less than a year after he signed his first major record label deal, Rema is leading the pack of a new generation of Nigerian music stars putting the country on the world stage. Here’s all you need to know about the new superstar kid on the block:
A: Rema attended Ikhile Group of Schools in Benin where he formed a band.
B: Benin City in Edo State is where he grew up, lived and hustled.
C: Rema’s first collaboration outside Mavin/Jonzing World is with Thutmose, an American singer of Nigerian descent. The song’s title is ‘Love In The Morning’.
D: Divine Ikubor is his real name.
E: Three EPs: Rema (2019), Rema Freestyle (2019) and Bad Commando (2019) currently make up his discography.
F: In September 2019, Rema met with a lookalike female fan who lives in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
G: His freestyle over D’Prince’s track ‘Gucci Gang’ which features Don Jazzy and Davido was what made ‘Omooba’ to fly him into Lagos from Benin.
H: HP signed Rema on an endorsement deal in September 2019.
I: The song “Iron Man” by Rema appeared on Barack Obama’s 2019 summer playlist.
J: He signed a deal with D’Prince’s Jonzing World – the first imprint label under Mavin Global in March 2019.
K: In the 11 months since he was signed, Rema has performed at sold out shows in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, London, United States, Dubai, Ghana.
L: By the time Rema was 15, he had lost both his father and older brother, Chuka. His mother is still alive and well.
M: He was born on May 1, 2000.
N: At the 2019 Headies, Rema won the Next Rated award.
O: Ozedikus is the music producer behind Rema’s hit songs – ‘Iron Man’, ‘Dumebi’ and ‘Corny’.
P: Rema is adept at playing the Piano.
Q: In a candid question and answer session, Rema revealed he made his first million at 17 years of age.
R: Rap Nation (RNA) was the group Rema formed with former bandmate Alpha P and together they won a talent hunt competition called “Dream Alive with Pikolo Season 2”.
S: 900,000 streams is what Rema currently averages on Spotify monthly.
T: Several months before Rema’s signing was announced, he underwent extensive training by D’Prince, Altims and the Mavin Records’ team.
U: His sound has been praised as unique and unorthodox – a fusion of mainstream hip-hop, pop and alte.
V: Rema is an avid video game lover. And when he’s not making music or performing, he plays games.
W: Water gun, mask and teddy bear are all part of his branding which he came up with himself.
X: In October 2019, Rema had a live freestyle session on BBC Radio 1 Xtra.
Y: His four music videos – Dumebi, Bad Commando, Lady and Iron Man- have amassed over 23 million views on YouTube.
Z: Rema has zero studio albums as of yet.
Bonus: Osagie is Rema’s childhood friend in Benin, from whom he learned the word ‘Kpalansia’. He says he found the word funny even though the friend never told him the meaning. He has been using it in his music ever since.
Had a little chat about the journey at @Beats1 with @neweryork on @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/F7CvE6U2aO
— REMA (@heisrema) December 10, 2019
The post Everything You Need To Know About Rema, The Benin Wonderkid Taking Over The World appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
by 208headlines