We list some interesting facts you need to know about Rema. In 2019, Rema arrived on the block, hot on his heels and ready to prove his star power. Since then he’s more than proved his salt, earning a spot in wider Afrobeats conversations.
1. His real name is Divine Ikubor
Rema’s real name is Divine Ikubor, born on May1, 2000 in Benin City, Nigeria. The fast rising Nigerian singer/ songwriter and rapper is well known for making Afrobeats music alongside artists such as Wizkid and Burna Boy. The music genre has made a global impact, becoming one of the hottest styles around the world. Rolling Stone stated that: “Nigeria is the bastion of Afrobeats, producing most of the stars who have penetrated the West in recent years.” Rema started his music career while singing in churches before he became an international superstar.
2. He collaborated with Selena Gomez on the hit single ‘Calm Down’
Nigerian artists have been doing admirable things of note for a while now, especially globally. Rema released his international hit song “Calm Down” on 11 February 2022, from his debut studio album Rave & Roses. The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100.
“Calm Down” is a typical love song with a mid-tempo beat, released as the second single off Rave & Roses. Rema is attempting to communicate how much he loves a girl and how her love is driving him insane, which is typical. In this case, the singer’s persona—looking for a lady’s love interest. The difficulty here, though, is trust, which the lady believes Rema lacks. He also mentioned how different his significant other is from the other girls he has met. The single includes a sample from fellow Nigerian artist Crayon’s track “So Fine“.
The remix of the song with American singer Selena Gomez was released on 25 August 2022. The new version reached number one on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart and peaked at number five on the Global 200 chart.
3. One of his song’s was placed on Barack Obama’s summer playlist
Rema is one of the Nigerian music’s most promising new artists, and it seems that even Barack and Michelle Obama have taken notice. Rema made Barack Obama’s 2019 Sure Playlist with his song, ‘Iron Man’. The former US President shared the list on Twitter. He shared a list of 44 songs he and his wife, Michelle were bopping to that summer and Rema’s song “Iron Man” was number 42. Obama wrote, “With summer winding down, here’s a sampling of what Michelle and I have been listening to — some new, some old, some fast, some slow. Hope you enjoy.”
Other international stars on the playlist include Drake, who occupies No 1, Jay Z, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Frank Sinatra, Rihanna, DJ Khaled, and Robin Thicke amongst others.
4. He lost his father who died under mysterious circumstances
Rema called out the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the death of his father, Justice Ikubor.
Rema’s father, Justice Ikubor, was a high-ranking member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State and former General Manager of the state-owned Ethiope Publishing Company. The former chieftain of the party, allegedly died in a hotel room in Benin, capital of Edo in 2008.
Rema made a post on Twitter saying: “PDP y’all need to explain what happened to my Father in that Hotel room. Justice Ikubor’s son has risen. ”
“I saw the bag of money, 2008. Life was rough when I lost him. When I come to Benin, I’m gonna visit the houses of the names I still remember, peacefully.”
5. He started gaining recognition when he posted a viral freestyle to D’Prince’s “Gucci Gang”
The late 2000s was huge for African artists gaining international recognition, and Rema’s viral single of D’Prince’s hit single “Gucci Gang” only further proved the growing influence of contemporary African sounds. D’Prince joined forces with Davido and Don Jazzy in early 2018 with a song titled “Gucci Gang”. Rema, who was hardly known then, posted a video freestyle to “Gucci Gang” which went viral.
6. Rema became famous with his viral hit song “Dumebi”
Rema is best known for his breakout hit “Dumebi” which is arguably one of the most popular Afrobeat songs out there. He released his self-titled EP in 2019, which was led by the local hit singles “Iron Man” and “Dumebi.” The music video for “Dumebi” finds him within a group of friends that includes a girl he’s in love with. But the love story doesn’t end how Rema wants it to.
7. He signed a record deal with Jonzing World
Rema started gaining recognition when he posted a video freestyle to D’Prince’s song “Gucci Gang” which went viral. This post caught the attention of D’prince who was so impressed with the upcoming artist that he flew Rema to Lagos to offer him a record deal. D’Prince then introduced Rema to Don Jazzy and had him sign a contract record deal with Mavin Records and Jonzing World Records.
Speaking on the record deal, Rema said: “It still feels like a dream. It is such a blessing for me to be chosen for something great, and given a platform as big as Mavin Global and a team as supportive as Jonzing World to enable me achieve my career objectives in music. I am super excited about what the future holds.”
Jonzing World is a Nigerian record label and management company which was founded by D’Prince on 22 March 2019. The label currently houses artists like Rema, Ruger with its founder D’Prince. Mavin Records is a Nigerian record label founded by record producer and recording artist Don Jazzy on 8 May 2012.
8. His self-titled debut EP ‘Rema’ peaked at number 1 on Apple Music Nigeria
Rema has maintained a consistent presence on Billboard‘s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. Since the list launched in early 2022, he has logged multiple entries. The singer and rapper was bolstered to new levels of recognition within days of releasing his debut self-titled EP in 2019, which housed multiple seminal hits. The EP peaked at No. 1 locally on Apple Music Nigeria. The EP received favorable reviews with Debola Abimbolu of Native stating: “Despite the loose romantic plot, ‘Rema’ introduces Rema as a promising prospect for Afropop’s future with the display of the 18-year-old’s ability to distill entire subgenres of pop into an earwormy soup. His songcraft, knack for catchy melodies, hooks and an understanding of how Auto-Tune best suits Afropop is a rare combination that is pushing the envelope for what we know now as pop music from Nigeria.”
His debut album Rave & Roses was released in 2022. The album was heralded by the release of singles “Soundgasm”, “Calm Down” and “FYN” featuring British act AJ Tracey. Other guests on the album are US acts Chris Brown and 6lack, as well as French singer-songwriter Yseult.
9. His music influence comes from the Afrobeats music genre
Rema is one of the many artists that have been influenced by the Afrobeats genre. Afrobeats began to gain popularity in the early 2000s but it took almost two decades for the music to gain mainstream attention and earn international repute. This has led to the genre experiencing a golden age that’s attributed to breakout artists such as Rema himself, Wizkid, Burna Boy and among many others, who’ve taken the genre to global recognition. Afrobeats now have crossover appeal and it’s become cool to include them in your playlist, even though you don’t live in Africa.
10. He was nominated for Best New International Act at the BET Awards
At the 2020 awards, Rema was nominated for the viewer’s choice “Best New International Act” alongside Sha Sha (Zimbabwe), Celeste (U.K.), Young T & Bugsey (U.K.), Hatik (France) and Stacy (France). However, the award went to the Amapiano artist Sha Sha from Zimbabwe. She’s well known for making the hit song “Tender Love” featuring DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small. The BET International Act category has over the years, honored some of the most talented musicians in Africa.
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