In 2019, a pristine-looking 19-year-old lad who went by the name Rema burst onto the scene. He brought his own sound, style, and a certain type of energy that appealed predominantly to the Gen Zs.
Everyone aged 21 and under at the time wanted to imitate Rema; heck, several budding musicians (including those born in the 90s) aspired to sound similar to Rema and likely coveted some of his cool clothes from his wardrobe.
Rema wore scintillating braids, shiny earrings, impressive necklaces, and JNCO baggy pants; these outfits quickly became a go-to dressing starter pack among Gen Z. As a matter of fact, following his immediate impact after joining D’Prince‘s Jonzing World, an imprint of Don Jazzy’s record label, Mavins, Rema became the first artiste born at the beginning of the new century to attain mainstream popularity in Nigeria.
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He attained this before the arrival of other popular musicians born in the 2000s, such as Ayra Starr, Fave, BabyBoy AV, Victony, or even Seyi Vibez. Rema was simply the first among his contemporaries to headline shows, appear on international platforms, and become a mainstay on numerous streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
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What Made Rema’s Emergence So Special?
Rema, upon his arrival, looked like a superstar. He carried himself like someone who ought to be a star, a protagonist within his own prose.
Specifically, his composure made him stand out, as explained earlier, his styling and musical approach suited the era he found himself in perfectly. Gen Zs are renowned for walking away from the status quo and embracing an avant-garde ideology. Rema simply embodies these qualities.
At the time of his emergence, there wasn’t any musician who was similar to him, nor was he trying to imitate or recreate the aura of his predecessors. He was simply himself, while Wizkid and Davido ruled a decade prior, Rema was inarguably the crowned prince of Afrobeats upon his introduction in 2019 at the tender age of 19.
He put his focus on the microphone and spoke to a burgeoning generation that needed a voice and a face to air their opinions, belief systems, and demand to be taken seriously.
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Music: Cultural Impact and Crossover Appeal
At just 25, Rema already has an iconic music career. The singer-songwriter has an impressive music catalogue, and his contribution to transcending the Afrobeats culture across the globe is insurmountable.
He has released two studio albums and 4 EPs. Since his emergence, he has continued to release songs and collaborate with major artistes from across the globe.
Before the release of his two studio albums, Rave & Roses (2022) and HEIS (2024), Rema released three EPs that catapulted him into cultural relevance- in 2019 alone, he released three EPs, namely, his self-titled EP, which served as his official unveiling by Jonzing World/Mavins in March 2019.
It was followed by Rema Freestyle in June and the even more popular Bad Commando in October; all three came out in 2019. Ravage is his most recent EP, released in 2023.
Following the successes of his EPs, listeners from across the world began to pay attention to the then 19-year-old. The strategy applied by Jonzing World/Mavins to announce Rema was later adopted by other musicians, and it was used to unveil musicians such as his labelmate Ayra Starr, Ruger, and Joeboy, to name a few.
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Conclusion: Where is Rema Now?
Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, is now a mainstream superstar, a headliner, and one of the most popular musicians from his generation. The writer mentioned earlier that Rema is one of the most impactful musicians from this era- he has a fanbase dubbed Ravers, and he is known as the Rave Lord, quite interesting.
Following the success of his debut studio album, Rave & Roses, Rema headlined his own Rave & Roses World Tour in 2022.
