The first thing that caught my attention when his new snippet dropped was that Rema now smokes ‘igbo’. The second thing I notice is that he’s transitioned the props he wields in his snippets properly, from stick sweets to cigarettes and now marijuana.
The musical quality of the snippet is fantastic but familiar. I made a mental note to myself when he dropped his first EP that Rema would always burst my head sonically and never drop the same thing twice. He doesn’t disappoint as usual and I’m particularly impressed by Rema’s unique range. I expect all the conversations coming out of the snippet to be about this, and I’m more than shocked when I see fans and critics dwelling on something else.
Fans immediately begin to draw comparisons between Rema and Wizkid’s soundscape with different people taking both sides. Some say Rema is better than any version of Wizkid to have ever existed while some choose to die on the hill that the soundscape of the snippet was born from Wiz.
First of all, I’d like the Nigerian music space to understand that it’s not a bad thing to be inspired by another artist. It’s normal and it must happen. Art must inspire, and artists must draw inspiration. There are definitely similarities between a soundscape explored by Wiz in the past and mildly up to the present and Rema’s sound.
Rema is evidently inspired by Wizkid and Burna. The unique thing about him is he draws his inspiration from many sources and finds a way to make the finished product so much of himself you can argue that he’s even inspiring his predecessors.
On the snippet, he’s floating and gliding on a Sade Adu sample. He’s so locked in, you’d think he’s owing Tony Elumelu some heavy money. The snippet went on to be the most viewed snippet in recent times, amassing 11 million views with 101 thousand likes on X and 4.7 million views with 438 thousand likes on Instagram.
Rather than debate whether Wiz has an Influence on Rema’s music or not, what we should be talking about is Rema’s perfection. It’s a no-brainer, he’d surpass the ones that came before him, just like the ones before him surpassed the P-Squares, DBanjs, and Tufaces’. He’d outdo them. Partly because he’s operating in a generation with resources they didn’t have during their time and partly because he’s the most well equipped, yet. His versatility is through the roof.
He came into the game with the Indian sound. Shortly after he dropped a trap EP, and then started laying the sonic foundation for HEIS with songs like Lady, Woman, and Bounce. He went full Afrobeats on his debut album and tapped into world elements on his Ravage EP. He brought the sound back home with HEIS and now is exploring his Afro-R&B influences.
Sonically, he’s set himself up to be the pacesetter and this only means one thing; as long as he’s good at what he does, he will always be a step ahead of his peers. In an era where the attention span is short and hits don’t last more than a year anymore, he’s well-equipped to change the soundscape at any time.
Stepping out of the sonic conversation, he’s very active when it comes to his branding. His style, fashion sense, aura, representation, artworks and videos are all very intentional and curated. He’s prepared.
One of my favorite things about Rema, probably my most favorite is his “act like you’ve been here before” approach to everything. With every little detail, as little as how he comes down from the car and steps into the club, he’s composed and making sure he gives off an aura that says he’s made for that moment.
The snippet carries one strong message for me. One I believe everyone should know and accept. Like it, hate it, endorse it or not, the Prince is going to become King. Many argue that HE IS, and that’s why he named his sophomore album that. Whatever your opinion is, one thing is certain. Rema is one of one and he’s about to take us on a journey to show why.
