Like it or not, Rema is here to stay. All the signs indicate that and depending on what deal he has with his label, Jonzing World and Mavins.
He’s got at least five years of being in the mainstream, even if things don’t pan out, the way we think they will. But that’s even the worst-case scenario. Now, let’s talk about the best.
It’s easy to sound like someone else, so much easy. Skales sounds like Wande Coal, Joe EL sounds like 2baba, Terri is a Reekado Banks soundalike. Oh, there’s more. Lyta can vibe like Mayorkun, Sean Tizzle used to sound like Davido, T Classic sounds like Kizz Daniel, Fireboy DML sounds like Adekunle Gold and so on. But it’s just one thing to sound like an already popular artist, it’s another to actually exhibit the potential of that artist. Rema doesn’t only sound like Wizkid, he’s also demonstrated that he’s got what it takes, to stand on the best day.
If Rema goes on to win the Next Rated award at The Headies, this year, he’d have won the same major award Wizkid won. Only eight years after. That’s kind of the point, Wizkid has been here for so long. Long enough we can start scouting for guys who can also give the industry joy like he did in the past. Guys we can hold against a bar, guys we can actually criticize and assess, without sounding bitter. And for many years, we’ve been waiting for that someone, that young kid that will pop up with a shine like Wizkid’s, maybe bigger and disturb the industry.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ZkUybJY9R/
If we consider what he’s been up to, lately, Rema seems like that guy that could make Africa proud, while making the fans happy. He’s talented, for sure, but a million other artists also are. So, it apparently takes more than talent to become what Wizkid has become, it takes some ‘extra’ which includes a platform on which to deliver, a huge budget, consistency. Guess good looks and fashion won’t hurt, too. Rema’s got it all!
Months ago, when he first hit us, he had a hit single, “Dumebi” and a whole lot of Instagram freestyles. Our guess then would have been said, a trapper who’s got vibes. No one would quickly have considered him suitable for the Afrobeats thingy, not really. He didn’t seem like a good fit. But another thing that made Wizkid what he is today is constant evolution. His sounds just evolve. That did happen to Rema, when all of a sudden we had “Iron Man.” He dropped a short EP, “Freestyle”, much like a distraction and a pointer to what’s coming next. Then there was his part on “All Is In Order.”
“Iron Man” was the first time Rema got the Wiz comparison, and that early, it sounded like a disrespect to the Starboy name. But, now, after the “Bad Commando” EP project and the Headies nomination, it’s all starting to make sense. Okay, what if this guy isn’t (because he can never be) competition to the Starboy? What if he’s just more like the new guy, the next generation is gonna love like Wizkid? Now, that makes sense.
Most of his fans are still kids in their teens, and the rave is much. He’s not a street artist and Twitter may not understand, but he’s the perfect celebrity for the TikTok and Snapchat babies. He sounds promising, he sounds like the future of Afrobeats. Plus, he’s a fine boy!