The NBA tapped up some of our artists to headline the Halftime Show at the All-Star game. It’s a big achievement for the artists and, by extension, the country Nigeria, as it proves our ability to export great talents. Tems, Burna Boy, and Rema are the names who will be on everyone’s lips leading up to the show. If you don’t know who they are, this is a great place to learn more.

Rema rose to prominence pretty fast. Before his first major release, he started out making videos of himself rapping and singing in cars. He caught the eye of D’Prince who took him under his wing. Since that moment, everything changed.

Born Divine Ikubor, Rema has always been an engaging artist. He understands the art of keeping his audience spellbound by his every word and move. His breakout single, “Dumebi” had the country in a chokehold which made many fans flock to him. Rema’s age and youthfulness ensured that he had the Gen Z demographic on lock, but he quickly gained the respect and admiration of older age groups as well.

2019 was his breakout year and he released a total of 12 songs in 12 months through 3 EPs: Rema, Rema Freestyle EP, and Bad Commando. This plethora of songs includes bops like “Iron Man”, “Corny”, “Bad Commando”, “American Love” and “Spaceship Jocelyn”, just to name a few.

One of Rema’s biggest strengths is his range of execution. You can find him on any type of record; be it a mellow, introspective tune or an energetic banger that incites euphoric chaos. In 2022, he released his debut album Rave and Roses to this effect. The 16-track record holds within it a range of emotions that encapsulates the fluidity of Rema’s musical palette. Rave and Roses houses records like “Mara”, “Oroma Baby”, “Addicted” and many more. As far as Nigerian music goes, Rema is a symbol of the change of guard to the younger generation along with labelmate and Sabigirl, Ayra Starr.

Rema is currently enjoying the benefits of his hit records. His smash hit, “Calm Down” which has Selena Gomez on the remix is doing well on the international scene, especially amongst the Latinx contingent. He is also on tour and set to hit countries like Spain, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Germany in the coming months. He could be coming to a city near you soon, and the NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show this Sunday is a perfect opportunity to see the young star in action.