Rema Wants a Seat at the ‘Big Three’ Table—Has He Earned It?

With sonic versatility and global reach, Rema is rewriting the rules of Afrobeats. But does that earn him a place alongside Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid? 

Another banga’ is an audacious introduction; often heard at the start of Rema’s songs. The phrase is a clear indication that Rema is acutely aware of his immense star quality and ability to create explosive songs on a consistent basis. Rema’s elocution of these words is important—his pidgin dialect changes the word ‘banger’ to ‘banga’, and this instantly alerts the listener to Rema’s Nigerian origin. Songs such as ‘Woman’, ‘Bounce’, ‘DND’, ‘OZEBA’, and ‘MARCH AM’ have an adrenaline inducing quality, akin to the feeling of throwing tiny ‘banger’ fireworks unto the ground and waiting for them to shoot into the air.  

These fast-paced songs are not a constant for Rema, as he shapeshifts frequently through his music. Rema often blends genres in insightful and experimental ways, as heard on ‘Red Potion’, which has elements of Fela-inspired Afrobeat and polyrhythmic drums towards the end which elevate the song seamlessly. There are also soft moments within Rema’s discography, as heard on his R&B inspired single, ‘Is it a Crime’ and reflective moments captured by the introspective lyricism on ‘NOW I KNOW’, where Rema sings about the trust issues that come with handling fame and success.  

Against this backdrop, Rema’s lyrics on ‘HEHEHE’, where he confidently notes that there is ‘no [longer a] big three, there’s now a big four’, should not come as much of a surprise, particularly because Rema adopts a larger than life, braggadocious persona on his latest album, HEIS, which was released in July 2024. The reference to ‘haters talking…while he’s making money’ and calling himself the ‘Afrobeats prince’ on the song ‘HEIS’, are clear indications that Rema is embracing his self-proclaimed spot as the fourth member of Afrobeats royalty. Although Rema’s visual and sonic versatility, consistency in delivering great-quality music, confidence and refusal to follow Afrobeats trends make him a strong contender, these qualities alone may not firmly secure his ‘big four’ position within the current Afrobeats climate...