In the time since Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Rema dropped out in 2022 Rave & Roses, he experienced both the most mind-blowing heights of crossover success and the bleakest parts of demonizing his culture in one fell swoop.
In 2023, “Calm Down” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a record 58 weeks at the top of the US Afrobeats Songs. The infectious Selena Gomez-assisted track also reached No. 1 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, making history for a song by an African top artist. Then came his sold-out show at London's O2 Arena later that year (14 November 2023), which sparked categories of Satanism because of the images – in fact, they were its characteristics Edo culture of his hometown of Benin City, Nigeria – worked during the show.
These two things – truly unmatched success and the intensity of bringing hyperlocal culture to a global scale – are the driving forces behind Rema's impressively bold and undeniably infectious sophomore LP, That's him.
Bearing a title that simultaneously invokes the Instagram handle (@heisrema), the Greek word for the number “one” and the simplest declaration of existence, That's him finds Rema firmly in defense. Gone are the sugary slow beats of wine Rave & Roses? Here, Rema creates soundscapes – courtesy of an all-star production team that includes producers X, Take a Daytrip and longtime London collaborator – that thrive in the dark. Pounding, frantic drums open the album and eventually become the record's anchor. Occasionally, a tinny synth or a particularly piercing string arrangement will break through the wall of sound, but the rolling, fighting drums are the dominant source of energy on That's him. And it makes sense: The drum – with all its history and percussiveness – is the instrument that best symbolizes his Rema That's him.
Throughout the LP, Rema reclaims the “satanic” narrative by doubling down on the sounds and voice changes that first brought these categories together. When he warps his voice into an obsidian baritone on “Ozeba” (“Emi ati awon guys e mi italawo, e mi italowo/ Italawa, itolowo, ita, itolow, eh-eh”), it's somehow both chilling and tongue-in-cheek. on the cheek. He refuses to let go of his city's history and culture despite being a global superstar. is an emphasis on locality that mirrors similar conversations in black American music this year, from Beyoncé Cowboy Carter on Kendrick Lamar's “Not Like Us.” “Everybody's chasing something that the whole world can enjoy … we're listening to the voices of the world very much.” he said in a recent Apple Music interview. “We have to listen to the voices at home to preserve our roots. Our roots [are] very important.”
But his stream That's him he also has an unmistakable chip on his shoulder. As hip-hop struggled with the status of the Big 3 (Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J. Cole) this spring, Rema uses That's him to claim a place in the conversation as it relates to Afrobeats. That's him has already been expressed his desire to expand the existing Afrobeats Big 3 (commonly understood to consist of Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid) into a “Big 4”, and is now spending most of That's him vying for the No. 1 spot.
“March Am” opens the record with Rema's trademark laugh introducing a high-octane drum pattern that sounds his rallying cry to keep pushing forward. One of the year's most effective album openers, “March Am” immediately establishes pidgin English as the album's dominant language. “17, I dey dagbo, I dey crack code/ Now the prince of Afro,” he growls on the first verse, before singing the chorus “I dey march am” against some swaggering background strings. Taking notes from Playboi Carti's painstaking world-building, Rema's vision of Afrorave hinges entirely on the bubbling, boundless energy that comes from people collectively giving their bodies to the power of music. That's him begs to be experienced in a live setting. it's as if Rema captured the live version of each song before he even set foot in the studio. It's dark and noisy and distinctly liberating. Finally, Rema brought to life the long-heralded “Afrorave” style, despite the initial lack of sonic identifiers.
The only tool as effective as the drums above That's him it's Rema's voice. Throughout the LP, the singer dives into the depths of his range, spending plenty of time in his icy baritone. Not only do his different vocal records evoke different characters in his narrative—of renewing yourself after moving into a new era of life—they also reveal Rema's artistic maturation. Each change in vocal performance adds new textures to the 2010s Afrobeats-nod instrumentals. instead of just delivering lyrics, he morphs into his own instrument and weaves himself into every chord.
Pre-release singles 'Hehehe' and 'Benin Boys' (featuring Shallipopi) play even better in the context of the full album. The former finds Rema temporarily playing the role of villain to mock his haters, while the latter reads as a celebration of Benin culture by two homegrown stars, seeking to uplift and protect it from those who demonize it from ignorance. Sandwiched between those two tracks is “Yayo,” perhaps the most accessible song on the record—and this one Rave & Roses Fans will likely find it the most appealing, with its catchy melody and culture-affirming lyrics (“Money yakpa for my bank oh/ How to make money is all I know”)
In less than half an hour, That's him It never overstays its welcome, but that doesn't mean Rema completely avoids repeating himself. While having a chip on your shoulder can boost your momentum, it often gives way to defensiveness in the back half of the album – and that's where its cracks start to show. The title track – which features a Swahili chorus that basically praises Rema as the hottest thing to ever touch Planet Earth – is especially over the top because he's already covered the same lyrical ground elsewhere on the album. There's also “Villain,” the album's penultimate track, in which he croons: “I dey hustle since people dey laugh me/ The way I don't hustle my stuff, I do it different, now they copy me.” But by track 10, those sentiments feel stale, if not overbearing.
As a whole, That's him it's a fascinating album. one that inspires countless listens because of how its intricate production reveals new elements with every encounter. With the album's closer, 'Now I Know', Rema wraps things up quite cleanly, offering new perspectives on the darkness that the record brings with a chilly ballad. “I move like Messi when he plays for Barcelo/ E get as God go beless person, dem go talk say na devil oh,” he opens the second verse, before proclaiming “And now I know who they want for me/ All of them confidence became an enemy » in the choir.
After immersing himself in a mix of edgy aesthetics to further cement his Afrorave style, Rema somehow becomes human again on this album closer. His plaintive tone reflects the maturation he's undergone over the past two years, while also recalling the timbre he used more often on his debut LP. He's still the same Rema, but he commands a different level of respect – not just because of his superstar status, but because of his steadfast commitment to elevating his culture and bringing it with him at all costs.
If you fell in love with Rema on the strength of his sweet crossover pop moments, his latest album probably not for you. But if you're willing to be taken on a journey of self-discovery and style-making, That's him it is the map for that odyssey.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/reviews/rema-heis-album-review-1235732231/
