THAT'S HIM

At London's O2 Arena last November, Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema took to the stage astride a shiny red-and-black horse and wearing a mask inspired by Queen Idia, a cultural icon dating back to the 16th-century Kingdom of Benin. The musician hoped it would be a devastating statement about the UK's continued accumulation of African art, including famous sculptures of Idia. Elsewhere in the show, he played on a giant bat, referencing a familiar sight in the sky above Benin City. But the theatrical tribute to Rema's birthplace and the history of his people met with reactions ranging from confusion to conspiracy theories questioning whether he was part of the Illuminati.

The colossal international success of Rema's 2022 single “Calm downhas accelerated the rise of a new feather-ruffling voice in Afrobeats, well aware of his potential to rise to the level of the genre's big three – Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid. That fateful show in London prompted the creation of Rema's second album, THAT'S HIMa record that bounces back with springtime rhythms and joyous challenges and brings the defining elements of his hometown front and center.

Until now, Rema was often spotted with a human-sized teddy bear. On THAT'S HIM, the 24-year-old artist adopts a ruthless anti-hero character, represented by a bat, bending with the majesty of a US rapper: Rema as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Alexander Wang, Frozen Wrists and Richard Mille all wrap around the beat of the honest yet infectious 'Yayo'. on the chorus of “Hehehe,” he unleashes a cartoonishly sardonic laugh. He's in Venice sipping Henny on the Miami bass-inspired “Azaman,” which sounds like it's winking at you from the top deck of a yacht.

Rema had not touched base in Benin City since 2018 after moving to Lagos before launching his career with first single “Dumebi”. THAT'S HIM reconnects with the energy of his hometown: Percussion moves in unbreakable clusters, dusty guitars are traded for laser-gun synths, and strings outline the album in an elaborate golden frame. “Black Bentayga, smoking reefer,” Rema begins the title track, Arabic strings rising around him like Amaarae Fountain Baby fills the Bentley's speakers.

In just 28 minutes, THAT'S HIM moving with incessant bustle. Where Rave & Roses opened with a cauldron of emotional chords and guitar, THAT'S HIM begins with four blunt bars of 16-bit synth grooves before launching into non-stop action. “Follow me running, you tear your ACL,” he raps on “Azaman.” Away from the chiseled styles of Asake and Wizkid, Rema opts for a crazy stream of consciousness with the momentum of a Ferrari. Just as the tempo threatens to slow down, “Ozeba” stages a blind date between snapping kuduro and the kind of deep vocal slant that Playboi Carti has been playing with recently. The chemistry is immediate.

His last moments THAT'S HIM tease a full heel turn. The penultimate “Villain” takes the winged piano of Lana Del Rey's “A&W” — itself a song that runs through characters and situations of moral alignment — and turns it into a sinful amapiano body-winder. “Please don't be mad at the fact that you don't take your baby and my baby personally,” Rema sings through a Cheshire Cat grin. “Now I Know” breaks out of that fantasy to touch raw wounds. “My whole childhood wasted because I want to feed the family,” he cries, reflecting on the struggle of caring for his loved ones after the death of his older brother at 15. It's a moment of revelation from an album of blood-pumping insanity. Returning home, Rema recasts an act of defiance as a compelling character arc and a snapshot of his city. It's as thrilling as a street race, as gothic as the bats flying overhead.