{"id":87832,"date":"2024-08-20T11:48:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T09:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=87832"},"modified":"2024-08-21T10:30:08","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T08:30:08","slug":"from-social-media-to-heis-how-rema-continues-to-take-over-the-afropop-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2024\/08\/from-social-media-to-heis-how-rema-continues-to-take-over-the-afropop-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"From Social Media to ‘HEIS’: How Rema Continues to Take Over the Afropop Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Though Nigerian at heart, Afropop continues to dominate charts across the globe. One only needs to look at Wizkid’s exceptional career. Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria’s cultural capital, the singer-songwriter is among today’s biggest names in African music. He’s also one of the first Afropop artists to help the genre reach and conquer Western music scenes. Wizkid’s\u00a0past collaborations<\/a>\u00a0range from songs with American R&B singer H.E.R to British rap star Skepta. His fourth studio album Made in Lagos, which is aptly named to pay homage to his humble beginnings, also became more than just the highest-ever Nigerian album to chart on the Billboard 200\u2014because it breached the UK’s Top 20.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Wizkid paved the way for other Nigerian Afropop stars to wow Western audiences. The rhythm, heat, and easy-flowing lyrics in\u00a0Hitpapa’s\u00a02022\u00a0single<\/a>, ‘I’ll\u00a0Be There’ is just one track that takes inspiration from Wizkid’s rise to fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years later, yet another famous Afropop artist is establishing himself in mainstream Western music: Rema. Also known as Divine Ikubor, this up-and-coming Afropop sensation is a great case study of how social media is helping culturally charged sounds cross international borders so they can be enjoyed by many. Here’s more on his rise in the industry and how he’s continuing to take over the Afropop scene with his newest release, HEIS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rise of Rema<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by El Vacio (@elvacioffice)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>