Rema Declares His Place in Afrobeats’ Big Four in New Single, “HEHEHE”
The Benin City-raised artist stakes his claim to generational greatness in one of his most boastful songs yet.
Five years after he burst into Nigerian music, Rema has undeniably become one of the brightest shining superstars in Afrobeats. Not content to be regarded as arguably the biggest of his generation, the Benin City-raised artist is boldly reiterating his claim to being on the same plain as the gilded Nigerian big three of Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy.
“No more big three, there’s now a big four,” Rema sing-raps on his new single, “HEHEHE.” It’s a self-aggrandizing declaration, one he’s stated on social media before and now immortalized in one of the most boastful songs he’s made to date.
Helmed by Producer X, the music on “HEHEHE” is grandiose and haunting, featuring delightfully staggering drums and spooky piano chord samples. It’s an experimental bounce for Rema, and he employs a hoarse-voiced cadence and slightly off-kilter flow, both faintly reminiscent of Nigerian street-hop icon Olamide, but there’s a distinct Benin twang to Rema’s delivery and line choices.
At a brisk run time just shy of two minutes, “HEHEHE” will likely inspire multiple listens, also helped along by a stack of already quotable lyrics like, “Monday morning talking ‘bout me while I’m making money.”
This new single follows on the heels of last month’s “BENIN BOYS” with Shallipopi, and it effectively sets an expectant tone for a sophomore album from Rema, which we hope is in our ears sooner rather than later.
Watch the visualizer for “HEHEHE” here.
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