The 20 Best Rema Songs

RAVAGE gave a peek into the direction Rema was increasingly taking. A searing five-track collection, its dominant mood was pomp. He’s long called his music “Afro rave,” a conflagration that credits the African percussive base and Rema’s emo-trap affiliations — which places him side-by-side with Travis Scott as easily as Burna Boy.

Taking account of this flamboyant artistic evolution, this list brings together Rema’s best twenty songs, from the beginning of his career to where he currently is — all of which highlight the potential lane he’s about to champion on his forthcoming sophomore album.

“Divine”

Every album opener holds significance. Setting mood and message, “Divine” upholds the contemporary album tradition of the introspective opener. But it’s more than just a concept — here Rema taps into autobiography, telling the story of his birth and his rise to the top from a familial perspective. Doing this can be hard enough, but imagine doing it over one of the bounciest, most rhythmically demanding beats Sarz has ever made. After this inspired gaze into history, Rema wrote his way into the future.

“Calm Down”

A song that could arguably be the biggest Afrobeats song ever, “Calm Down” was at first a tender declaration of love. It wasn’t the songwriting as much as the delivery, the way Rema made the simplistic tale of meeting a lady carry the weight of novelistic experience. With its instantly memorable “oh-oh-oh-oh-oh” adlib blending with the production’s mellow base, the song carried so much potential. Its exploited then broadened Rema’s reach as never before, among other achievements becoming a crucial feature in the singer’s India tour.

“Dumebi”

The breakout record. Rema found his wings in “Dumebi,” which sounded straight out of a storybook. Boy meets girl, that kind of stuff, but with the suffused cheer of a teenager. When the visual was released, people were quite surprised as they expected a more “mature” demonstration, but over time that artistic decision has been justified, with its brazen colors and road hangout having become an iconic feature on its own.

“Are You There?”

Politics is subtly encoded into the language of Nigerian music. From Fela Kuti to Asa, musicians are known to find a way to engage a country that is so viscerally present, simultaneously full of life and yet whose bad leadership drains the soul. “Are You There?” is Rema’s most philosophical entry into the subject. Proving that Nigerians would dance through their gravest troubles, Rema indeed makes us dance, a fine reggaeton beat carrying his muscular ambitions.

“Soundgasm”

A feature that makes Rema stand out from the crowd is his ear for melody. As though listening to hidden cracks within the universe, those pulses were influenced by emotions that roved between love and lust. Prior to Rave & Roses his ideas sought an otherworldly form which he reached for the first time on “Soundgasm,” a record that paints with florid detail what happens between Rema’s persona and a woman character. A dramatic staging moves the story, creating strong imagery.

“Charm”

When “Charm” was released, it quickly found favorites among the Nigerian youth, particularly the resonant note of the affirmation: “see body oh.” It was a record that made people feel good about themselves, carried along by the wistful groove of the production. And propelled eventually by becoming a smash hit on TikTok, it rests now as a Rema classic.

“Wine” with Yseult

There haven’t been many duets in Rema’s catalog but here he takes the song form with the assurance of a master. Passionate, cooing, and sexy, “Wine” is a heartfelt plea for the sweet motions of a love interest’s body. It’s an association Afropop makes good on — and Yseult introduces a different side of the sensual experience, her French-licked verse soothingly layered over the balmy production.

“Spaceship Jocelyn”

Outworldly imagery was a consistent feature in Rema’s early branding. A means of reflecting himself as special, the mysterious sheen of spaceships and the like could be found in his cover art and even the sonic material of the songs themselves, as on here. Yet drawing from the emo style, he raps, sings, croons, and does a lot of incredible things with his voice, and yet it’s an achievement of Rema’s mind that he holds these different sides together.

“HOV”

An increased agility was found in Rema in the Ultra version of Rave & Roses. He was saying bold things with casual flippancy, dropping intimate jewels on the Nigerian condition from a perspective that was deceptively quirky. “HOV” is a masterpiece of that style: the delivery is urgent, as though he quickly has to get off the scene. “E reach to call me oga,” he comments on his life experiences, ripping through the space of the beat with a broad stroke, and mostly speaking to young people his age — a wake-up call, a rallying cry for greatness.

“Dirty”

The rustic, buttery percussion at the base of this record is its highlight but Rema makes a strong counter to that fact, impressing with one of his strongest vocal performances ever. It’s an eccentric delivery suited for its warm tone, providing an after-rain effect that envelopes the listener in a mellow and melancholic mood. It’s that rare love song that becomes better with time but doesn’t lose its immediate pleasure.

“Corny”

“Corny” exists as the pristine depiction of Indian influences in Rema’s music. Detractors would fault its levity, but they hadn’t caught wind of what the kid from Benin was trying to do. “Corny” sounds a lot better now, helped by the distance of time. One clearly hears the feverish dedication to unlocking melodies, playing at a high route that bends in and out of sounds and sensibilities, proving Rema to be a child of the global world of music.

“Dimension” with JAE5 & Skepta

Since Rema’s music reveals a rich international side, there have been a number of producers and artists who’ve called upon his expertise. When his unique style is paired with an international act, sometimes it results in a generational song such as this: “Dimension” shows Rema at his finest, spiritually aware, as he honors the connection between the present and the past, and how his musical journey is more than meets the eye. And to date, the line “Bad man, don’t threaten me, you no fit kill who dun die before,” remains a classic.

“Why”

Rema and Jonzing World boss D’Prince cruise around Lagos in the visuals for “Why.” Rema’s in the booth of the car, casting a forlorn look in consistency with the heartbreak theme that the record espouses. It’s perhaps Rema’s finest demonstration of his emo rap influence. From the trippy production and down to the subtle manipulations of his zesty vocals, it’s a song in alignment with its values and vision.

“DND”

Off the RAVAGE project, there’s a sharp-toothed confidence Rema relays throughout the runtime of “DND.” Speaking on his wins and musing how he’s become quiet, he however turns the table on its head. “Make humility no go turn you mamu,” he sings in one revealing lyric, an acknowledgment of what he does across the entire EP, utilizing a combusting flow over production choices that match his lyrical vision.

“Time N Affection” with Chris Brown

When two eccentric personalities collide, a record like this emerges. For years Chris Brown has solidified his standing as one of the most Afro-leaning international artists, and for Rema, whose aspirations went the other way, it was a delightful pairing. A fun intensity coats the chorus, taken by the Nigerian host and playing into the sterling guest verse, while Rema is on hand to polish it off with his purposeful adlibs.

“Addicted”

A section of Nigerian artists has made ‘80s synthwave an extension of their sound. None more so than alté artists and producers, whose sonic experiments have made grand impressions on the seams of the mainstream and adopted by some of its more progressive scions. On “Addicted,” Rema embraces an animated style that closely resembles Michael Jackson, even as he codes hip-hop swag into the record. As in MJ’s songs, the narrative is of a superstar engaging a femme fatale.

“4AM” with Manny Norte, 6LACK & Tion Wayne

A summer jam, the vocal output on here is quite stellar. 6LACK and Tion Wayne contribute their distinct styles, amping up the sensual and bossy energy otherwise established. But it’s Rema whose verse opens up the song, as he calls upon the vulnerability of a longing lover, and from here the title comes up. In the first couplet, he’s already taken the record by the scruff of the neck: “It’s 4 a.m. when I call up your phone, me I just wanna say hi / It’s a lie, me I’m lonely tonight…”

“Peace of Mind”

Unarguably the most socially aware record ever made by Rema, there’s a poignant energy in “Peace of Mind” that comes from its time of release — in the immediate aftermath of the EndSARS protests. With direct allusions to the psychological stress and physical oppression that’s rampant across Nigeria, it’s a beleaguered account of social life and the individual’s need for mental peace. When Rema asks “how many happiness man fit to buy?”, it’s a sentiment that sticks because regardless of the financial independence a Nigerian youth attains, the country’s failures and pain still live within.

“Too Correct” with Crayon

Both artists are best of friends and it’s no surprise that their first and only collaboration (so far) sounds this good and groovy. Crayon has always known how to create uptempo records which take after the functions of his sobriquet, but here, he finds the perfect ally in Rema, whose hook supplies the most important part of the record. “Inside my heart I dey love, but for my face e no dey show,” meanwhile, remains one of the most poignant things Divine Ikubor has ever said in a song.

“HEHEHE”

The single off Rema’s sophomore album HEIS, there was palpable excitement and confusion when the artist shared its snippet. It was sonically different from anything else he’d done, stacked full of Francophone-sounding drums while there were hints of Juju rhythms within. It is sweet chaos, the kind Rema has increasingly mastered since his last project. Right now when it comes to reflecting confidence in their craft and career, few people do it better than Rema. And considering what he’s done across various genres since making his bow five years ago, it’s quite the brag to say the words: “I never even use all of my powers.”