The Red Bulletin April 2020

Afrobeats
“[Drinking and
smoking] are the
old generation. I am
the future. I want
to be a role model”
Rema
Clockwise from above left: South Africa’s Moonchild Sannelly; local music scene expert
and Afro Nation Ghana’s event producer Ruddy Kwakye; 19-year-old sensation Rema
stage on fire with their bass-laden tracks.
Today, the boys, all in their early twenties
and heavily tattooed, are chilling in
producer Nxwrth’s bedroom studio. Some
of them are on a Nintendo Switch, others
play with Nxwrth’s dog Astro (named
after Travis Scott’s album Astroworld),
while KwakuBs records vocals.
When the group formed in 2017,
Afrobeats was on the cusp of becoming
a global phenomenon, which made them
want to do something different. When
Nxwrth, a 23-year-old sporting pink
mini-dreads, boldly states, “I’m trying to
change the soundscape in Ghana,” you
can see where he’s coming from. With
kick drums layered in heavy sub bass,
tunes such as Know Me and Stone Island
are closer in sound to trap than to classic
Afrobeats, and their songs celebrate an
individualist lifestyle. “Ghanaians have
very strong opinions, especially in terms
of morals,” KwakuBs says. “You can’t look
a certain way, can’t just give a brother a
hug. We have tattoos and dyed hair, which
went against everything and was met
with negativity at first. But recently there
was a shift. We’re part of a new wave.”
This new wave also includes local
fashion labels like Free the Youth and
design collectives such as The Weird Cult
– like-minded artists who motivate each
other and, through collaboration, give
one another a platform away from the
mainstream. As the local Afrobeats radio
stations refuse to play La Même Gang’s
tunes, these artistic synergies help them
gain the attention of international music
and fashion publications. “We wear our
friends’ clothes in our videos – they make
merchandise for us,” says La Même Gang
member Darkovibes. “We believe that
if you want to move far, move together.
You want to move fast, you go alone.”
Also part of this new wave is 19-yearold
Rema from Benin City, Nigeria, whose
track Iron Man made it onto Barack
Obama’s favourite songs list for 2019,
and who topped the Apple Music Nigeria
chart last year with his eponymous debut
EP. This happened, Rema says, not
because but in spite of the international
success of Afrobeats. When he started
out, people around Rema advised him to
make music within the genre, but instead
he decided to rap and use Arabic melodies,
which infused his melodic pop songs with
spirituality. These choices are a result of
his upbringing: Rema’s father and brother
died when he was a child, and rapping in
church gave him hope and motivation.
Initially, Rema struggled to get his
music heard, but when he was signed by
Don Jazzy – co-writer of Oliver Twist and
owner of Nigeria’s biggest independent
record company, Mavin Records – his
career took off. In stark contrast to his
idols, such as Wizkid and Davido, Rema
renounces the glamorous lifestyle. He
doesn’t drink or smoke, doesn’t show off
expensive clothes. When quizzed on the
subject, the quiet, thoughtful young man
smiles. “You see,” he says, “they are the
old generation. I am the future. I want to
be a role model for kids.”
Minutes later, he steps out on stage in
a black tie-dye T-shirt and jogging pants
to rapturous applause. “I am Rema,” he
declares. “Every country I go to, they tell
me I am the future.” A sea of smartphones
captures the moment to transmit to the
world. The ascendency of pop music
from West Africa has only just begun.
afronation.com
THE RED BULLETIN 39