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How Rema Became Afrobeats’ Visionary

Nigerian superstar Rema is redefining African pop music — and has scored a record-breaking single in the process. But he had to overcome a tragic past

Though he spent years ahead of the hit making a name for himself, the breezy song that introduced him to mainstream America camouflaged the real Rema — wholly carnal, slightly tortured, and laser-focused on life back home. The space is lined in sandy wood and onyx marble and tucked behind a wall of 60 vinyl covers by label icons like Lamar, Eminem, and Tupac, reimagined by elite artists like Kehinde Wiley and Takashi Murakami. Rema launches himself to the top of the sitting room’s thick, layered couch and stretches his long legs, the tongues of his brassy Jaded London combat boots wagging and a pillowy Rick Owens clutch stocked with incense strapped to his side.

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