Rema Stands Firm: 'We're All Under Afrobeats' - His Message to Colleagues Distancing Themselves from the Genre

Image: Yaba Left Online

Renowned Nigerian artist, Divine Ikubor, famously known as Rema, made a resounding statement during the 2023 Headies Awards ceremony in Atlanta, USA, as he accepted the coveted Best Male Artiste of the Year award.

He emphasized that despite the diverse range of musical styles embraced by him and his fellow artists, they would continue to unite under the expansive afrobeats umbrella when it came to award shows.

Rema said, “I must say it is very important that I should let everyone know that I’m not here because of the awards. I’m here because it is important to support our institutions. And when I said institutions, I mean the bodies that support you to be able to achieve these major successes; the media houses, award organisers, you know.

“We are in a very sensitive period if we don’t give our attention to our institutions, we will miss this chance that we have. And we will never have this chance again.

“Be it afrorave, afro this, afro that, last last, we go jam for afrobeats award. So, this is our chance. We [afrobeats artists] are not the first to do it. Reggae has done it before.”

His comment is against the backdrop of Burna Boy and some of his colleagues denouncing the afrobeats tag on the grounds that they don’t want to be “boxed”, and it (afrobeats) “lacks substance.”

Source: dailypost.ng

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