Posted by E.L.E.X on May 28 2021 under Celebrities
The quest to take Afro-beat around the world has been on ground for a very long time.
Fela Kuti himself, who is the pioneer of Afro-beat didn’t just do Afro-beat in Nigeria and within Africa, he also took Afro-beat to UK, USA, France and lots more.
The Afro-beat legend set a legacy in which the likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Davido are now riding on and enjoying in recent times.
These 3 artistes have been able to redefine Afro-beat, Polish it with their own tune and other elements to make it more acceptable outside Nigeria.
When it comes to Afro-beat Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid deserve the props but the truth remains that what they are doing is more like a cliche of what has been done in the past.
A lot of music enthusiasts attribute Rema‘s instant international recognition to the fact that he was introduced to the industry a few years ago by Don Jazzy‘s Mavin record in affiliation with Jonzing World owned by D’Prince.
Even though the Don Jazzy factor cannot be totally denied, a lot of people found it hard to acknowledge the obvious truth that Rema is a young talent bringing in something entirely new to the table.
While Nigerians are criticizing him for sounding like Indian or Arabs on songs, the International audience embraced his sound and gave him that needed recognition.
Little wonder his song, “Iron Man” appeared on Obama’s playlist and so many International award brands won’t stop putting him on the same list as Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Davido.
On 15 June 2020, Rema was nominated as Best Viewers Choice: International Act on the 2020 BET Awards. He was nominated on the awards alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid, they were the only Nigerian Artistes nominated for the awards edition of 2020.
According to Rema himself, what he is trying to do is Globalization of Afrobeat, to take the Genre beyond Europe and America and take it to the level of shutting down, India, Arab countries, and many other zones where Afro-beat is least appreciated.
With Afro-Rave, sub-genre of Afro-beat created by Rema, in few years time, it is believed that what Rema is trying to do with Afro-beat now will materialize and Wizkid, Davido & Burna Boy won’t be anywhere close to him when we talk about Afro-beat export.
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