NEWS

5 Songs Rema Flexes His Lyrical Skills

Published

2 years ago

August 2, 2022

Rema is a Nigerian singer who rose to prominence in 2019 with ‘Dumebi’, having been scouted by Jonzing World’s honcho, D’Prince.

In his 3-year-old career, Rema has released 3 EPs, a compilation album of his hits, and a debut album, ‘Rave & Roses’, released on March 25, 2022.

Rema has become so successful and is being decorated left and right with gold, platinum, and diamond plaques in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and so forth.

However, despite the musical success, his lyrics are often criticized for being lame or childish. Some netizens often tag his lyrical skills poor, in oppose to that of his colleague Fireboy DML, who is seen as a lyrical genius.

But, as some people say, is Rema lyrically poor?

Here are 5 songs on which Rema flexes his lyrical skills.

5. Addicted

‘Addicted’ is the 10th track off Rema’s debut album, ‘Rave & Roses’. On Addicted, Rema talks about a strange girl who is addicted to a really risky lifestyle so much that she wants to sleep with him and his whole crew.

Quotable lyrics: ‘you got me real stuck, got me pinned down, love is not a source of income, I think it’s time I put my pen down’.

4. Dimension

Produced by Grammy award-winning British-Ghanian producer Jae5, ‘Dimension’ is a Jae5 song featuring Rema and British rapper Skepta. It’s a very relatable and inspiring song for every hustler. Rema went hard on this. His writing was so excellent!

Quotable lyrics: ‘Bad man don’t threaten me, you no fit kill who done die before oh, Father forgive me my sins, I reminisce all the things I’ve done oh, please put me under your wings, I sit and pray make my mandem live long, cause many wan quench the fire, Jah love gon’ take us higher’.

3. Are You There

‘Are You There’ is a wake-up call. On it, Rema addresses the filthiness of Nigerian politicians who couldn’t care less about the people dying. He also notes that although many are dying every day, clubs are still filled up with people as if nothing happened. He then says he would stop talking about it and just enjoy his life, since talking about it is not changing anything.

Quotable lyrics: ‘Cruise for Nigeria no fit ever stop, all the men for power no fit get enough, why I wan dey let am try to weigh me down, make I focus, make I just dey hustle up’.

2. Calm Down

Unarguably Rema’s most successful song yet, ‘Calm Down’ is a love song with a mid-tempo beat. Rema approached the Vibez-produced beat with simplicity. Although the lyrics of ‘Calm Down’ look ordinary and very simple, it’s in fact the ordinariness and simplicity that make it relatable, singable, and danceable simultaneously. On ‘Calm Down’, Rema is trying to woo a yellow-wearing girl at a party.

Quotable lyrics: ‘I see this fine girl for my party she wear yellow, every other girl dey do too much but this girl mellow, naim I dey find situation I go use take tell am hello, finally I find way to talk to the girl but she no wan follow’.

1. Divine

‘Divine’ is the intro to ‘Rave & Roses’. On the track, Rema narrates his birth process: the trials and hurdles his mother underwent before his birth. He also talks about how he felt about his father and brother’s sudden deaths as well as fighting battles even before birth. This is Rema’s most honest song yet. It’s from his personal experience and was delivered perfectly on the Sarz-produced beat.

Quotable lyrics: ‘Nothing fit come against my destiny, I fight battles wey nobody ever see, as I dey this industry with God company, me I go kaku so make everybody see’.