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Tag: Rolling Stone

  • Rema makes history: First African artiste on Rolling Stone cover

    Rema makes history: First African artiste on Rolling Stone cover

    Nigerian music superstar, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has made history as the first African artiste to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

    The Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture.

    According to Rolling Stone, the Afrobeats sensation known for breaking boundaries on the global stage, is the Cover Star  for April edition of  the  prestigious magazine.

    Mavin Records lauded the uncommon feat with a post on its official Instagram page: “Rave Lordé Rema the Afrobeats Visionary, makes history as @Rollingstone USA First African Cover Star!”

    Following the recognition, the ‘Heis’  crooner thrilled audiences with an electrifying performance at the Rolling Stone concert, performing some of his hit songs, including ‘Dumebi’, ‘Woman’ and ‘Calm Down’.

    This milestone has further cemented Rema’s place as a trailblazer for African music, as this feat is coming  shortly after  he was highlighted on the cover of Dazed Magazine, another major international platform.

    Rema, born in 2000 in Benin City, came to limelight in 2019 after signing with Mavin Records.

    His rising profile has continued to highlight Afrobeats on global stage, as his hit song “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez became the most streamed Afrobeats track in history, earning him multiple platinum certifications.

    The song also broke records as the first African-led track to surpass a billion on Spotify streams, dominating  international charts.

    ‘Calm Down’ became number one hit on the world’s first regional streaming chart and first-ever official chart in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), earning Rema a Guinness World Record.

    Among, other global showcase, Rema has also made history as the first African artiste to perform at the prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony, when he thrilled audience at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, France.

  • Rema, Tems among Nigerian stars on Rolling Stone’s ‘top 100 albums of 2024’ list

    Rema, Tems among Nigerian stars on Rolling Stone’s ‘top 100 albums of 2024’ list

    The projects of top Nigerian singers, Rema, Tems, and Ayra Starr have been listed among Rolling Stone’s ‘best 100 albums of 2024’.

    The magazine released the list on Monday, highlighting outstanding albums that have enjoyed global success in the year.

     Heis‘, Rema’s second studio album which secured the number 11th spot in the list, was described as a “unique, buzzy and visceral” project.

    “Heis sounds more like a rave than almost anything Rema has made prior raging while everything else simmers. The result is the buzzy, visceral, sweat-it-out music that no one else in the mainstream is making,” it wrote

    According to the magazine, Tem’s debut album ‘Born in the Wild‘ earned the 37th spot due to the “physical and emotional listening experience” it gives.

    “Her debut album measures the soul work it’s taken to get here. All of it has paid off on an album so rich that the listening experience is a physical one as much as it is emotional,” it wrote.

    While Starr’s second album ‘The Year I Turned 21′ clinched the 53rd position. According to Rolling Stone, the album showcased the singer’s “musical maturity and enviable passion”.

    “Ayra Starr asserts a musical maturity that be could be considered far beyond her years but perhaps more aptly serves as a reminder of the emotional depth, logical process and enviable passion young people possess,” it added.

  • Rema’s ‘Iron Man’ makes Rolling Stones’ list

    Nigerian Afro-pop singer , Divine Ikubor a.k.a Rema has added another feather to his cap
    His song ‘Iron man’ has been named among ’50 Best Songs of 2019′ by Rolling Stones, an American-based Magazine.
    ‘Iron Man’ occupied the 40th position on the list which examined tracks that “defined the year.”
    ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish topped the chart, while ‘Truth Hurts’, by Lizzo and ‘Old Town Road,’ by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, secured second and third spots respectively.
    A review of the song by Rolling Stones adored Rema’s ‘vocal delivery’ and stated that his musical expertise is akin to “classic T-Pain and pop from India”.
    “At a time when tens of thousands of new songs appear on streaming platforms every day, a memorable first impression is more important than ever. The Nigerian singer Rema nailed it with “Iron Man,” the lead track on his first official EP,” a review of the song by the magazine reads.
    “The key here is the vocal delivery: Rema slathers his voice in Auto-Tune and drips come-ons — including the distinctive request to “be your Iron Man” — like warm honey over a plinking, pleasantly syncopated beat. Rema’s vocals bring to mind both classic T-Pain and pop from India; he’s almost smearing rather than singing. But when paired with the precise rhythms of Afrobeat, this becomes impressionism you can dance to.”
    TheNewsGuru recalls that months back ‘Iron Man’ was included on Barack Obama’s 2019 summer playlist — which comprises a total of 44 songs of divergent genres from across the world.
    Below are ’50 Best Songs of 2019′:
    1. Billie Eilish, ‘Bad Guy’
    2. Lizzo, ‘Truth Hurts’
    3. Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, ‘Old Town Road’
    4. Taylor Swift, ‘Cruel Summer’
    5. DaBaby, ‘Suge’
    6. Vampire Weekend, ‘Harmony Hall’
    7. Bad Bunny feat. El Alfa, ‘La Romana’
    8. Hope Tala, ‘Lovestaine’
    9. Sharon Van Etten, ‘Seventeen’
    10. J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Mr Eazi, ‘Como Un Bebe’
    11. Luke Combs, ‘Even Though I’m Leaving’
    12. Ariana Grande, ‘NASA’
    13. Lana Del Rey, ‘The Greatest’
    14. Stella Donnelly, ‘Old Man’
    15. Lizzo, ‘Juice’
    16. The Highwomen, ‘If She Ever Leaves Me’
    17. Jenny Lewis, ‘Hollywood Lawn’
    18. 100 Gecs, ‘Money Machine’
    19. Miranda Lambert, ‘Mess With My Head’
    20. Polo G and Lil Tjay, ‘Pop Out’
    21. Marshmello and Roddy Ricch, ‘Project Dreams’
    22. Billie Eilish, ‘Bury a Friend’
    23. Daddy Yankee feat. Snow, ‘Con Calma’
    24. Tyler, the Creator feat. Playboi Carti, ‘Earfquake’
    25. Harry Styles, ‘Lights Up’
    26. Leonard Cohen, ‘Happens to the Heart’
    27. Megan Thee Stallion feat. DaBaby, ‘Cash Shit’
    28. Maren Morris, ‘Girl’
    29. Young Thug feat. Gunna, ‘Hot’
    30. Lunay feat. Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny, ‘Soltera (Remix)’
    31. FKA Twigs, ‘Sad Day’
    32. Carly Rae Jepsen, ‘Want You in My Room’
    33. Better Oblivion Community Center, ‘Dylan Thomas’
    34. Rosalía and J Balvin feat. El Guincho, ‘Con Altura’
    35. Calboy feat. Yo Gotti and Lil Durk, ‘Ghetto America’
    36. Weyes Blood, ‘Picture Me Better’
    37. Neil Young With Crazy Horse, ‘She Showed Me Love’
    38. Ari Lennox, ‘BMO’
    39. Mannequin Pussy, ‘Drunk II’
    40. Rema, ‘Iron Man’
    41. Jonas Brothers, ‘Sucker’
    42. Charly Bliss, ‘Chatroom’
    43. Gary Clark Jr., ‘This Land’
    44. Ozzy Osbourne, ‘Under the Graveyard’
    45. Róisín Murphy, ‘Incapable’
    46. Sech feat. Darell, ‘Otro Trago’
    47. Faye Webster, ‘Room Temperature’
    48. Clairo, ‘Bags’
    49. KH, ‘Only Human’
    50. Kim Gordon, ‘Paprika Pony’

  • 2019: Why APC won’t miss ‘migrant,’ ‘rolling stone’ politicians – Oshiomhole

    The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said the party would not miss politicians who have perfected the art of migrating from one party to another with each election season.

    Describing them as ‘migrant’ and ‘rolling stone’ politicians, the party chairman said this in his opening remarks at the National Executive Council meeting of the party holding at its National Secretariat, Abuja.

    According to him, when he took over as national chairman, he initiated peace moves to assuage the feelings of those who had genuine grievances that he felt the party could address.

    He, however, said, “But those who were determined to leave, not on account of what anybody has done wrong against them, but on account of an ambition they believe they cannot realise on our platform, even though they were not denied the opportunity to try out that ambition, but perhaps because they could read like an oracle what the future would be, particularly as people have contested before when we didn’t have any incumbent.

    “Those who had dollars gave; those who had nails gave and Mr. President said I don’t have, but even if I have, I won’t give, but will offer honest leadership. At the end, the President won, but the victory did not purge those with that ambition and they were determined that they must contest and they were free to do that.

    “I had thought that by the provisions in our party constitution, they had the right to contest and that right was not going to be denied them. But reflecting on what has happened in the past and reading the minds of party members and leaders, they came to the conclusion that the only way they can realise their ambition was to relocate and they relocated.”

    He further said, “For distant observers, they think that this is a huge blow to our party. I made a comment which seems to have been misunderstood in some quarters, when I said that if some individuals of no particular fixed political address decide to leave, I will not lose my sleep.

    “I speak of no particular fixed address because if you have a history of moving every season from one political party to the other with one constant thing in mind — to contest — now, what is your political address? So, for people like that who are migrant politicians, rolling stone politicians, I am not able to identify their political address and therefore, I refuse to miss my sleep.”

    Oshiomhole stressed that some misconstrued his comments to mean arrogance, but that all he did was to be blunt, noting that there was little, if anything, he could do about people who felt they must contest and win every election and if they don’t, they take their loyalty elsewhere.

    He assured party members, especially legislators who have genuine cases of unfair treatment, that the party would do what is right to ensure that justice is done.

    The party chairman expressed delight that President Muhammdu Buhari has not disappointed Nigerians since he took over the saddle of leadership in 2015.

    He also noted that since the president took over, the APC has won most of the elections it had contested in various states, the latest being in Ekiti State which, before APC’s victory, was a stronghold of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

    Recall that both the ruling APC and PDP had benefitted from the gale of defections that started earlier in the year.