Personas are important to artists, and that’s what birth their stage names. Since these names are what they give us, they are the only thing we attach to their faces. Nobody really bothers to find out their real names unless it’s absolutely important. Now, it’s hard to explain it, but some of these artists look like their real names. On the other hand, some of them have absolutely no connection to their names, and this article is about 11 artists who fall into this category.
1. Stage Name: Rema
Real Name: Divine Ikubor
Look at the name, then look at the picture. Do you see it? No! Absolutely not.
2. Stage name: Mr Eazi
Real name: Oluwatosin Ajibade
Will someone explain to me why I thought his name was Kwame or Kofi?
3. Stage name: Zlatan
Real name: Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael
Nobody can tell me nothing. Zlatan is DEFINITELY not a Raphael.
4. Stage name: Joeboy
Real name: Joseph Akinfewa Donus
Donus? I need to question everything I think I know.
5. Stage name: Reekado Banks
Real name: Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon
LMAO! Apparently, this is what Hanniel looks like.
6. Stage name: YCee
Real name: Oludemilade Martin Alejo
Wait! Didn’t he say he was Omo Alhaji?
7. Stage name: Runtown
Real name: Douglas Jack Agu
Man, no. Who would have thought?
8. A-Q
Real name: Gilbert Bani
Does A-Q have a secret life where he is an author?
8. Stage name: Seyi Shay
Real name: Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua
Deborah? What else do we not know about?
9. Stage name: Tekno
Real name: Augustine Miles Kelechi
This is a revelation.
11. Stage name: WurlD
Real name: Sadiq Onifade
Every WurlD’s song I know is playing in my head right now, and I don’t see a Sadiq singing.
There’s so much new music being released that it’s hard for even the most loyal fans to wade through the trash to find the gems. That’s why we’ve created #BumpThis – a Friday series that features new songs, by and featuring Nigerians, that you absolutely need to hear.
Rema — “Beamer”
2019’s biggest breakout star, Rema doesn’t look to be slowing down this year. After dropping an engaging short film, Rema’s Realm, he’s now delivered two expectedly solid singles, “Beamer” and “Rainbow”.
The more infectious of the two new songs is definitely “Beamer”, which greatly benefits from Rvssian’s brilliant production work. On the track, Rema tries to woo a girl by bragging about his wealth and rising clout.
Teni — “Marry”
While 2019 wasn’t as big for Teni as her 2018 was, she still dropped her debut EP and landed a monster hit, “Billionaire”. Now, to kick off 2020, she’s dropped another potential hit, “Marry”.
On the JaySynths-produced track, Teni sings about feeling pressured to get married, while dealing with a 7-year relationship that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. It’s another relatable song from the typically relatable star.
Dice Ailes — “Pim Pim” ft. Olamide
Dice Ailes is an immensely underrated star, and while he doesn’t drop songs nearly as often as we’d like, whenever he does, it’s a banger. His latest effort, the Olamide-assisted “Pim Pim” is no different.
On the track, Dice begs a lover not to play games with his heart. Olamide, a welcome addition to just about any song, delivers an unsurprisingly solid verse, making this impressive track even better.
Even though Rema only broke out less than a year ago, thanks to the well-deserved success of his eponymous debut EP, it legitimately feels like the Mavin Records signee has been around for a lot longer.
With the sheer amount of quality content he’s put out since his big break — two follow-up projects and a flurry of hit singles — it’s not hard to see why his career feels more long-spanning than it actually is.
Thankfully, 2020 doesn’t look to be any different for the tireless star. Over the weekend, he dropped the first episode of Rema’s Realm, a four-minute short that follows he and his gang robbing a supermarket.
Everything Rema has put out so far, whether it’s an IG post or a music video, feels very intentional, serving as a window into his vastly creative mind. The engaging Rema’s Realm, which he wrote, is just his latest avenue.
For the short, Rema smartly enlisted the same team behind his award-winning “Dumebi” music video — a clip that played a very vital part in shaping his image.
Speaking about Rema’s vision, the director, Ademola Falomo said:
“We embarked on this as the first of a series of visuals aimed at unveiling this version of Rema. It is simply Rema sharing more of himself with his fans.”
“Rema is a very intelligent guy. He’s very aware of his place in pop culture and very intentional about what he wants his impact in the game to be. This makes him more open to relatively risky ideas.”
With Rema, we are witnessing the exciting rise of a rare Nigerian star — one that not only relies on creating and performing music to connect with his fast-growing audience.
For the love of the real stars, the producers, we created #Beatsmith — a series that focuses on the connections and inspirations that led to the creation of that hit song or album.
Last week on #Beatsmith, we spoke to Altims about producing Rema’s latest banger, “Lady” — a standout off his third EP, Bad Commando. Now, we’re turning our attention to the EP’s title track, which seems to be gaining more momentum with each passing day.
Produced by fast-rising talent, London, “Bad Commando” is an utterly infectious earworm that burrows itself into the brain of anyone who listens. So, we decided to catch up with the song’s producer to discuss how a rejected beat became another Rema hit.
On meeting Rema:
I met Rema back in 2018. Before we got acquainted, I used to hear his songs, but I didn’t know who he was. Then I saw him recording at the Mavin Records studio one day, and I introduced myself.
Honestly, none of this was planned. I had originally made the beat for another artist, but he wasn’t feeling it at that point. So, I played it for Rema and he immediately liked it.
On main inspiration:
If I’m being honest, I didn’t have anything in my head when I was making the beat. I was just flowing with the vibe. Well, I was eating during the process, so I can say there was a lot of joy in my heart.
On difficulty level:
Compared to the other songs I’ve worked on (Starboy’s “London”, DJ Tunez’s “Turn Up”), making “Bad Commando” was probably the easiest. I made the beat in like 20 minutes and finished everything when he recorded.
On the song’s short runtime:
I think the shorter a song is, the sweeter it gets. When it doesn’t go on for too long, like with “Bad Commando” (which clocks in at one minute and forty-four seconds), you can play it over and over again.
On if he’d change anything:
Listening to the song post-release, there are a few minor tweaks I’d like to make here and there, but at the end of the day, I’m happy with the way it turned out.
For the love of the real stars, the producers, we created #Beatsmith — a series that focuses on the connections and inspirations that led to the creation of that hit song or album.
Rema is easily the biggest breakout star of 2019. In less than a year, he’s dropped three impressive EPs, all filled with really fantastic tracks. Out of all them, however, one that truly stands out is “Lady” — an infectious afropop gem off his third project, Bad Commando.
Considering that it’s one of Rema’s most dynamically produced tracks, we simply had to reach out to Altims, the Mavin Records beatsmith behind it. He discussed meeting Rema, finding diving inspiration for the beat, and noticing the effect the song had on women.
On meeting Rema:
I met Rema in early 2018, through D’Prince. He was recording a bunch of songs with a couple of producers, and D’Prince played me some. I thought he sounded unique, and we met a couple of days after at the Mavin HQ.
On first discussing “Lady”:
I actually don’t remember us having a conversation about “Lady” in particular. When we linked up, we recorded between 5 and 7 songs within the span of a couple of days, and “Lady” just happened to be one of them.
On main influence:
I actually made the beat an entire year before the song was recorded. I had the full idea for it before I even sat down to put it together. It happens like that some times. I call it divine inspiration.
On difficulty level:
Making “Lady” was really, really easy for me, especially when I compare it to the other projects I’ve worked on. The instrumental was done in 45 minutes, from start to finish.
On coolest memory:
After we recorded vocals and bounced the rough cut, every babe that heard the rough version danced and asked for it to be played again, without even knowing the artist. I thought that was really cool.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B44Vs1kpTmd/
It was midway through 2017 when a colleague at the time first observed, rather loudly, that no artist had really broken out that year. The factors by which artists are adjudged to have had their breakout vary from the sheer number of hits to impact.
2015 gave us Woju and Kizz Daniel. 2016 will be remembered as the year Afropop decided to catch its breath and go midtempo. It happened thanks to highlife melodies of Tekno and Mr Eazi.
In both cases, entries for the year’s best rookie had essentially closed during the short calm before the storm of the holiday season or summer, according to the international event calendar. This was primarily because summer is the best time for new music to convert fresh ears and travel with them.
So far, 2019 has been generous. The year started off when a 2018 release off a compilation album began to creep to the top of charts everywhere. Soon after, a young Surulere singer began to build a reputation as a hook master reminiscent of a younger Wande Coal. Then a certain four-track EP dropped and launched a teenager from the ancient city of Benin into the B-list.
As summer 2019 approaches, more curators have become willing to hand 2019 to certain newbies on a platter. The question though is this; among the many upstarts who have diversified the Nigerian sound and spread its reaches in the last 6 months, who has done enough to hold the rest of the year down?
I asked a couple of colleagues in music management, journalism, curation, A&R and one superfan. What they think may or may not surprise you.
Ehis Ohunyun, former music writer at Nigerian music blog, Filter Free and editor at Pulse Nigeria thinks there are a few contenders. “I easily think of Joeboy and Fireboy but it’s really hard to look beyond Rema for now. I see him in some ways as Lil Nas X.” he says.
“Unlike the others, he is the only one that truly has a power label behind his art. Mr Eazi’s still undecided about what to do with Empawa so Joeboy is getting decent streaming numbers but I don’t think he is connecting with the mainstream in terms of conversations.”
“Fireboy is dope, but talent is never enough and Olamide is unbothered really. Rema is that kid that a combination of social media plus the alte disruption of the last few months and our warming attitudes towards new music is gradually vaulting into becoming the kid superstar you can’t hate on. I may have missed out some names but off the top of my head, Rema is 2019’s breakout star so far.“
When he puts it like this, you can’t argue with Ehis. Joeboy’s Baby is arguably the song of the moment and thanks to the digital machine at Empawa, the song is a streaming darling with almost 10 million streams across all platforms. Yet, there is a sense that Empawa has no concrete long term plans for beneficiaries of its fund.
Fears that artists like Joeboy may be left to fend for their own on their next releases are warranted, although we have reason Joeboy will be fine regardless. Fireboy’s talent is housed in a platform that has a sorry reputation for mismanaging artists. Rema, however, is in the most perfect situation of all three, and it shows. “Dumebi” is one of the songs of the year, international media swears by him and the fans are in agreement.
Simi Badiru, a pop culture connoisseur and co-host of the F&S podcast, agrees.
“It’s between Blaqbonez, Rema or Fireboy.” she says.”But I think Rema because he has had the biggest roll-out and support behind him. Ultimately, na money and label kill everything. If the other two were in labels that took them more seriously or carried their matter on their head more, then things could be different. Rema is my pick, largely because of the backing he has”
“His push has been too strong and nobody is topping that right now, that is, unless someone else comes along. Right now, Rema has cut across all age levels and regions. There’s no generation of listeners that’s not familiar with Rema. Even my mum bumps his stuff“
What stands out the most about Simi’s submission is that Rema has cut across all generations. While his style is primarily for the young, his music, from songs like Dumebi to Spiderman, has something for every listener. The same could be said of Fireboy’s “Jealous”; but when you have two EPs with enough music for everyone, the odds tend to swing in your favour.
Emmanuel Ilori, or Mani to you mortals, is a filmmaker, superfan and commentator on all things Nigerian music. From where he stands, Rema is the only objective pick.
“For an artist who broke out in late March, he’s doing numbers that are very huge in this clime.” he says.
“He’s dropped 2 projects in 4 months! Both are doing the numbers, and are even going mainstream. Also, there are credible sources reporting that international music business execs want the boy’s signature badly. His sound respects no borders.“
Tomisin Akins, my personal favourite custodian of the Alte sub-culture, a former staffer at UMG Nigeria and the brains behind pop culture platform, Lucid Lemons, puts the fourth stamp on the kid from Benin.
“In the first half of the year, Rema has shown his versatility, his chart-topping ability, and that he can establish a real fan base that reflects a considerable percentage of Nigeria’s youth population. Rema ranks 1st, then Santi. They represent their own sound, style, lifestyle and marketing. It’s refreshing; finally, artists who actually realize to be successful, you need more than the sound. You need packaging and a fan base willing to elevate you and they’ve got it.“
What more need I say? Actually, someone else says it for me. Rema may have the team and the hits. But like we learned in the infamous Sean Tizzle v. Burna Boy conversation in 2013, fan love may eventually trump early mega hits and commercial success. Let Nauteeq Bello, a music commentator who’s contributed to FilterFree, tell it.
“Rema has a willing management and he knows how to do the music thing. There’s an x factor he has that a lot of his contemporaries don’t have.” But Nauteeq doesn’t hand it all to Rema, “I think Fireboy and Joeboy too can mount a strong challenge. But seeing as Fireboy’s people are more focused on pushing him organically, it may slow down his charge.“
“Fireboy also seems to have the “pull” effect. Fans actively seek out his music and they want to know “who’s that guy?“
There’s data to back it up. “About four weeks ago, many people showed interest in Fireboy: on Google, he was one of the most searched for guys in entertainment. Number one sef.” Nauteeq says. “So, all this love he’s receiving might eventually come to work really good for him. He’s a good bet.“
“It’s hard not to give him. But with the way people want Fireboy offers a stronger potential than the push Rema is getting.“
It’s not quite often that so many people are united in their approval of a rookie and his methods, especially in a fickle and unstructured Nigerian music space. Remarriages, on the other hand, is ticking all the boxes as Debola Abimbolu, music writer at millennial culture platform, Native Mag says.
“2019 is such an interesting year because we’re seeing so many different artists pushing for mainstream acclaim with their different unique styles and sounds. But I’d have to give it to Rema cause he’s so edgy and yet so accessible.”
“He dropped two tapes this year that have both found and hit their target audience.” Debola says, “One for the streets and one for the kids. If that’s not breakout artist strategy then I don’t know what one has to do to break out.“
Here’s what everyone seems to think. Rema is in front by a country mile. The Mavin machinery, fueled by investor dollars, is behind him. A year of intense artist development has helped him hone his edge in a way that peers like Joeboy and Fireboy will have to learn through experience. Joeboy has the potential to become a serial hitmaker; he has a great sense of rhythm. Fireboy has such organic fan love that it’s impossible to count him out too.
There are a few others that come to mind; Blaqbonez showed up on most radars last year but he’s only begun to really register this year with the re-up to his debut studio album, “Bad Boy Blaq”. Oxlade has had a great run too – his “Shugar” and Causing Trouble” w/ DJ Tunez are strong dance hits. But in his case, it would appear he’s taking a more organic approach to his push – making strategic collaborations, doing live performances and building a cult following. So far, it’s working for him but the climax can’t come soon enough. Remy boy takes the nod.
The odds are firmly stacked in Rema’s favour. But with Fireboy’s alluring personality and Joeboy’s ear and numbers, the race feels fairly open for a few last-minute surprises.
