In November, 2023 Rema became just the fifth afrobeats artist to sell out the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena London. This feat followed an incredible two-year long run from debut album Rave & Roses, with standout single Calm Down racking up 1 billion streams on Spotify, and a year-long stay on the Billboard HOT 100 Chart. However, the O2 show received some mixed reviews with some spectators interpreting his gothic visuals as demonic instead of a nod to Benin tradition. He was dressed for battle with a replica of the Benin mask of Queen Ida as he rode an artificial bat, which is said to reference the bats typically seen in Benin City night skies. In HEIS, the rave lord invites us back into the world he built at his O2 show. The symbol of the bat shows up in the album cover of his sophomore album. With a wilder, more imposing production, Rema stakes his claim in the world of afrobeats, “No more big three, there’s now a big four,” he announces in the single ‘HEHEHE.’
With Rema, nothing is ever static. Since the young star hopped on the scene with the charming Dumebi, he has taken us through iterations of afrobeats that infuse trap like in Trap Out The Submarine, pop like in Addicted and even South Asian sounds that saw him playfully dubbed ‘Indian Boy’ at the start of his career. In many ways, his musical journey makes a strong case for the reductiveness of the umbrella term “Afrobeats,” due to its inability to accurately capture all the diverse sounds coming out the continent right now. Rema has never been afraid to experiment, and so it should come to no one’s surprise that at a time where Afro-piano boasts popularity, he chose to go in an entirely different direction.
HEIS has the quality of an epic war soundtrack. The dark, theatrical production with dissonant strings and punchy drums create sustained tension throughout the album. In the opening track MARCH AM, an electronic riff feels like unrest is looming. Similarly, London’s production on fast-tempo, OZEBA mimics approaching stomps. When the eerie Swahili backing vocals sing his praise in HEIS, you realise you are in the midst of a takeover. And when the drums give way for the trance-like melody towards the end of EGUNGUN, the triumph is palpable.
In HEIS, Rema takes on the role of a war general leading his battalion to battle, and winning. It is both steely and euphoric. Rema commits to this role down to the exaggerated guttural laugh you hear throughout the project, but particularly in the single “HEHEHE.” Here, you hear Rema playing with the tonation and pitch of his voice, pushing it to a much lower register that creates a sense of a bigger, menacing aura. The project plays with just about every musical tool in the arsenal to paint the image that Rema is one to watch out for.
The only two features on the project, Shallipopi and ODUMODUBLVCK have both had a speedy ascension into the limelight with their hit track Cast. “Na wa be the pride of Benin, Oba sef suppose to give us medal oh, give medal oh,” Rema sings in BENIN BOYS, as he is joined by fellow Benin City native, Shallipopi in an ode to their city. WAR MACHINE, co-produced by Grammy nominated Alex Lustig and multi-hit maker London is gritty, with a melodic infusion that stands out in the intro but otherwise sits in the background. ODUMODUBLVCK’s steely delivery fits in well.
While the visual world Rema crafts with the production in HEIS is captivating, the lyrical content leaves much to be desired. At times, Rema's superficial writing has hidden behind his seamless use of multiple languages and onomatopoeia alike. To throw him some bail, his debut album Rave & Roses had quite a few moments of introspection where the young star generously shared his life experiences with us. In the debut’s opening track Divine, he tells the story of his mother’s experience carrying him, his childhood and his grief from losing his dad and brother. Even in his less personal moments like the sensual Charm, he demonstrates an ability to paint a clear picture of him playfully serenading a love interest.
In comparison, the lyricism in HEIS’ Rema is emotionally one-dimensional. Bar NOW I KNOW, the lyrical focus on most of the songs is the recurring ways he has amassed power and influence over the past few years. His mention of money does not go further than that he has it, and his mention of women is simply that he gets them. It is repetitive, almost to a ludicrous degree. At times, it can feel akin to when a villain explains their master plan instead of simply carrying it out.
But perhaps Rema being closed off is the result of a mistrust between him and his fans. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Benin boy expressed his disappointment at his O2 show being perceived as satanic, instead of the intended homage to his roots. He crafted a show with the awareness that he was performing in a country that not only colonised his own, but still holds the relics from the pillaging in their museums. “…I was just surprised, and lost too, to see that people that I trust as fans just don’t understand. It’s like, ‘Would you ever love someone you don’t understand?’” he questions.
Rema has always been authoritative in carving out lanes for himself amidst the competitive afrobeats world. In HEIS, he does so by leaning heavily into his own tradition. An apt response from an artist who not only felt misunderstood, but one who has recently reiterated the importance of keeping regional afrobeats alive. So instead of contributing to the global afro-pop phenomenon, the young star doubles down and creates HEIS: a high-tempo, make-you-sweat, wild, world. The rave-lord puts on a rave just as he promised he would, and he makes it unapologetically African.