Hey guys. How’s it going? I want to believe you had a swell weekend? Even if you did not, you should derive solace in seeing what Wizkid did at the O2 last night, bringing out superstars like Buju, Tems, Skepta, Chris Brown, and more.
Anyway, I’m not writing this newsletter to talk about Wizkid. I’m here to talk about Rema. There’s not really much to say though, but I gotta get some things off my chest. And where better to do it if not here, in front of you guys?.
As many of us know, DJ Neptune released an album titled Greatness 2.0 on Friday. The album is a star-studded album, featuring names like Omah Lay, Joeboy, Lojay, Laycon, Ladipoe, Rema, and many others.
I was just about to listen to the album when I woke up that Friday morning when I received a dm from my friend. After checking the dm, I found myself scrolling through Rema’s TL, trying to understand the reason behind his rants. I would eventually learn that DJ Neptune released the album with the Rema feature without clearing his vocals or signing official documents.
As a creative, I could relate to Rema’s pain. It’s hurtful to wake up one day and see your work out there without anyone asking for your permission. It is not a hidden fact that Rema puts in so much work into his craft and since his breakout, his career has been carefully curated to achieve optimal results. So, it’s unfair that anyone would just mess with that for their own selfish purposes.
My pain turned into anger when I saw Do2dtun’s tweet. He tweeted at Rema and basically referred to him as a kid, imploring him to settle the issue with DJ Neptune in private since nobody on Twitter was there when the song was recorded. Rema’s response, however, lessened my anger. Apparently, he didn’t even record the song with/for DJ Neptune. It seemed to me like Rema didn’t particularly like the song and would have preferred if the song wasn’t released.
I want to ask Do2dtun why, going by his own logic, he thought it was wise to make a comment on Rema’s rants when he doesn’t know anything about the recording of the song. The least he could have done was to wait for Neptune’s response before making any comments.
And Neptune’s response was more rational than I expected. He cleared the situation by showing proof of communication between him and Rema’s manager, Sean. And then he went ahead to say that he understood Rema’s anger since there was some miscommunication between the Jonzing World act and his manager.
I’m still trying to understand why DJ Spinall decided to come for Rema after Neptune had cleared the situation. Spinall even blamed Rema’s outburst on the use of Marijuana. How hilarious. We are in 2021 and someone still thinks he can blame an artist’s behaviour on weed. I don’t know how he also managed to bring up respect for DJs into the issue, but I commend his gymnastic abilities.
Gone are the days of industry gatekeepers where DJs with reputable names/brands believe themselves to be in charge of breaking out artists. Nowadays, in the digital era, artists don’t need DJs to give them a platform. If anything, DJs are competing with artists for listenership. Also, DJs are instead seeking artists who are already established in one way or the other. Tell me why any DJ would expect artists to worship them when in reality the artists have not benefitted from the DJs? Or why any DJ feels like he’s in a position to cancel an artist?
It doesn’t matter whether Rema’s approach was right or wrong. What matters more, and I’m saying this as a creative, is for people to understand how important an artist’s craft is to them. Whatever anger Rema felt (and expressed) was valid and I’m glad that DJ Neptune recognized and respected that.
I hope you guys are ready to burst it down this December? Have you started copping tickets to shows? I plan to attend a couple of shows sha and I intend to write and publish my experiences. I dey for una.
Share this post
Rema's Anger is Valid; The Days of Industry Gatekeepers Are Gone
Share this post
Hey guys. How’s it going? I want to believe you had a swell weekend? Even if you did not, you should derive solace in seeing what Wizkid did at the O2 last night, bringing out superstars like Buju, Tems, Skepta, Chris Brown, and more.
Anyway, I’m not writing this newsletter to talk about Wizkid. I’m here to talk about Rema. There’s not really much to say though, but I gotta get some things off my chest. And where better to do it if not here, in front of you guys?.
As many of us know, DJ Neptune released an album titled Greatness 2.0 on Friday. The album is a star-studded album, featuring names like Omah Lay, Joeboy, Lojay, Laycon, Ladipoe, Rema, and many others.
I was just about to listen to the album when I woke up that Friday morning when I received a dm from my friend. After checking the dm, I found myself scrolling through Rema’s TL, trying to understand the reason behind his rants. I would eventually learn that DJ Neptune released the album with the Rema feature without clearing his vocals or signing official documents.
As a creative, I could relate to Rema’s pain. It’s hurtful to wake up one day and see your work out there without anyone asking for your permission. It is not a hidden fact that Rema puts in so much work into his craft and since his breakout, his career has been carefully curated to achieve optimal results. So, it’s unfair that anyone would just mess with that for their own selfish purposes.
My pain turned into anger when I saw Do2dtun’s tweet. He tweeted at Rema and basically referred to him as a kid, imploring him to settle the issue with DJ Neptune in private since nobody on Twitter was there when the song was recorded. Rema’s response, however, lessened my anger. Apparently, he didn’t even record the song with/for DJ Neptune. It seemed to me like Rema didn’t particularly like the song and would have preferred if the song wasn’t released.
I want to ask Do2dtun why, going by his own logic, he thought it was wise to make a comment on Rema’s rants when he doesn’t know anything about the recording of the song. The least he could have done was to wait for Neptune’s response before making any comments.
And Neptune’s response was more rational than I expected. He cleared the situation by showing proof of communication between him and Rema’s manager, Sean. And then he went ahead to say that he understood Rema’s anger since there was some miscommunication between the Jonzing World act and his manager.
I’m still trying to understand why DJ Spinall decided to come for Rema after Neptune had cleared the situation. Spinall even blamed Rema’s outburst on the use of Marijuana. How hilarious. We are in 2021 and someone still thinks he can blame an artist’s behaviour on weed. I don’t know how he also managed to bring up respect for DJs into the issue, but I commend his gymnastic abilities.
Gone are the days of industry gatekeepers where DJs with reputable names/brands believe themselves to be in charge of breaking out artists. Nowadays, in the digital era, artists don’t need DJs to give them a platform. If anything, DJs are competing with artists for listenership. Also, DJs are instead seeking artists who are already established in one way or the other. Tell me why any DJ would expect artists to worship them when in reality the artists have not benefitted from the DJs? Or why any DJ feels like he’s in a position to cancel an artist?
It doesn’t matter whether Rema’s approach was right or wrong. What matters more, and I’m saying this as a creative, is for people to understand how important an artist’s craft is to them. Whatever anger Rema felt (and expressed) was valid and I’m glad that DJ Neptune recognized and respected that.
I hope you guys are ready to burst it down this December? Have you started copping tickets to shows? I plan to attend a couple of shows sha and I intend to write and publish my experiences. I dey for una.