21-year-old music star, Divine Ikubor under the pseudonym Rema finally drops his much anticipated debut album titled Rave & Roses, a collection of love songs (mostly tuned for love making) and personal experiences on a 16-song tracklist through 59 minutes of beautiful melodies, international features (including Chris Brown, 6lack, AJ Tracey and Yseult), plush productions and detailed songwriting.
The first track, Divine, Rema’s government name, details his intricate birth process, how he came earlier than expected, the painful losses in his life (like that of loosing both his father and brother to death) and most importantly how much of a blessing he has been to his mom since birth. “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 / Script wey God mark you wan cancel it“, he sings on the second verse of the song which transitions almost smoothly into Hold Me featuring 6lack, starting the thread of romantic love songs on the album.
True to the second part of the album title, Rema has bouquets of roses to give his mistress, serenading her non-stop all through the LP, seducing her with euphonious rhythms, calling on Chris Brown to match his alluring tone on Time N Affection, AJ Tracey to brag about wealth and affluence on FYN while Yseult brings the French flavour on Wine.
Rema experiments with different soundscapes on Rave & Roses. Soft Rock (Addicted), Dancehall (Divine; Are You There?), R&B (Soundgasm; Love N Affection; Hold Me), Hip-Hop (FYN) just to name a few while keeping his Afro-fusion core, blending it into song’s production at will, major thanks to London, Altims “Burssbrain”, Ozedikus, Sarz, Kel P and a host of other amazing other beat makers.
As for the “Rave” aspect of the album, Rema makes sure to cook up danceable riddims; The intro won’t be the only concious record on the album, on Are You There? Rema speaks on the failing political system in Nigeria and on Runaway, he states his plans to isolate himself with his lover despite the scorn and spite from their peers, even if that means being desperate nomadic lovers.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Rave & Roses by Rema!