Rema makes history as first African artiste to feature on rolling stone cover

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

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rolling Stone, a renowned American monthly publication focusing on music, politics, and pop culture, featured Rema as the cover star for its April edition.

Celebrating the milestone, Mavin Records took to Instagram, stating: “Rave Lordé Rema, the Afrobeats Visionary, makes history as @Rollingstone USA’s 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.

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

His rising profile has continues 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.