Rema Makes History as First African Artist on Rolling Stone Cover

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

Rolling Stone, an American monthly magazine known for its coverage of music, politics, and popular culture, recognized Rema as its April cover star, celebrating his influence in taking Afrobeats to a global audience.

Mavin Records celebrated the achievement on Instagram, calling Rema the “Afrobeats Visionary” and Rolling Stone USA’s first-ever African cover star.

Following this recognition, the ‘Heis’ crooner delivered an electrifying performance at the Rolling Stone concert, thrilling fans with hit songs like Dumebi, Woman, and Calm Down.

This milestone further cements Rema’s role as a trailblazer in African music, coming shortly after he graced the cover of Dazed Magazine, another major international platform.

Rema, born in 2000 in Benin City, rose to fame in 2019 after signing with Mavin Records. His music has helped propel Afrobeats onto the global stage, with Calm Down, featuring Selena Gomez, becoming the most streamed Afrobeats track in history and earning multiple platinum certifications.

The song also broke records as the first African-led track to surpass a billion Spotify streams, topping international charts and securing Rema a Guinness World Record.

Among his other groundbreaking achievements, Rema became the first African artist to perform at the prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony, delivering a historic performance at the 2023 event in Paris, France.