Perhaps the biggest compliment one could pay Rema is that he has always had clarity of vision regarding his artistry. Since dubbing himself “the future” right out of the gate in 2019, Rema (born Divine Ikubor) has operated with the assured air of a generational talent. His otherworldly melodies, energetic stage performances and eerie imagery have inspired a new generation of emerging artists—and made him a beacon for Afropop’s global expansion. A lot has happened in the two years since he released his debut album, Rave & Roses—including standout single “Calm Down”, and its Selena Gomez-assisted remix, launching the singer to the top end of the charts across Europe and in the US. HEIS, the follow-up to Rave & Roses, arrives with hardly any warning and is packed with more of the freewheeling experimentation that Rema has built his reputation on. The album—11 songs in under 30 minutes—sees Rema step into a new era as he reckons with the thrills of global stardom and the pressures of being at the forefront of Afropop. He’s keen to be respected for his contributions to the culture, defiantly placing himself at the top of Afropop’s taxonomy on the punk-adjacent “HEHEHE”. Over a riotous instrumental on the title track, he makes a case for cross-continental pollination by infusing Swahili into the song proclaiming his musical greatness. Both of Nigeria’s 2023 breakout stars join Rema’s metaverse here: Fellow Benin native Shallipopi dials in for a love letter to their hometown on “BENIN BOYS”, while Abuja rapper ODUMODUBLVCK delivers a thumping verse on “WAR MACHINE”. Still, the narrative of HEIS is solely Rema’s as he declares that he’s primed for more success on “MARCH AM” and reels off his accomplishments on the P.Priime-produced “YAYO”. It all feels like the work of a candid creator reminding his listeners that he’s still operating at the cutting edge of Afropop and laying the building blocks for the genre’s future.