Rema‘s 2022 debut album, Rave & Roses, spun out the biggest Afrobeats crossover hit in U.S. history (the Selena Gomez-assisted “Calm Down”), and just three years later, the Nigerian superstar has cemented his place in the genre’s Big Four with a fiery, high-octane Madison Square Garden debut in New York City on Friday (May 2).
Named for Heis — his 2024 sophomore LP, which earned him his first Grammy nod for best global music album — Rema’s Heis World Tour is a towering statement of what an impressive career and catalog the 25-year-old visionary has built for himself since exploding onto the scene with 2019’s “Dumebi.” While that early-career hit was saved for later in the night during Friday’s concert, Rema, dressed in a massive fur overcoat and wielding a machete atop a levitating platform, kicked off his headlining set with “March Am,” Heis’ introductory track.
“I wanna introduce to you a man, a myth, a legend,” a faceless announcer declared over brooding, cinematic drums reminiscent of the ones that define the soundscape of Heis. “He goes by many names! He is… Prince of Afrobeats, Rema!” This lead-in may have felt a bit overblown for other artists, but Rema spent the next hour-and-a-half proving why he’s worthy of such an effusive intro. Fellow Heis cuts “Azaman” and “Yayo” followed, keeping the crowd’s energy consistent for the show’s first act before the first of several interludes that chopped up the setlist’s flow.
The concert’s setlist was loosely organized by theme and tempo. What it lacked in continuity, Rema more than made up for with the sheer number of hits he played. A cheeky kiss-cam introduced a mellower, heart-eyed segment featuring cuts like “Favorite Girl” (with Darkoo) and “Soundgasm”; “Calm Down” made for a classic arena sing-along moment, and newer drops like “Bout U” and “Baby (Is It a Crime)” allowed Rema the space to show off both his sultrier R&B side and his swaggering rock edge.
Though his stage was equipped with a sizeable walkway, Rema performed the bulk of his set’s most intense moments atop what appeared to be an entrance to some sort of dungeon. That blocking worked for the show’s overall aesthetic, but it likely would have made for an even more thrilling performance if he hit the night’s most energetic moments closer to the crowd. Nonetheless, from a recreation of the “Charm” music video to the smart additional harmonies sung by his female background singers, the raucous energy of Heis found subtle complements in the pockets of feminine energy that decorated the show.
From surprise guests to eyebrow-raising statements, here are the five best moments from Rema’s Heis Tour stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
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A Surprise Birthday Celebration
Rema celebrated his 25th birthday the day before gracing MSG, but those close to him made sure to mark the occasion with a surprise baked into the second half of the show.
Flanked by his family, friends and team, Rema took in the moment as the packed arena serenaded him with “Happy Birthday.” Making for one of the more purposeful breaks of the night, the birthday celebration also came complete with a jet-black, two-tiered cake decorated with bats and other emblems nodding to Rema’s rave aesthetic.
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Cash Cobain & Bay Swag Deliver an ‘Afro Slizz’ Moment
They may not have mixed Afrobeats and sexy drill in the songs that they performed, but Cash Cobain and Bay Swag’s joint surprise appearance certainly spoke to the beautifully mélange of cultures that is NYC.
Performing their breakthrough hit “Fisherrr” and new hit “Trippin on a Yacht,” the New York rap stars gave Rema a few moments to catch his breath as the crowd vibed out to each track’s spacey synths. A year out from the initial “Fisherrr” moment, Cash Cobain is still one of the go-to guests for stars visiting New York, regardless of genre.
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Rema Tributes Don Jazzy
Don Jazzy is perhaps one of the most important music moguls of the late 2010s and 2020s, thanks to his work with Mavin Records and globalizing Afrobeats — and Rema didn’t miss the opportunity to give his “second dad” his flowers at The Garden.
“I love you so much from the bottom of my heart. I want to give you your flowers in front of this many people,” Rema said before embracing his mentor. “You’ve worked so hard, not just for your artist, but for the game. There’s so many things you’ve done for the game that you don’t talk about — that people don’t talk about. I just want to say I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
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‘Ozeba’ Shuts Down The Garden
From “Holiday” and “DND” to “Woman” and “Bounce,” Rema’s set — despite its frequent breaks — was stacked with some of the most high-energy Afrobeats hits of the past few years. But only one song was worthy of closing the night: “Ozeba.”
The seventh track from Heis, “Ozeba” was an immediate standout upon the LP’s release, and it’s only gotten more potent with time. In between quips alleging that he had gone over his time, Rema played “Ozeba” twice, with the final rendition somehow proving more fiery and explosive than the last. Assisted by flashy pyrotechnics and ebullient fireworks, every beat of “Ozeba” ricocheted across the arena and into the feet of each person in the crowd. For those final seven minutes, it felt like Rema had the entire universe in his palm — not just MSG.
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Afrobeats’ Big Four Is Now Undeniable
Rema’s insistence that his presence warrants the existence of an Afrobeats Big Four — instead of a Big Three (commonly accepted as Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid) — has been a recurring theme throughout the Heis album cycle. On Friday night, the “Reason You” singer made a seemingly final statement on that topic — and it’s hard to argue with what he laid down.
For an intense rendition of “Hehehe” — which contains the line “No more big three, there’s now a big four” — Rema rose from under the stage, posed in his signature crouch atop a black table. Sitting at that table were mannequins made in the likenesses of Burna, Wizkid and Davido. Throughout the performance, Rema never took a seat at the table; instead, he danced on top of it, celebrating and cementing his status as one of the four defining male voices in Afrobeats.
Rema’s validation came in the form of nearly 20,000 fans roaring in approval as he tore through the song, an unbeatable moment for an artist who opened the show reflecting on playing his first New York show to just 300 people five years ago.
