7 Defining Times Rema Put Benin on the Map

Since his breakout in 2019, Rema has grown into one of Nigeria’s most genre-blurring exports. But beyond the global headlines, the streaming records, and the mosh pits from London to Paris, there’s a deliberate current running through his artistry, a devotion to his roots in Benin City.

While many artists draw identity from Lagos, Rema has consistently turned to Benin for language, imagery, symbolism, and pride. In 2024, he unveiled a custom chain known as “The Ornament of Ravery”,  a bat-shaped piece representing his unpredictable nature, deep connection with fans, and Benin heritage. The bat, also central to his logo and album artwork, symbolises rebirth, freedom, and new beginnings, which is all fitting for an artist who’s never followed the rules.

From the way he dresses to what he says on stage to the lyrics that carry Benin on their back, Rema has referenced his hometown and, in turn, globalised it.

Here are seven defining moments he put Benin on the map.

The Bat Emoji as Rema’s Unofficial Benin Signature

For Rema, the bat emoji is an emblem of identity and hometown pride. Often seen in his tweets, artwork, or fan captions, the bat symbolises both his roots in Benin City and his affinity for the city’s dark, mystical undertones. 

While Benin has deep historical and spiritual layers, the bat, a creature of the night, fits into Rema’s moody, avant-pop persona. He hasn’t officially explained it in detail, but in a music industry where artists brand themselves through symbolism, the bat feels like Rema’s way of saying: “I am from Benin, and I am unapologetic about it”.

Benin Royalty-Inspired Ivory Mask at the Ravage Uprising Show

At the Ravage Uprising show, Rema made a striking entrance wearing a sculptural headpiece that nodded to the regal legacy of Benin royalty. The look was symbolism in motion. 

The Ivory Mask evoked the coral-beaded crowns worn by Obas and warriors of ancient Benin, reimagined through a contemporary, futuristic lens. It was a powerful blend of heritage and modernity, much like Rema’s music, asserting that cultural pride can live in both archives and shows like this. In that moment, he was a pop star and a walking tribute to his Benin kingdom.

Stage Design at the O2 Arena as a Portal into Benin’s Aesthetic Depth

When Rema headlined the O2 Arena in 2023, it was a curated passage into Benin’s cultural memory. The stage design, with its glowing scarlet motifs, bronzed sculptures, and ancestral figures, functioned like a living museum. 

Every visual cue, from the towering masks to the throne-like setups, referenced Benin’s storied tradition of art, empire, and sacred performance. That night, Rema projected the soul of his hometown onto one of the world’s biggest stages, collapsing borders between history, identity, and pop spectacle.

Rema Pays Homage to Benin with “Benin Boys” ft Shallipopi

Just as Lagos has had its fair share of hometown anthems, from Olamide’s “I Love Lagos” and Lagos Anthem”,  to countless shoutouts from artists who see the city as muse, Rema’s “Benin Boys” (2024) joins a rarer but growing lineage of songs that centre Benin City. With street prince Shallipopi in tow, Rema turns the track into a celebratory chant for Edo pride, street loyalty, and royal audacity.

Over a bouncy, percussion-heavy beat, Rema rap-sings:  “Na we be the pride of Benin, Ọba sef suppose give us medal o, give medal o, Na my Benin brothers I go call before I call ọlọpaa oh, if anything kpa o…” It’s a defiant and humorous line positioning brotherhood and hometown pride above institutional protection, while reinforcing Benin as more than a backdrop. In “Benin Boys”, Rema does what Lagos artists have long done: mythologise his city, lift his people, and encode cultural pride into mainstream pop.

Rema’s Tweet That Rejected Westernisation in Defence of Benin-Born Sound

In 2020, a tweet poked fun at the surreal, slang-heavy lingo in Rema’s lyrics, specifically lines like “Achukwuleke make you give me kpalansi scatter your Baka…” The user joked that Westerners would confuse the mix of phonetics and street-speak for an actual Nigerian language. But Rema’s response was anything but dismissive.

Quoting the tweet, he replied:  “I learnt all these slangs from my hood in Benin city, they all actually have meaning. I create my sounds freely, I can not limit my creativity because of ‘what people will think’. I’m confident in my vibe, accept it. Thank you 🙏🏾”

With that one tweet, Rema affirmed what many often forget that his music, no matter how global it sounds, is deeply rooted in local textures, from the slang to the cadence of conversations, is in the heart of Benin. 

Rema Opens “FYN” by Repping Benin City and Declaring His Global Intent

The opening lines of “FYN” are pure intent. “Straight out of BC, we takin’ the sound to the world, you see”, Rema names Benin City, and he also positions it as a cultural export hub. There’s no mystique, just a raw declaration of where he’s from and where he’s headed.

But it doesn’t end with hometown pride. He goes on to check critics who want him to shrink. He sings, “They don’t really like me talkin’ my shit like the OGs did / They hatin’ on me ’cause I’m a fresh young nigga cruisin’ in a Bimmer”. It’s a flex grounded in resistance. Rema frames his youth, confidence, and success as direct results of his cultural foundation, which is built in Benin and refined on his terms.

Rema Summarises His Journey From Benin to the World in “Holiday”

In “Holiday,” Rema compresses his origin story into a few bars: “Straight out of Benin, I dropped Rema EP / 2019, they think say the gbedu go fini-i-ish…” It’s a proud retelling of how an artist from Benin City entered the industry with something fresh, and was doubted almost immediately. But rather than dwell on criticism, he fast-forwards to the wins: “My music is travelling / From India to Asia to Berlin.”