Rema Drops Enchanting Track 'KELEBU'

With a $10,000 (7529.55 GBP) cash prize set on the “KELEBU” dance challenge, Benin City-born Rave Lord, Rema, sets the internet ablaze.

Produced by ThisizLondon and Ambezza, the electrifying sounds of Rema’s new track 'KELEBU' sound like they're straight out of a video game, with a slightly villainous melody and a catchy chorus that can be memorised upon first listen, making it a sure fact that this will enchant ravers onto the dancefloor.

The track opens with the sound of trumpets, and before you know it, you’re thrown into the infectious chorus of the repeated three-syllable word "Kelebu / Kelebu / Kelebu".

Upon first listen, the drum pattern is reminiscent of Bouyon, an increasingly popular genre hailing from the island of Dominica. At the same time, the drums sound like a modern iteration of DJ Ramatoulaye’s “Aladji”, a Coupé Décalé record.

The Rave Lord explains: “We used to dance to a lot of Caribbean and Francophone bounces. We didn't care about what they were saying because most of them were not even in our local language in Nigeria. They just kept repeating one word with a fantastic instrumental backing it up, and we all danced.”

Since 2024, Rema has set out on a quest to reunite the diverged tenets of an increasingly globalised watered-down Afrobeat sound, bringing it back to its percussive, energetic, and distinctly African character, reflected in “People dey kelebu, from Nigeria to Mozambique”, sweeping across the continent from West to East.

He did this with HEIS, his second studio album – a clear demonstration of this creative freedom, where he made audacious, provocative one-liners, even naming himself ‘H-I-M’ on “OZEBA”, a lauded pioneer in his own right.

Rema, credited as the creator of the Afro-rave genre, is adding to that very catalogue with 'KELEBU' ahead of his album titled R3*, expected in 2026.