Rema Explains Smoking as Part of His Artistic Expression
Nigerian music sensation Divine Ikubor, famously known as Rema, recently shed light on the reasons behind his bold rebranding ahead of his sophomore album, ‘HEIS,’ released last year. The transformation saw him ditching his iconic teddy bear mask, adopting tattoos, smoking, and embracing darker tones, alongside a fresh sound and aesthetic.
Marking the one-year anniversary of ‘HEIS,’ Rema took to social media to clarify that his new image, including the smoking, is purely an artistic statement rather than a betrayal of his true self, as some fans had speculated.
He revealed that the album cover was inspired by Itachi Uchiha, a character from the Japanese anime series Naruto, symbolizing deeper themes. On his X account, he wrote, “HEIS, the Anniversary. I shared many surface-level reasons for releasing this project during interviews, but here are some symbolic details that capture the energy of the album which I kept to myself until now. Consider this an author’s note.
“The cover draws from Itachi in Naruto — the truth disguised as illusion, love hidden beneath what you perceived as betrayal (change of sound, smoking, looks, aesthetics & choice of color).”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a Nigerian artist has defended smoking as part of their artistic persona. Rapper Shallipopi also explained last year that despite appearing with cigarettes in photos and videos, he doesn’t actually smoke, using cigarettes solely for their aesthetic appeal.
Rema’s candid explanation invites fans to look beyond the surface and appreciate the symbolism woven into his evolving artistry.