[Must Read] Why Rema Deserved The BET Award Nomination Ahead of Fireboy
Rema got a nomination at the BET Awards, but is Fireboy more deserving of the nomination?
With time, everything will fall in place. For Rema, it seems his is fast-tracked. Perhaps he has a connection everywhere, and access is granted to him. Rema makes it look like the other artists are not working. His huge successes, dumped down on social media and carried by his thriving fanbase, make it look unbelievable.
But on Monday, when news emerged he’s just nicked a nomination for the BET Award, a colleague inferred, he was favoured and felt the nomination should have gone to Fireboy.
You know what happened next. Argument. Fact-checking. Fireboy had the most streamed debut album. Drake has a record with Rema. And neither of us was able to conclude.
Yet I felt Rema was more deserving of the nomination. Not just because he’s had a wonderful run or because of the “Don Jazzy” factor. It’s as a result of the following reasons.
1. Impact
Agreed. Fireboy’s album racked up millions of streams. Especially for an album that had no features. That brought in results. He’s accumulated a fanbase, mostly girls. But beyond that, the singles haven’t wielded influence in places where they matter. The conversions haven’t counted in prominent places. Maybe they’ve not been announced yet.
But for Rema, right from his first EP, he gained a co-sign with the heads at OVO, a feature on Pitchfork came next and then, his song appeared on Obama’s summer playlist.
Little as they might seem, they’ve aided his global push and enhanced his popularity across several countries and genres. And this resulted to the next point.
2. Collaborations
The collaborations trickled in. Rema might not have featured anyone on his EPs, but the success and impact from those projects have opened doors to international partnerships. He’s nicked one with Manny Norte on 4am, which also housed Tion Wayne and 6lack. You all also remember, to commemorate the first anniversary of his first project, a bunch of remixes from Diplo, DJ Matoma and Becky Gwere released.
Let’s not forget there’s a record with Drake on the way. His song popped up on Rihanna’s live and two days ago, he was named Apple Up Next Artist of the month. There’s a global focus on him.
At the end, my colleague was also right. Fireboyis equally deserving of the nomination.
What do you think?
