Rema burst into the limelight with his 2019 self-titled debut EP exhibiting a raging appetite for dominance. On 2023’s RAVAGE, the artist continues to show the self-assurance and no-holds-barred attitude that has seen him conquer the years since. “For years I’ve said, ‘Another banger’,” Rema tells Apple Music, “and creatively I’ve always connected to the energy of being the creator of the bombs and not the bomb itself—not the volume of energy it disperses, not the flame it spreads, but the fire it sparks in the hearts of many, helping to elevate them from their downtimes.” RAVAGE is the final chapter in the Rave & Roses universe. Though Rema has never shied away from self-gratification, there is an undeniable shift marked by heavy-hitting production assists from London and P.Priime. While the romantic chronicles that lined Rave & Roses appear here, the artist makes clear his indifference to perceptions of him, tilting closer to the role of the villain versus the hero. On “DND”, he boldly declares, “Ṣe I wan good ṣe I wan bad?/Ṣe I wan real ṣe I wan fake?/Me I no do again.” A crucial part of Afrobeats’ sustenance, Rema continues to draw from his well of inspiration, securing his place as an ardent student of the game. With RAVAGE, the artist explores new depths, yet tightens his hold as the self-appointed “Prince of Afrobeats”, as he states on “Smooth Criminal”. “On this project, I connect with my inner flame, my inner rage,” Rema explains. “It’s like an outburst [from] inside me that I’ve held in for too long. It’s not fuelled with negativity, rather it’s fuelled with drive, passion and destiny. What people will hear on this project is a little exhale from me, only it comes with fire.”