&w=64&q=75)
Nigerian artiste Rema has addressed online claims that he worships the devil. A rumour, he speculates, was sparked by his visually striking music videos and performance aesthetics.
During a recent sit-down on the Kids Take Over podcast, Rema dismissed the allegations, describing them as the "craziest thing" he has seen about himself. He explained that the imagery and colours used in his work are simply artistic choices, emphasising that the recent “rabbid phase” featuring the use of red has been misunderstood.
"The craziest thing I've seen online about me is that I worship the devil; they say I worship the devil," he stated.
"It's not important to respond to those claims; I feel like it's a waste of time. Sometimes it's just really the colours my team and I use to dominate an image. The rabbid phase was about red and people were just scarred about red and I'm like, 'Yo, it's red.' If you see a beautiful lady in a red dress, you won't call her the devil, so why are you calling me the devil?" he added.
He also highlighted the influence of his Edo culture on his music visuals and expressed frustration at how some people label his culture as "devilish" simply because they don’t understand it.
Rema continued, "Another thing is that my culture, the Edo culture, is not one that the world has been familiar with. It has not had a lot of ambassadors and is not one of the popular traditions in the diaspora. A lot of people are familiar with other cultures and if they don't understand it, they label it devilish."
The Ozeba singer stressed that he does not bother addressing the claims and he deems it a waste of time.
"It's literally one Google search away and they want me to explain it and that's a waste of time," he explained.
The singer asserted that he refuses to take his time to explain his direction to people who misunderstand.
"So will I do the music, videos, and creative direction and still come and explain it to y'all? Hell no! That's why it's art, you see it and make a meaning for yourself. I feel like it's the same thing with music and imagery, it will speak to you how It needs to and if you call it the devil. Bless," he concluded.
See the full interview below: