REMINISCE is no doubt one of Nigeria’s music stars that have entrenched himself in the entertainment industry with his style of music – rap, which he performs in English and his native language, Yoruba.
Christened Remilekun Khalid Safaru, the Ajilete native in Yewa South LGA, Ogun State, developed his rapping skills by emulating rappers like Nas, Jay Z and Snoop Dogg.
Though born in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, the Alaga Ibile (Chairman of Street Music) , a moniker from his second album, listened to various genres of local and foreign music and performed in school activities, particularly at Kwara State Polytechnic, where he studied Purchasing and Supply.
He recorded his first song and album in 2006, a hardcore rap project at Coded Tunes, but it was never released. In 2008, Reminisce returned to the music scene, performing a rap verse on a track titled Bachelor’s Life off 9ice’s sophomore album titled Gongo Aso.
His first official single, Ever Since, featured 9ice, and it was a story about his life till that moment. His second single, If Only, was a love song produced by Dtunez, where he showed his versatility as a singer and a rapper. He followed up with 2mussh. Both songs established him as a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music scene.
Reminisce went on to release the track Kako Bii Chicken, which was well received and recognised as the breakout single. He started recording his first official album, Book of Rap Stories in 2010, after linking up with producer Sarz on the Beat at Edge Records Studios.
The album, a 13-track project with production credits to Sarz, Legendury Beatz, Joshbeatz, Jospo and PastorChild was released on March 31, 2012. The lead single, Kako Bii Chicken did very well with listeners all over the country.
It came at a time when hip-hop, a genre of popular music culture developed in the United States by inner-city African-Americans and gained widespread popularity in the 1980s and ‘90s was undergoing its first major evolution in the hands of new school rappers, who deployed sonically appealing style as opposed to the traditional hardcore hip-hop style.
Given the hype and commercial height of the music project as one of the most anticipated albums of the year at the time, it will not be out of place to say that Reminisce through his indigenous rap style of music presentation has played a vital role in popularising the art of hip-hop in Nigeria entertainment scene.
Today, the music style has mutated and evolved in a manner that retains the attention and patronage of a growing audience that found a much-needed connection and identity with indigenous rap.
Though started by the late Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, better known as Dagrin through his label, Missofunyin Entertainment, these indigenous rappers were scornfully referred to as ‘local rappers’ by a section of the hip-hop community.
This was a tag they would come to wear as a badge of honour. While the non-indigenous style of Nigerian hip-hop has suffered what may be considered an inevitable slump due to its foundation being built on the derived taste, ‘local rappers’ continued to evolve and soar.
As one of the rappers that defined the era, Reminisce has remained one of Nigeria’s finest rap artistes, as he has continued to churn out records at the ‘Alaga Ibile’.
Although he has been in the corridors of Nigerian hip-hop since the late 2000s, he, however, didn’t really get his foot in the room of hip-hop stars until the early 2010s.
Looking back at his debut album, Book of Rap Stories, it is worthy of note to state that the rap superstar has showcased his strong leaning to the street while putting up impressive efforts to offer a balance that appeals to a wider audience.
Influenced by hardcore U.S rap, which he showcased in Gbabe, featuring the late Dagrin and XP, he dug deep and delivered solid punch lines. He gave listeners a glimpse of his ability to deliver sultry content with Quality, Ever Since featuring 9ice, and Jemi featuring Jahbless,
This ability to deliver stimulating content alongside his many other talents was further showcased in subsequent tracks like 2Mushh, the second lead single off the album, where he delivered a smooth rap performance in Yoruba generously sprinkled with street slangs. In If Only, a pop song, Reminisce blended English and Yoruba.
Book of Rap Stories enjoyed modest success with Kako Bi Chicken and 2Mush achieving wide patronage. While the former earned him a nomination in the ‘Best Street Hop’ at the 2012 Headies Awards, the latter earned him a nomination for Best Rap Single. The alum earned a nod in the Album of the Year category at the 2013 Headies.
The album was able to give Reminisce the success needed to position him as the chairman of street music which was captured in Alaga Ibile release in 2013, featuring acts like Wizkid, Naeto C, Davido, Olamide and Sossick, Fantasi and 3rd World Thug in headline singles Eleniyan and Daddy.
The album sold an estimated million copies before the end of 2014. In the same year, Time Magazine named him as one of seven ‘world rappers you should meet’.
In 2015 the rapper released his third album titled Baba Hafusa. This was shortly after he became the only hip-hop artiste in Africa to have an album debut on Billboard Charts World Music category at No. 12.
With over 500,000 copies sold in Nigeria in two weeks and claiming the number one spot in iTunes for more than a week, the album was already dubbed one of the most successful hip-hop albums in Nigerian history.
Described as a “genre busting album”, it was a strong contender for Album of the Year with music critics and fans alike applauding the fusion of sounds to form a unique blend of hip-hop, fuji and afrobeats.
Not resting on his oars, Reminisce has continued with his pen, as he keeps increasing the pages of Books of Rap Stories with the release of Vibes and Insha Allah, an extended playlist (EP) in July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EP garnered over 4.5 million streams on Audiomack in four months. The music project consists of six-tracks and features Fireboy DML, Mo Safaru and Fatimah Safaru. Production was completed by Tmxo, Krizbeatz, Sarz and others.
Ten years after, Reminisce, is still at the top of his game as one of the leading voices of ‘local rappers’, with the emergence of younger figures like Zlatan, Lil Kesh, Mojo, who’ve all contributed to the new age identity of what ‘Street Music’ has become.
He has held his own with four top-selling and award winning albums, countless successful hit singles, and also an acting credit on one of Nigeria’s highest grossing films, King of Boys. He’s undoubtedly what one would call an OG, a slang term for someone who’s incredibly exceptional and authentic.
