Dreamville Fest was poised to be a hip-hop highlight of 2024. The lineup for the festival was stacked with musical stars from around the world, and organizer J. Cole was in the midst of a widely-discussed feud with Kendrick Lamar. It did not go according to plan, however. Nigerian superstar Rema claimed that he was not given as much respect as the Americans on the bill. He also claimed that he was one of several African artists who suffered from poor sound quality onstage, which led to his set ending prematurely.
Rema performed during the second day of the festival. At least, that was the plan. The "Calm Down" singer had his set disrupted by technical issues, and they went on so long that he voiced his frustration to the crowd. "These sound issues is messing up my whole performance," he noted. "I’m seriously not feeling this s**t at all. I’m representing Africa. This is too messed up." Rema pointed to a double standard regarding the sound that effectively silenced the crowd. "So the sound cannot be perfect for every artist that gets on this stage and Africa is in the house and y’all messing s**t up?," he asked.
Rema Told The Crowd He Was "Representing Africa"
The technical difficulties continued throughout Rema's set. The singer tried to perform his most popular single, "Calm Down", only to discover that his voice wasn't coming through on the microphone. He tried his best to keep the energy up, but ultimately decided to cut his set short. His frustration was evident as he walked offstage. "Too many sound issues, my people," he reluctantly informed the crowd. "I love you all my people."
It was an unfortunate showcase for Dreamville's technical team. It was not, however, the only time that an artist prompted an awkward moment onstage during the festival. J. Cole performed the same night as Rema, and chose to make a public apology to Kendrick Lamar following the release of his diss track "7 Minute Drill." He claimed the diss was the "lamest, goofiest s**t" he recorded in years. He also told the stunned crowd that the track would be taken down from streaming platforms. The rapper has not yet addressed Rema's performance, however, or the accusations of prioritizing American over African artists.
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