Rema Channels Sade on ‘Baby (Is It a Crime)’

Rema, one of Nigeria’s biggest pop stars, has sampled British-Nigerian soul icon Sade Adu on his latest single, “Baby (Is It a Crime).” The sultry Afrobeats song borrows the titular refrain from the band Sade’s 1985 single “Is It a Crime.”  The new track marks Rema’s first single since  Bnxn’s “Fi Kan We Kan” in October.

Sade Adu’s voice is the first to break through the intro’s staticky crackle while slick drums kick in. “Baby/Baby sunmoni/You know say you match my steeze,” Rema sings in Pidgin through his signature wiggly trill. “You know I’m a G/Shawty. I’mma always keep it real/I no dey for too much whining/Dey for too much whining.” 

He began teasing the song in November, leaving many fans clamoring for the new song on X. On Feb. 4, the day the singer announced on X that the full song would be released on Feb. 7 (along with an official music video), photos of the singer with Sade’s Promise vinyl under his arm floated across the web. That, naturally, is the album on which “Is It a Crime” is featured. 

At the 67th Grammys on Feb. 2, Rema’s 2024 album Heis was nominated for Best Global Album, losing to Matt B featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Alkebulan II. Rolling Stone named Heis the 11th best album of 2024. “With everything going viral and everything just spreading across the world, I feel like it has also affected the sound [of Afrobeats],” Rema told Rolling Stone ahead of the album. “We’re not just making what the people at home would enjoy. We’re also making what we hope the world would also enjoy. I got rid of that mentality getting in the studio, like, ‘I’ll start with what I love. The rest of the world can catch up.’” 

After performing at Coachella in April, Rema will be globetrotting to  Berlin, Germany, Okinawa, Osaka, Chofu, and  Malmo, Sweden, for shows.