Baby (Is It a Crime)
by Rema

Album: released as a single (2025)
Charted: 53
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In "Baby (Is It a Crime)" Rema oscillates between poetic seduction and streetwise bravado, singing in both Nigerian pidgin and Yoruba. One moment, he's all deep yearning; the next, he's casually name-dropping Birkin, because nothing says romance like a high-end Birkin bag.
  • When asked about the track by BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders, Rema explained, "It's all about good vibes. It's all about love. I think it's important to keep the love vibration going on. There's so much happening in the world, and we just need someone who's always there with us."
  • Rema said he wrote the song alone in a room in Kenya – it was just him and a bottle of red wine. He wanted to sing about his experiences, so the track reflects on "the same collective scenario that every guy goes through, walking up to a girl, asking the girl out, trying to vibe with a girl, stuff like that."
  • The intro samples the chorus of Sade's 1985 confessional hit "Is It A Crime?," with bits of the sample heard throughout the song.
  • Producer P.Priime created the pulsating Afrobeat rhythm. His other credits include "Anoti" from Wizkid's Grammy-nominated album Made in Lagos and "Alone" recorded by Burna Boy for the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
  • The song's music video was directed by Salomé Gomis-Trezise and shot in London in January 2025.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.