Rebstar

Rebin Shah (born 4 October 1988), better known by his stage name Rebstar, is a Swedish recording artist and hip hop entrepreneur.[1] He is the founder of record label Today Is Vintage[2] and Creative Director for World Childhood Foundation founded by Queen Silvia.[3]

Rebstar
Rebstar at the 2019 Songs of Hope
Background information
Birth nameRebin Shah
Born (1988-10-04) 4 October 1988
Malmö, Sweden
GenresHip Hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record executive
  • record producer
  • entrepreneur
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2008–present
LabelsToday Is Vintage
Associated actsLE SINNER, Trey Songz, Drake
Websitewww.rebstar.com

Spearheading Sweden's hip hop export, Rebstar and Today Is Vintage have gained notable international exposure leading the "Swedish invasion".[4][5][6][7]

Early life

Rebin Shah was born in Malmö, Sweden, on 4 October 1988. He is the only child of a Persian mother and a Kurdish father. He found his love for hip hop at an early age, and grew up in Rosengård until his late teens.[8][9] He learned English in an international elementary school and, after graduating high school, moved to the United Kingdom to study law at the University of Aberdeen.[10] During his short stint in Scotland, he suspended his studies and moved back to Sweden to pursue a career in music.[11][12]

Music career

2008–2011: early career

In late 2008, Rebstar released his debut single "Without You", produced by Canadian T-Minus and featuring Trey Songz.[13] "Without You" quickly became a hit and was the third-most requested song on Swedish radio. The success of the single led to Trey Songz coming to Sweden for a promotional tour with Rebstar in December 2008.

In 2008, Rebstar founded 2fresh Records to release his own music.[14] 2fresh served as the label for Rebstar's music and has released singles in collaboration with acts such as Trey Songz,[15] Ray J,[16] Boi-1da[17] and more.

Rebstar's debut mixtape Arrival was released on 4 October 2010. It features Ray J, Trey Songz, Boi-1da, T-Minus, REO, DJ Pain 1.[18] A follow-up mixtape entitled Arrival 2.0 was released on 3 May 2011, including three new songs.[19]

In July 2011, a song by Rebstar entitled "Good Life" featuring Drake and Rock City was leaked and surfaced on multiple blogs.[20]

2012-2013: Bad Karma and Today Is Vintage

In March 2012, he released the mixtape Bad Karma with promotional support from The Pirate Bay and MediaFire. In August 2012, Rebstar featured on Kállay Saunders' single "Tonight". The song peaked at #5 on Hungary's Top 40 Charts with an accompanying music video released on 6 September 2012.[21][22]

During Autumn 2012, Rebstar announced the founding of a new label, Today Is Vintage.[23][24] In November 2012, Kállay Saunders became the first signee under Today Is Vintage.[25] In December 2012, Saunders' first single under the label was released, "My Baby".[26]

In August 2013, Rebstar announced a partnership with educational association Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan to form Vintage Initiativet, a non-profit organization for young musicians in Malmö.[4][27] Rebstar serves as the chairman of the organization and as one of the mentors for children and teenagers interested in music.

On 21 August 2013, Rebstar featured on "Play My Song" by Kállay Saunders, peaking the Hungarian MAHASZ Top 40 Radio Charts at #16, leading to an Eastern-European tour co-headlined by Rebstar and Saunders.[28] The single was followed up with a music video released on 7 October 2013.

2014–2016: You Know Nothing About Love and Girls Like Nicole

On 29 September 2014, Rebstar released "Safe Safe (040 Zlatan Mix)", featuring several prominent rappers from Malmö.[29] The song and music video is a tribute to Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović, who is also from the same neighborhood as Rebstar, the infamous district Rosengård. "Safe Safe" became an international sensation and Rebstar became a topic of controversy due to the video's exaggerative depiction of Zlatan.[30][31][32][33]

In mid-2014, he began working closely with Gambian recording artist Saint which led to eventually signing him to Today Is Vintage.[34][35]

On 13 June 2015, Rebstar released his new single "Thing About You" and announced that he is working on a new album, Girls Like Nicole.[36] The single lead to marking Rebstar as the first Swedish rapper in over a decade to be played on American MTV.[37][38]

In October 2015, Rebstar released yet another single, "Reputation".[39][40] On 30 November 2015, Rebstar followed up a surprise-release of the EP You Know Nothing About Love,[40] consisting of six songs.

In March 2016, Rebstar revealed to Forbes that his album Girls Like Nicole would be released in the late spring.[41] In June 2016, Rebstar released his album Girls Like Nicole.

2017: The Swedish Invasion and Don't Stress Me

In December 2016, Rebstar discovered and signed LE SINNER whose debut single "Paris" reached #1 on Spotify's Viral Charts in USA and garnering 3 million streams within its first 2 months.[42][43]

Rebstar's "Don't Stress Me" was released in September 2017,[44] from a new album of the same title.

2019: Rosengård

Rebstar's third album Rosengård was released to mostly favorable reviews in April 2019.[45] The title ("Rose Town" or "Rose Manor" in Swedish) refers to where Shah grew up, an unassuming, blue-collar city that has had a major influx of refugees and immigrants since the late 1990s. The album cover depicts Shah as a toddler, standing in a garden. The album was executive produced by his rumored girlfriend, now his wife as of June 14, 2019, Saturday Night Live writer Megan Callahan.[46]

Personal life

Rebstar is married to Saturday Night Live writer Megan Callahan.[47]

Discography

Mixtapes
  • Arrival (2010)
  • Arrival 2.0 (2011)
  • Bad Karma (2012)

EP

Album

Singles
  • "Without You" feat. Trey Songz (2009)
  • "All Night" feat. Kállay Saunders (2013)
  • "Safe Safe" (2014)
  • "Thing About You" (2015)
  • "Reputation" (2015)
  • "Haii" (2017)
  • "Hello Kitty" feat. LE SINNER (2017)
  • "Promises" (2018)
  • "EMERGENCY" (2019)
  • "Somebody Named Frank" (2019)

Collaborations
  • “See Me, Hear Me, Feel Me, Touch Me” by Gravitonas feat. Rebstar (2012)
  • “Break Me Up” by Gravitonas feat. Rebstar (2012)
  • "Tonight" by Kállay Saunders feat. Rebstar (2012)
  • "Play My Song" by Kállay Saunders feat. Rebstar (2013)
  • “Safe Safe 040 Mix” by Rebstar feat. Saint, Lilleman, Lazee & The C.I.T.Y. (2014)
  • “Fakka Me Mej Remix” by Rebstar &. Nomad (2015)

References
  1. Cusumano, Katherine. "Swedish Rapper Rebstar Talks Mixing Music, Entrepreneurship And Breakfast". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  2. https://www.digitaltrends.com/music/playlists-curators-spotify-apple-music-rapcaviar/
  3. https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2021-01-11/malmorapparen-rebstar-tar-chefsjobb-i-new-york
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2010-02-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-07-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Rebstar's Remix of Nomad's "Fakka Me Mej" is a Lyrical Attack on Pretty Much Everything". Noisey.vice.com. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  7. "Hey, You're Cool! Rebstar". Mass Appeal. 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  8. "MUSIC: Swedish Hip-Hop Star- Rebstar- in Concert". Swedenabroad.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  9. Rundfunk, Sophie Kernbichl, Bayerischer (2017-01-09). "Tracks der Woche #02/17: Bilderbuch, SOHN, Mighty Oaks, Rebstar, Nick & June | BR.de" (in German). Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinecusumano/2016/03/08/swedish-rapper-rebstar-talks-mixing-music-entrepreneurship-and-breakfast/
  12. "Malmörappare debuterar på MTV - P4 Malmöhus". Sverigesradio.se. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  14. Arbsjö, Karin (2010-02-08). "Stjärna på kärlekstrubbel". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-07-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Rebstar f. Drake & Rock City - Good Life [prod. Boi-1da & T-Minus]". Hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "Rebstar - Good Life (Feat. Drake & Rock City) (Audio) : West Coast News Network". Dubcnn.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  21. "Archívum - Slágerlisták - MAHASZ - Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2012-12-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2011-07-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. "Nyheterna". Tv4play.se. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  26. "Éves összesített listák - Archívum - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". Zene.slagerlistak.hu. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  27. "Rebstar drar igång musikskola i Malmö". Kingsizemagazine.se. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  28. "Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". Zene.slagerlistak.hu. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  29. "Premiere: Rebstar ft. Lazee, Saint, Lilleman, The C.I.T.Y - "Safe Safe (040 Zlatan Remix)" [VIDEO] - STASHED". thestashed.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-14. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  30. "PSG : Pour le rappeur Rebstar, Zlatan " représente l'espoir "". Foot-sur7.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  31. "Malmö-PSG: "Zlatan Ibrahimovic a changé la mentalité des Suédois sur son quartier"". 20minutes.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  32. "Se rapparens hyllning till Rosengård och Zlatan Ibrahimović". Nyheter24.se. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  33. "L'ÉQUIPE - L'actualité du sport en continu". Lequipe.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  34. "Saint blickar över horisonten". Metro. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  35. "Från Gambia till skivkontrakt i Malmö". Sydsvenskan.se. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  36. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2015-07-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  37. ""Vi har Avicii och H&M, men fortfarande ingen stor svensk rappare i USA"". Dn.se. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  38. "Första svenske rapparen på MTV". Aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  39. "Video: Rebstar – Reputation". Youheardthatnew.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  40. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-25. Retrieved 2015-12-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. Cusumano, Katherine. "Swedish Rapper Rebstar Talks Mixing Music, Entrepreneurship And Breakfast". Forbes.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  42. "Le Sinner: Jag vet att jag kommer att vara en av de största artisterna i världen om några år". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  43. "Hemlighetsfull Malmörappare etta på Spotifys topplista i USA". NÖJESGUIDEN (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  44. "Rebstar Releases New Single "Don't Stress Me"". Vibe. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  45. "Premiere: Rebstar Is Leading The Rosengård Revolution In New 'EMERGENCY' Single". BET.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  46. Strauss, Alix (2019-06-28). "For a 'Saturday Night Live' Writer, a Permanent Musical Guest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  47. Strauss, Alix (2019-06-28). "For a 'Saturday Night Live' Writer, a Permanent Musical Guest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
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