Rebstar

Last updated

Rebstar
Rebstar at Songs of Hope 2019.jpg
Rebstar at the 2019 Songs of Hope
Background information
Birth nameRebin Shah
Born (1988-10-04) 4 October 1988 (age 36)
Malmö, Sweden
Genres Hip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record executive
  • record producer
Years active2008–present
Labels Today Is Vintage
Website rebstar.com

Rebin Shah (born 4 October 1988), better known by his stage name Rebstar, is a Swedish rapper. [1] He is the founder and CEO of the entertainment company Today Is Vintage [2] and pro-bono Creative Director for World Childhood Foundation founded by Queen Silvia. [3]

Contents

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.[ citation needed ]

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.[ citation needed ] 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 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 14 June 2019, Saturday Night Live writer Megan Callahan. [46]

Business career

Rebstar is the founder and CEO of Today Is Vintage, a record label, music publisher and management firm. In 2018, Rebstar moved to New York City and relocated the company headquarters. [47] [48]

In 2020, Rebstar launched Today Is Vintage Pictures, a film and TV production division with Saturday Night Live writer Megan Callahan-Shah serving as co-founder and co-CEO.

As of 2022, Rebstar has taken an executive role in the company, personally representing Grammy winning producers with songwriters and artists cumulating over 10 billion streams worldwide.

Personal life

Rebstar is married to Saturday Night Live writer Megan Callahan. [49]

Discography

Mixtapes

EP

Album

Singles

Collaborations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malmö FF</span> Association football club in Malmö, Sweden

Malmö Fotbollförening, commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda Stadion. Malmö FF is Sweden's most successful football club in terms of domestic trophies won. They hold 24 Swedish championships and 16 Svenska Cupen titles, both of which are national records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zlatan Ibrahimović</span> Swedish footballer (born 1981)

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, technique, ball control, and physical dominance. He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and is one of the most decorated footballers in the world, having won 34 trophies in his career. He scored over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and scored in four consecutive decades between the 1990s and the 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosengård</span> Former city district in Scania, Sweden

Rosengård was a city district in the center of Malmö Municipality, Sweden. On 1 July 2013, it was merged with Husie, forming Öster. In 2012, Rosengård had a population of 23,563 of the municipality's 307,758. Its area was 332 hectares.

Yksel Osmanovski is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Starting off his career with Malmö FF in the mid-1990s, he went on to represent Bari, Torino, and Bordeaux before retiring at Malmö FF in 2007. A full international between 1998 and 2006, he won 15 caps for the Sweden national team and represented them at UEFA Euro 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labinot Harbuzi</span> Swedish footballer

Labinot Harbuzi was a Swedish professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Therese Sjögran</span> Swedish association football player

Kerstin Ingrid Therese Sjögran is a Swedish football manager and coach, and former player as a midfielder for Damallsvenskan club FC Rosengård and the Sweden national team. A modern pioneer and source of inspiration in women's football, she is considered one of the greatest Swedish footballers of all time and imagined by some as a possible future head coach for the national team. Nicknamed "Terre", Sjögran made her first Damallsvenskan appearances for Kristianstad/Wä DFF. She joined Malmö FF Dam in 2001 and remained with the club through its different guises as LdB FC and FC Rosengård. Sjögran spent the 2011 season with American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) club Sky Blue FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zlatan Azinović</span> Swedish footballer

Zlatan Azinović is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malmö IP</span> Association football stadium in Malmö, Sweden

Malmö Idrottsplats, commonly referred to simply as Malmö IP and sometimes as Gamla IP, is a stadium in Malmö, Sweden, that is primarily used for association football. As of 2015, it is the home of women's association football club FC Rosengård, currently playing in Damallsvenskan; the men's clubs Malmö FF and IFK Malmö have played there in the past. The stadium is the third largest in Malmö behind Malmö Stadion and Stadion, the current home grounds of IFK Malmö and Malmö FF respectively. The Sweden men's national football team has played at Malmö IP twice, in 1929 and 1949. The stadium's capacity has changed throughout the years with various redevelopments and renovations; it is today 7,600, but was historically much higher. The record attendance at the ground was set on 1 June 1956 when 22,436 people attended an Allsvenskan match between Malmö FF and Helsingborgs IF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herrgården</span> Neighbourhood in Skåne County, Skåne, Sweden

Herrgården is a neighbourhood of Malmö, situated in the district of Öster, Malmö Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lina Nilsson</span> Swedish footballer

Lina Therese Nilsson is a Swedish retired footballer who played for FC Rosengård and the Sweden national team. Normally a full-back, she can also play as a wide midfielder. She joined Malmö FF Dam in 2006 and has remained with the club through its different guises as LdB FC and FC Rosengård. Since winning her first Sweden cap in July 2009, Nilsson has represented her country in the 2009 and 2013 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship, as well as the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cups. She also played at the 2012 Olympic football tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omid Nazari</span> Iranian footballer (born 1991)

Omid Nazari is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for One Taguig of the Philippines Football League. Born in Sweden, he has represented the Iran national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zlatan Court</span> Football field in Sweden

Zlatan Court is a football field in the city district of Rosengård in Malmö in southern Sweden, dedicated to the footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">András Kállay-Saunders</span> Hungarian-American singer and songwriter

András Kállay-Saunders, also known as Kállay Saunders, is a Hungarian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. He represented Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "Running".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight (Kállay Saunders song)</span> 2012 single by András Kállay-Saunders featuring Rebstar

"Tonight" is a single from Hungarian artist Kállay Saunders, featuring vocals from Swedish rapper Rebstar. It was released as a single 8 August 2012 for digital download in the Hungary. It was written by Ándras Kállay-Saunders, Rebin Shah and produced by DJ Pain 1 and Mark Pacsai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint (rapper)</span> Musical artist

Mohammed Sillah, known by his stage name Saint, is a Gambian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer currently residing in Sweden. In 2015, he rose to fame in Sweden with the release of his debut single "Chillin".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Today Is Vintage</span> Entertainment company

Today Is Vintage is an entertainment company founded in 2012 in Malmo, Sweden by music mogul Rebstar. As of 2022, the company represents Grammy winners and artists, songwriters and producers accumulating over 10 billion streams worldwide. Spearheading the "Swedish invasion", Today Is Vintage is one of country's leading record labels, music publishers and management firms with its headquarters in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Play My Song</span> 2013 single by András Kállay-Saunders featuring Rebstar

"Play My Song" is a single by American–Hungarian artist Kállay Saunders featuring Swedish rapper Rebstar. It was released on August 21, 2013, with a music video on October 7, 2013

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LE SINNER</span> Swedish singer (born 1997)

Sina Tayefi, known professionally as LE SINNER, is a Persian singer, songwriter and rapper from Malmö, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Rosengård</span> Womens association football club in Malmö, Sweden

FC Rosengård, formerly Malmö FF Dam (1970–2007) and LdB FC Malmö (2007–2013), is a professional football club based in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. The team was established as Malmö FF Dam in 1970. It started out with playing 7 seasons in the Division 1, but has played in Damallsvenskan in since it formed in 1988. The team has won the league a record thirteen times, the latest in 2022. As of the end of the 2015 season, the club ranks first in the overall Damallsvenskan table. FC Rosengård play their home games at Malmö IP in Malmö. The club it merged with, FC Rosengård 1917, has both men's and women's teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Zlatan</span> Former public sculpture in Malmö, Sweden

The statue of Zlatan was a statue depicting the Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović, created by the sculptor Peter Linde at the end of 2017, at the request of the Swedish Football Association. From the beginning the statue was planned to be placed at Friends Arena in Stockholm, but was finally unveiled at the Eleda Stadion in Malmö, the home stadium of Malmö FF, the club where Ibrahimović started his career. After several cases of vandalism it was removed from its plinth on 5 January 2020.

References

  1. Cusumano, Katherine. "Swedish Rapper Rebstar Talks Mixing Music, Entrepreneurship And Breakfast". Forbes. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  2. "Your Favorite Playlists Are Making Stars and Hits Out of Streams". 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  3. "Malmörapparen Rebstar tar chefsjobb i New York". 11 January 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Stjärna på kärlekstrubbel - Kultur & Nöjen - Sydsvenskan - Nyheter dygnet runt". Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.{{cite web}}: 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. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  7. "Hey, You're Cool! Rebstar". Mass Appeal. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  8. "MUSIC: Swedish Hip-Hop Star- Rebstar- in Concert". Swedenabroad.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  9. Rundfunk, Sophie Kernbichl, Bayerischer (9 January 2017). "Tracks der Woche #02/17: Bilderbuch, SOHN, Mighty Oaks, Rebstar, Nick & June | BR.de" (in German). Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Swedish Rapper Rebstar Talks Mixing Music, Entrepreneurship and Breakfast". Forbes . Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. "Metropol nu tisdag 19/1 om Rebstar och galor - Metropol med Sanna Brå…". Archived from the original on 10 September 2012.
  12. Malmöhus, P4 (13 July 2015). "Malmörappare debuterar på MTV - P4 Malmöhus". Sveriges Radio. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. "Home". Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  14. Arbsjö, Karin (8 February 2010). "Stjärna på kärlekstrubbel". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  15. "The Source - Sorry, the page you were looking for is not here". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  16. http://www.kingsizemag.se/News.aspx?ArtNo=17163%5B%5D
  17. "Rebstar f. Drake & Rock City - Good Life [prod. Boi-1da & T-Minus]". Hiphopdx.com. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  18. http://www.credmag.net/cred%20main%2018.htm%5B%5D
  19. "Rebstar – Rebstar's Arrival 2.0 [Mixtape]| OnSMASH". Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  20. "Rebstar - Good Life (Feat. Drake & Rock City) (Audio) : West Coast News Network". Dubcnn.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  21. "Archívum - Slágerlisták - MAHASZ - Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  22. "Kereső - előadó/Cím szerint - Archívum - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  23. "Official Cred Magazine". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  24. "Maxat med tonårskänslor - Kultur & Nöjen - Sydsvenskan-Nyheter Dygnet…". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.
  25. "Nyheterna". Tv4play.se. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  26. "Éves összesített listák - Archívum - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". Zene.slagerlistak.hu. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  27. "Rebstar drar igång musikskola i Malmö". Kingsizemagazine.se. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  28. "Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". Zene.slagerlistak.hu. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. 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 14 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  30. "PSG : Pour le rappeur Rebstar, Zlatan " représente l'espoir "". Foot-sur7.fr. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  31. "Malmö-PSG: "Zlatan Ibrahimovic a changé la mentalité des Suédois sur son quartier"". 20minutes.fr. 24 November 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  32. "Se rapparens hyllning till Rosengård och Zlatan Ibrahimović". Nyheter24.se. 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  33. "L'ÉQUIPE - L'actualité du sport en continu". Lequipe.fr. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. 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. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  36. "Kärleksrap som ska få amerikanerna att smälta - Kultur | SVT.se". Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  37. ""Vi har Avicii och H&M, men fortfarande ingen stor svensk rappare i USA"". Dagens Nyheter. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  38. "Första svenske rapparen på MTV". Aftonbladet.se. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  39. "Video: Rebstar – Reputation". Youheardthatnew.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  40. 1 2 "HHNS.se: Rebstar - You Know Nothing About Love EP (2015)". Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  41. Cusumano, Katherine. "Swedish Rapper Rebstar Talks Mixing Music, Entrepreneurship And Breakfast". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. 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). Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  43. "Hemlighetsfull Malmörappare etta på Spotifys topplista i USA". NÖJESGUIDEN (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  44. "Rebstar Releases New Single "Don't Stress Me"". Vibe. 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  45. "Premiere: Rebstar Is Leading The Rosengård Revolution In New 'EMERGENCY' Single". BET.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  46. Strauss, Alix (28 June 2019). "For a 'Saturday Night Live' Writer, a Permanent Musical Guest". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  47. Strauss, Alix (28 June 2019). "For a 'Saturday Night Live' Writer, a Permanent Musical Guest". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  48. "Premiere: Rebstar Is Leading The Rosengård Revolution In New 'EMERGENCY' Single". Bet.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  49. Strauss, Alix (28 June 2019). "For a 'Saturday Night Live' Writer, a Permanent Musical Guest". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.