Rave News Digest: Rema’s ‘Raves & Roses’ Goes Gold, Toni Braxton Denies Wedding, 2023 Best XI Players Shortlist + More

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Rema makes history as “Raves & Roses” receives RIAA gold certification, Toni Braxton slams reports she tied the knot with Birdman, FIFA release shortlist for 2023 men’s best XI players. Stay in the know with our Rave News Digest, which summarizes five of the hottest global news stories you need to catch up on, saving you time and energy. Consider it your daily news fix.
1. Rema makes history as “Raves & Roses” receives RIAA gold certification
REMA’s ‘Rave & Roses’ is the first debut African album to be certified RIAA Gold. pic.twitter.com/mC9qkiRRV7
— chart data (@chartdata) January 2, 2024
In another landmark feat, Rema’s “Raves & Roses” has become the only Afrobeats debut album to receive an RIAA gold certification, while also joining Wizkid’s Grammy-nominated album “Made in Lagos” as the only Afrobeats album with RIAA certification.
The album, buoyed by the huge commercial success of the hit single “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez, enjoyed massive commercial success in the United States, where it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 while also spending over 52 weeks on the chart. The single also spent over 52 weeks at the summit of Billboard’s Afrobeats Chart, which is a reflection of its huge success in the United States, where it has been declared double platinum, making it the most successful Afrobeats cross-over single yet.
2. Toni Braxton slams reports that she tied the knot with Birdman
Toni Braxton shuts down rumor that she secretly tied the knot with #
Birdman. (📸: @GettyImages ) pic.twitter.com/JjbPcAdlZ4— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) December 31, 2023
Toni Braxton has slammed reports that she tied the knot with Birdman. The 56-year-old singer and the 54-year-old rapper were previously engaged, but Braxton has revealed that they are both currently single and have no plans to wed. Following speculation that they had tied the knot, she wrote on Instagram: “My dear friend @birdman and I are not married…never been married. We are both single.”
The pair confirmed their engagement in February 2018 but had to push back their wedding due to work commitments. Despite the postponed wedding, they were still together in November 2023, when Braxton shared a photo of herself and the record producer sharing a kiss in a now-deleted Instagram post. However, the relationship appeared to have been on and off in recent years.
3. South Africa: Bonang Matheba’s alleged new boyfriend’s identity revealed
Meet Bonang Matheba’s boyfriend. pic.twitter.com/ZBg3PK0bLx
— Musa Khawula (@Musa_Khawula) January 1, 2024
Fans are convinced that they’ve uncovered the identity of Bonang Matheba’s alleged new boyfriend. This comes after several photos and videos of the couple, where some hinted that the pair may have spent New Year’s Eve together, were shared on social media. After some digging, fans managed to uncover the identity of Bonang’s alleged new man, who is allegedly media and tech entrepreneur David Phume. Not only that, but a video of Phume seemingly pouring champagne for Bonang on New Year’s Eve made its way to social media, and fans were able to make the connection between that and a photo Bonang shared on her social media as well.
4. Burna Boy, Sunny Ade, and Fela Kuti in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums
JUST IN 🚨
RollingStone releases fresh list of the TOP 500 GREATEST albums of all time.
3 Nigerian albums made the list.
Any surprises? pic.twitter.com/m1HmzPOqGu
— WeTalkSound (WTS) (@wetalksound) January 3, 2024
Nigerian icons Fela Kuti, Burna Boy, and Sunny Ade are immortalized on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums. The original 500 Greatest Albums article by Rolling Stone was initially published in 2003. As time progressed, fresh music genres emerged and preferences evolved, leading to a transformation in the composition of the list.
The article featured Burna Boy’s “African Giant,” Fela Kuti and African 70 “Expensive Shit,” and King Sunny Ade’s “The Best of the Classic Years” on the 500 greatest albums of all time with numbers 330, 402, and 465, respectively. This acknowledgment not only cements their status as influential musicians within the African continent but also underscores the impact of Nigerian music on the global stage.
5. FIFA release shortlist for 2023 men’s best XI players
🗳️ The players have voted.
✨ This is the 23-player shortlist for the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s #World11 👇
🏆 15.01.2024 @FIFAcom | @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/jMs4PF1vIe
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) January 3, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have once again been shortlisted for the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO World 11. Over 28,000 professional players have cast their votes for their team of the year. And, after winning pretty much every trophy in sight over the last 12 months, it’s Manchester City stars who dominate the 23-man shortlist. Eight members of Pep Guardiola’s squad have made the cut, including striker Erling Haaland, who scored 44 goals across all competitions for his club in 2023. He is joined by teammates Ederson, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva.
Only two other Premier League players made the grade, with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez backing up the Yashin Trophy he picked up towards the end of last year, and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk also getting the nod. That means there’s no place on the shortlist for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, scorer of 32 goals in the last calendar year, or Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
Featured Image: @heisrema/X
Our Weekday News Digest summarizes five of the hottest news topics worldwide–including celebrity news from Hollywood to Nollywood, the latest trending global headlines from American reports to top African news today, and the best sports stories in 2023.
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A fashion and pop culture writer who watches a lot of TV in his spare time. At Style Rave, we aim to inspire our readers by providing engaging content to not just entertain but to inform and empower you as you ASPIRE to become more stylish, live smarter and be healthier. Follow us on Instagram @StyleRave_ ♥