Fares Boulos, known professionally as Oyibo Rebel, is an American musician and actor based in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria. He has released music blending

Afrobeats Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...

and rap with Yoruba influences. He is the brother of

Michael Boulos Michael Boulos (born ) is a Lebanese-American business executive. He is a son-in-law of the 45th and 47th U.S. president Donald Trump through his marriage to Tiffany Trump. His father is Massad Boulos. Early life and education Born in Housto ...

Early life

Fares Boulos was born in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. His Lebanese father, Massad Boulos, is a business executive active in Nigeria, while his French mother, Sarah Boulos, founded the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). At the age of five, Boulos moved with his family to

, Nigeria, where he attended the American International School of Lagos alongside his siblings. Boulos described moving to Lagos as a

culture shock Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...

. He learned

Nigerian Pidgin Nigerian Pidgin, also known simply as Pidgin or as Naijá in scholarship, is an English-based creole language spoken as a ''lingua franca'' across Nigeria. The language is sometimes referred to as ''Pijin'' or ''Vernacular''. Coming into existe ...

and Yoruba and engaged with local customs during his formative years. He later pursued higher education in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, where he studied

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

with a concentration in theatre. Following this, he moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to complete a master’s degree, focusing on acting and performance.

Career

Boulos began exploring music during his teenage years, inspired by Nigerian musician

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

. In Lagos, he attended events at the

New Afrika Shrine The New Afrika Shrine is an open-air entertainment center located in Ikeja, Lagos State. It serves as the host location of the annual Felabration music festival. Currently managed by Femi Kuti (eldest son of Fela Kuti) and Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti, ...

and performed Fela’s songs during informal gatherings. During his time in Los Angeles, he wrote and performed a play titled ''Abami Eda and The Curse of The Black Gold'', in which he portrayed multiple characters, including Fela Kuti. In London, Boulos participated in acting projects, including an uncredited role in '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'' and a brief non-speaking role in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

''. In 2012, Boulos returned to Nigeria and released a single titled "One Day" under the stage name Farastafarian. This name, derived from his interactions with

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

an communities at Tarkwa Bay in Lagos, was later changed to Oyibo Rebel. The new

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

reflected his intention to challenge stereotypes about immigrants in Nigeria and highlight his connection to the culture. Under the name Oyibo Rebel, Boulos released the single "Oju Mi Bloody," featuring Mz Kiss and

Chinko Ekun Oladipo Olamide Emmanuel (born 13 September 1993), known professionally as Chinko Ekun, is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter. Early life Chinko Ekun was born in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, into a family of three, where he is the second child. H ...

. His music combines elements of

, rap, and Yoruba influences. He worked with Nigerian producers T-Weezy and

Killertunes Otaniyen-Uwa Daniel professionally known as Killertunes is a Nigerian record producer and songwriter who has produced ''"Manya"'' by Wizkid, "''Motigbana"'' by Olamide, ''"Baba"'' by DJ Spinall featuring Kizz daniel and ''"Bobo"'' by Mayorkun fea ...

to create tracks that incorporate both Nigerian and global musical styles.

Personal life

Boulos considers Nigeria his home. He is married to Alisa Boulos. His brother

is a business executive married to American socialite

Tiffany Trump Tiffany Ariana Trump (born October 13, 1993) is the fourth child of Donald Trump, the president of the United States, and his only child with his second wife, Marla Maples. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, and primarily raised by her mother ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebel, Oyibo Living people American emigrants to Nigeria Nigerian people of Lebanese descent American people of Lebanese descent American people of French descent Musicians from Lagos 21st-century American male musicians Musicians from Houston Actors from Houston Actors from Lagos Afrobeats musicians Boulos family Year of birth missing (living people)