Brandeis Magazine

By David Eisenberg

When she graduated from Brandeis, Rima Tahini ’16, who is from Sierra Leone and now lives in Nigeria, had a clear career goal: to make a contribution to African culture. “I’ve always wanted to create things that employ people, make their lives better, and help young people actualize their potential,” she says.

She’s found her niche in music, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of Afrobeats, a catchy, danceable fusion of pop-music styles coming out of West Africa.

As a newly minted grad, Tahini moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for an investment firm that specializes in African holdings. After the firm started exploring opportunities with Nigeria’s Mavin Records, it sent her there in 2017 to do due diligence. The firm eventually invested in Mavin, and Tahini, who always knew she wanted to return to Africa, stayed to work at the label.

“I’ve gone through different phases with the company over the past six years, from the investment side, to the A&R and product side,” she says.

Today, as director of artists and repertoire at Mavin, she launches musicians’ careers — helping them develop their sound and visual identities, come up with music video concepts, and determine album-release dates.

“There’s a lot of brand building and strategy that goes into it,” she says. “What is the artist’s plan for the year? What are their next steps, the next growth phase?”

In recognition of her professional drive, the Brandeis Alumni Association has named Tahini one of its 2023 BOLD 9, nine people making considerable contributions to their chosen fields within 10 years of graduating from Brandeis.

The growing roster of artists Tahini has helped develop at Mavin include superstars Rema and Ayra Starr, whose cumulative stream counts stretch into the billions.

And she’s seen the Afrobeats profile grow internationally. “It’s seeping its way into pop culture across the world,” she says. “Outside Africa, the sound has always been largely championed and consumed by the African diaspora across Europe and America. But in the last three years or so, the genre has been gaining space across the world.”

As her career flourishes, Tahini looks for ways to give back. In October 2022, the African Leadership Academy, which she attended, created the Rima Tahini Artist Residency Fund, which allows music-industry hopefuls to shadow her at work, learning the ins and outs of artist development and management.

She’s excited to continue mentoring students and artists, and expanding the influence of Afrobeats around the world.

“My hope,” she says, “is we’re not a moment, not a phase, but we’re building lasting infrastructure for our industry on our continent, so we’re not relying on Western collaborations to make money and value for our industry.”