Rebstar

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, having mentioned Fresh Prince and Redman as his early influences. He grew up in the infamous district Rosengård until his late teens. Rebstar was introduced to the English language that would fuel his songwriting at an early age. His mother insisted he enroll in an international elementary school that taught English, hoping that it would afford him more opportunities in the future. Upon graduation from high school, he moved to the United Kingdom to study law at the University of Aberdeen. However, he is known to have dropped out and moved back to Sweden to pursue music full-time.

2008–2011: Rebstar's Arrival and 2fresh Records

In late 2008, Rebstar released his debut single "Without You", produced by Canadian T-Minus and featuring Trey Songz. "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. A music video for the song was released in January, 2009, directed by Manuel Concha. "Without You" has garnered airplay on MTV outlets in over ten countries worldwide, including Finland, France, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In 2008, Rebstar founded 2fresh Records with the intent of self-publishing and release his own music. The label had been prominent since its inception for its strong international ties with major artists and producers.

2fresh served as the label for Rebstar's music and has released singles in collaboration with acts such as Trey Songz, Ray J, Boi-1da and more. The label was commemorated for being the first Swedish independent label to collaborate with American urban major label artists.

In October 2009, the song "Drive" leaked which is rumoured to be a featured cut from the upcoming Need for Speed: Burnout soundtrack. In December 2009, during an interview with Craig David on Kiss 100, he mentioned that he has collaborated with Rebstar for an upcoming project. Whether or not these songs will be on Craig David or Rebstar's album remain unclear.

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

In July 2011, a song by Rebstar entitled "Good Life" featuring Drake and Rock City was leaked and surfaced on multiple blogs. The song is produced by Canadian producers Boi-1da and T-Minus. Rebstar commented on his Twitter that it was a premature leak and encouraging fans not to download it. In September 2011, Swedish pop singer Eddie Razaz announced he has commissioned Rebstar as a songwriter for the singer's debut album. As of October 2011, Rebstar announced plans to release his upcoming project, titled Bad Karma. The first song Falling was released online 3 October 2011.

2012-2013: Bad Karma and Today Is Vintage

In March 2012, he released the mixtape Bad Karma with promotional support from The Pirate Bay, Spotify and MediaFire. The mixtape has since been received over 150,000 downloads since its release. The mixtape features production mainly by DJ Pain 1 and additional production by Kid Klassic and Madison with a much darker overtone than his previous mixtapes.

In August 2012, Rebstar featured on American-Hungarian singer Kállay Saunders' single "Tonight". The song peaked at #4 on the Top 40 Hungarian Charts with an accompanying music video released on 6 September 2012.

During Autumn 2012, Rebstar announced the founding of a new label, Today Is Vintage. In November 2012, Kállay Saunders became the first signee under Today Is Vintage. In December 2012, Saunders' first single under the label was released, "My Baby". It peaked at #1 on the Hungarian Top 40 Charts as well as becoming the second-most played song in Hungary in 2013 and leading to international success and was a top contender for Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, ending up as the runner-up in the Hungarian qualifiers.

In August 2013, Rebstar announced that he has partnered up with educational association Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan to form Vintage Initiativet, a non-profit organization for young musicians in Malmö. Rebstar serves as the chairman of the organization and as a mentor for young 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. The single was followed up with a music video released on 7 October 2013.

2014–2015: Safe Safe and You Know Nothing About Love

On 29 September 2014, Rebstar released "Safe Safe (040 Zlatan Mix)", which featured several prominent rappers from Malmö. 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 depiction of Zlatan.

In Mid-2014, he began working closely with Gambian recording artist Saint which led to eventually signing him to Today Is Vintage.

On 13 June 2015, Rebstar released the a new single "Thing About You" and announced that he is working on a new album, Girls Like Nicole. The single has garnered a lot of attention due to it marking Rebstar as the first Swedish rapper of this century to be gaining airplay on American MTV.

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

As of December 2015, the current roster of Today Is Vintage consists of Rebstar, Kállay Saunders, Saint, Vivi, Almushi and Madison.

According to an interview in Forbes on 8 March 2016, Rebstar's debut full-length album Girls Like Nicole is slated for a late spring release.

Mixtapes

EP

Album

Singles

Collaborations