Music is cause and effect. At least that is how I see it, sounds create new sounds, genres influence genres and become a product of the two or something new entirely and sometimes the perceived fall of a an undeniable era defining style of music could be well on its way to birthing a music scene that has always been there, creating, collaborating and changing the currents but you know Underground.
On my journey to find more about this new age of artists sparking the flames of Underground music scene I met with a connoisseur of the underground music. A twitter handler, username @Teanubu with a hilarious picture of the president of my country as the profile picture of the account too match.
‘I can’t really give out my name, it defeats the purpose of the account, it’s supposed to be anonymous’ he says over our chat on twitter. The intent to remain anonymous, evasive almost yet rooted in purpose mirrors the scene he has been dedicatedly documenting as well as sets the stage for our interview.
What year would you say the Underground scene started or like time period
Trying to put a year on the beginning of Nigeria’s underground scene feels like trying to catch smoke. I think that’s how best to put it. There were so many guys in different pockets making music, so it’s difficult to really establish a year it started. But from when I tapped in that was 2020 or 2021 it was clear that something was happening. And it wasn’t just in Lagos. They were guys who schooled in Nigeria and went abroad for Uni, and came back, guys from Abuja and other states as well. So like I said it’s really difficult to pinpoint the exact year it started but just know a lot of guys have been doing this for a very long time already. There’s so much lore! He proclaims, I can tell, this is one of his favorite discourse. What was going on was more than just some SoundCloud drops that were prevalent during that era, it was a shift, documented quietly across YouTube, and archive pages on SoundCloud like “Utero’ which hosted early tracks as well as leaks from a collective of pioneering artists
Who were some of this artist you could remember listening to at first?
‘Let see…quite a lot actually, S1orDie, Zaylevelten, Luwa.Mp4, Deadboy2100 although he hasn’t been as active recently, Blacboyyy Rowdy B, Jhalem, Kam K, , K$unny, Boi$now, Vvsmascot amd A-D way back then, when he was still answering Awful Daniel.’
Apart from popular names like Zaylevelten and Luwa, I struggle to recognize a few of the names when my guide chips in ‘these names don’t ring bells in the average Lagos club, but within the community, they’re OGs. Architects. Their work laid the foundation for what many now recognize as the new underground wave’.
You know to the ‘average music consumer underground and upcoming are usually used interchangeably even though they’re not the same, why do you think the lines keep getting blurred and what’s the criteria for deciding what’s underground?
A lot of people like to say the sound doesn’t matter but I believe it 100% does. Underground isn’t a genre but the sound matters and also simply the fact that there are thousands of “upcoming” artists in Nigeria but they are not pushing the boundaries of what Nigerian music can sound like. It’s reasonable to classify every underground artist as an upcoming as well, but not every upcoming artist is an underground artist.
I agree, another constant reminder of Nigeria’s horrible interpretation of language and appropriate terms. But what about the Alté community the DIY nature and creative rebellion of Santi and his Monster boys, Amaare and Odunsi genre fluid voices and songs, the expressive and avant-garde fashion of Wavy and a community that was on its way to storming Nigeria synonymous to what a typical Underground Scene looks like but why do you think it’s not the same?
I like to look at this underground scene as a rebirth of Alté. Realistically, Alté was the first indication of an underground scene in Nigeria and it didn’t just stop at the music, it became a lifestyle and that opened a gateway for more things in Nigeria. It made younger kids feel free to experiment with music especially with a lot of them growing up around the SoundCloud era from America that plays a big role in what influenced this scene / gave it its identity They both have similarities, both aim at pushing the boundaries of Nigerian music, and the new age definitely takes inspiration from the Alté but the general sound coming from both eras are too distinct to classify under the same thing. Most these new guys are delivering and hopping on trap, ambient, electro pop, rock, as well as core Nigeria sounds like Fuji and the likes, someone like Indi is doing music so differently to just limit it to Alté. The producers as well, some with Alté heritage, some of the New Age too, they are the backbone of this, constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries, it’s almost disrespectful to just try and bracket it under Alté. Some people may argue they prefer the name “New Age” instead of underground and I think that’s valid. Because it’s really a new age of music, a new wave.
With the scene bubbling, the question is: will the underground break into the mainstream?
Maybe. But maybe not in the way people expect. it really comes down to what these artists want to do and I can’t speak for them on that. Already they are Underground artist already on their way to mainstream, or tipped to. But around the world through different underground scenes especially in the UK and US there are artists making a living through their crafts and influencing a whole scene without being mainstream. At the end of the day we are in Nigeria, Afrobeat will always be mainstream and it will always be there because it appeals to the vast majority. I’m just happy that the doors are being opened to something new entirely.
How important was the SubaruBoyz stream for the Underground Scene?
Umm, Santi’s stream was definitely important, it was like the extra push this scene needed to be properly established, you know, proper co-sign from one of the very best in the game. Some people are even likening it to the XXL Freshmen 2016 cypher, that had rappers like 21, Uzi, Kodak, it’s crazy. Now no one can deny that there is an underground scene, it’s here to stay now it’s left to the role players to nurture. Nigerian music has been longing for something new, mainstream is watered down, everything is commercial not necessarily a bad thing, But the audience needs something new and even if they don’t, then we have something new to give them. Thank you
https://youtu.be/UuIOSuOYiaI?si=9VYK9wJVXZYP7pUA
The the underground scene from the artists and producers, to the custodians and gatekeepers and everyone involved down to the listeners are aware that a new wave is here they’ve been saying it. The music is evolving , marriage of sounds foreign and domestic and more that has never been heard before. A lot of this new sounds can be attributed to the rising increase in artist producers among the new age with stars like Ravington, Zaylevelten and many others who have have multiples projects with both performance and production credits. A testament to their understanding of art. And it’s not only the music that’s evolving, everything is. Creative expression and ingenuity of the artists are attracting more and more listeners who are turning fans. The community is waxing stronger, taking advantage of the new channels of reaching out to their audience; social media and live-streaming apps like stream being the preferred weapons. Fans of the underground have also been enjoying from the new wave, with more and more live performances, tours, listening parties being held across the scene giving them a more intimate experience to vibe alongside their favorite artists. The latest in store is UNRELEASED by the zer0society with names like Wave$tar, the icon Straffitti and exciting newbie Txmmyili all set to headline the one of a kind event. what’s an underground scene without an underground rave! 
With co signs coming from left and right from Artists domestically and even from other underground scenes across the seas and and a vary of up and coming artist championing a movement ready to shake the grounds, it won’t be long till the exciting underground begins to go up and above! The Underground, after all is not just defined by obscurity or a lack of fame, but by intentional experimentation. A desire to stretch, blend, and sometimes even break the sonic expectations of music. And that’s exactly what these ‘ new age of underground artists’ are doing!