One month into the second quarter of the year, music seems to be roaring back into life, but the underground never went to sleep. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been treated to several standout moments and performances by acts still figuring out their path as creators and voices of their generation. As always, the underground is where the most cogent experimentation and hybridising is being done. It’s why we started this column years ago: we want to always be at the centre of what makes culture pop, and it’s a goal we’ve managed for a while yet and intend to keep doing. 

April 2026 has not been an exception in terms of the depth and breadth of talent that we’re aiming to spotlight. Whether it is the Nigerian rising firestarer, R33NZO, who is knee deep in the community of stars poised to take over in the coming months ot the Rwandan polymath, Angell Mutoni, these acts remind us of the pure zest and connectivity that music offers us. On the inverse, music can be a portrait of the soul, and the Ghanaian twin duo, BHADMAYORS, have shown that they have a lot to share with us since they rose to regional prominence in 2024 while rapper, The Creative Rae, keeps painting delicate vignettes of our shared realities. Together, this pool of stars reminds us of why we keep pressing play on records: we want to be elevated and seen, and, in some inexplicable way, these acts want the same for us. Read on and find out why you should be paying attention to them. 

BHADMAYORS

For Fans Of:  Black Sherif, Beeztrap KOTM, and KOJO BLAK. 

BHADMAYORS understand the utility of all seasons–good and bad–as well as the importance of living through them to get the message being offered. Their music is a living musuem to those experiences and how it continues to shape their views and perspectives on life, delivered with an almost-evangelical zest. Just two years into their professional career, the twin duo first took a step into music with a feature on BeFranky’s “Body On You,” displaying the nimble interplay between rapping and rhythmic crooning that would serve them in good stead for their breakout moments just months later with “Free My Mind,” a collaboration with fellow rising star, Alor G, that later received a remix with UK Afropop collective, NSG. 

Moving on from the heady success of “Free My Mind,” BHADMAYORS released “Move,” another party-starting invocation to live life to the fullest that closed out their breakthrough 2024. To kick off 2025, they linked up with Alor G again on “Lifestyle” as well as KOJO BLAK for an Amapiano-inflected heat scorcher that positioned them as leaders of the Ghanaian new music class. “Lifestyle” set the stage for their debut project, ‘The Good, The Bhad, The Terrible,’ a coming-of-age story that examined their path to being on the precipice of superstar status. On “No Concern,” they advocate for protecting one’s energy atop a brittle percussive instrumental that is predicated on their concerns about betrayals and backbiting. Late in 2025, they released “Narrow Road,” a song about taking a long shot that was followed by December’s “COUNTRIES,” a dedication to a love interest. 

Not ones to rest on their laurels, BHADMAYORS have released a new project, ‘PAIN MADE US,’ at the beginning of  April 2026, tunneling further into feelings like distrust, subterfuge, and predestination across eight songs. A solo effort,  the brothers sit with their feelings intensely across ‘PAIN MADE US’: there’s a roaring warning that their eyes are firmly placed on furthering their craft on “MONGYAI Y3N” as well as a terse retort to haters on “ALL FALL APART.” For all the consternation that animates ‘PAIN MADE US,’  BHADMAYORS  know that there’s so much good to come for them, as evidenced by them sharing that they have plans in the pipeline regardless of what life throws at them. Two years into a career that started with a song about embracing lighter times, BHADMAYORS are exorcising demons while trying to keep their cool still.  – W.O

The Creative Rae 

For Fans Of: LADIPOE, Kendrick Lamar, and Nasty C

When he’s not bending syllables into strange new shapes, The Creative Rae stays deep in the pocket of a beat, mapping out flows with the patience of a craftsman and the sensibilities of a Modernist poet. His scattershot stream of singles reveals an artist in complete control of his craft, both thematically and stylistically, doing everything within his power to summon every English literary device to do his bidding. His music leans into the elasticity of the contemporary Nigerian Pop sound while holding tight to the core principles of Rap.

2021’s “WYS” unmasked him as a dangerously smooth operator, the silver-tongued funny guy who’s so sly that you fall for him before you realise what’s happening. It also served as a premiere for the rapper’s mission: exhuming all his creative capabilities to charm and woo his listeners. On 2022’s “Nkechi,” the charming “lover boy” persona is exposed even further as he courts yet another love interest. On his recently released two-pack, “Flex” and “Chop Life,” he shows he’s back with renewed verve, delivering solid punchlines and rhymes that bounce off the walls with comic interjections. 

“Flex” is exactly what the title suggests: a near-flamboyant showcase where TCR stacks witty lines over Retrro5’s immaculate production. He grounds “Chop Life” in nimble wordplay and rhythmic detours. Hip-hop is electrifying when a rapper displays the ability to draw from various cultural references to signal taste and wit. Right now, there is frequent chatter about rappers being uncultured, but that doesn’t apply to The Creative Rae. On “Chop Life,” he parcels out lines like, “The music business is a mad house, got everyone in the coliseum.”

Every song introduces new schemes and flows that feel refreshing to our beleaguered ears. He carries an outlaw aura that attracts a fanbase shrewd enough to catch every punchline and fierce enough to treat them like heirlooms. The rapper is adept at using humour as a Trojan horse for heavier truths about ambition and the difficulties of the music industry, while remaining optimistic. This is the current thematic through-line of his artistry: surviving and thriving in Nigeria as a talented artist who refuses to be burdened by the weight of his supreme b skills. The music business is indeed cutthroat, and the pressure is very real, but TCR is not sweating it too much. As he shrugs on “Jaiye,” “my blow time is overdue, but we go meet for top.” – M.A

R33NZO

For fans Of: Psycho YP, Rema, and Kayode

A few weeks ago, R33NZO and fellow rising star scottyolorin released “FL STUDIO,” a thumping earworm that’s quickly helped springboard the Port Harcourt-born singer, rapper, and producer from relative obscurity to the vanguard of new voices shaping the trajectory of Nigerian Pop music. Powered by deafening drums and some floating synths, the single showcases R33NZO’s dual prowess in production and lyricism as he dovetails nicely with scottyolorin, who gives the song an added gravitas with his short but punchy verse. The track has gained significant viral success since its release, boosted by a remix featuring a verse from Champz. 

Before R33NZO started featuring on major digital streaming playlists and making promotional videos with Wizkid’s son, he was a visual artist and dancer simply trying his hand at music with friends. His first official release, “VILLIAN,” came in 2023, a dynamic debut that begins with a tranquil first half before transitioning into a hard-hitting trap-inspired second act, highlighting his proficiency in both singing and rapping early on. He followed up with another single, “ABOSI,” before releasing his debut project ‘renzoVERSE,’ a 5-track EP that includes a bunch of interesting ideas and standout tracks like the Ravington-assisted “XTACY,” but lacked the execution that has made some of his more recent work more compelling.

He began ironing out the creases in his style on subsequent releases like ‘STRANGE LIFE V1,’ which features “Lasgidi Spaceship,” one of the most interesting cuts in his growing discography, and “Fire/Xtatic,” a two-pack single that samples Olu Maintain’s 2007 classic hit “Yahooze.” R33NZO’s profile was significantly bolstered in the underground scene when he hopped on a freestyle titled “E don be (freestyle),” alongside close collaborators ARTSALGHUL and scottyolorin in late 2025. 

He carried the momentum that “E don be (freestyle)” afforded him into 2026, collaborating with more rising stars like Zen Univrse on the 3-track EP ‘#STRONGHEAD,’ and subsequently with scottyolorin on the bouncy “FL STUDIO.” The viral track marks his biggest moment yet, and he’s been building on it with new releases like “FELA,” while also being spotted with other artists in the studio working on new music. In a recent interview, he revealed that he’d like his music to help people. “I want my music to aid every human emotion possible,” he said enthusiastically. With his growing artistry and admirable work rate, his music will be the soundtrack to many different and unique experiences in no time. – B.A

Angell Mutoni

For Fans Of: Sampa The Great, Fimi, and Little Simz

Rwandan singer, Angell Muthoni, didn’t always plan to be a rapper, but her life and artistry have been engineered by multi-geographic settlements and a collage of experiences acquired across borders. She was born in Uganda, raised in Canada and eventually settled in Nyamirambo, the metropolitan suburb of Kigali, where Rwandan stars are being made.  Her earliest interest in being a singer came courtesy of her father, who was a musician himself, but when they relocated to Rwanda, and she began to perform spoken word poetry on stage, her interest in studio recording surfaced, and in the process of exploring it, she realised rapping was fun.

Angell Muthoni has been hard at work sharpening her g reputation as a rapper and poet. For her, rapping allows her to flex her energy, and it’s what she’s done all through her career. Her first single was a collaborative effort on “2011” with Rwandan producer and artist Darkency, who is now known as Denis Kanaka.  She’s been on a dedicated run ever since, with three mixtapes and three EPs to her name, including the joint project with producer Dr Nganji on ‘For Now’ and ‘The Rediscovered Collection’ that houses one of her most politically conscious songs, condemning all forms of oppression on “No Label.” 

The Hip-Hop artist has stamped her place as one of Rwanda’s most promising acts with the recent addition of a debut album to her catalogue. Released in May 2025, ‘The Delivery,’  melds elements of Pop and R&B with an unforgettable flow that is accentuated by her charismatic delivery.  Across 14 tracks, she meticulously assembled parts of her story from the solo opener, “Ousaahh,” the Kivumbi King-assisted party starter “Bounce,” and the soulfully introspective “Healing,” which points to the culmination of a journey that has taken many years to refine. As Rwanda’s music scene continues to grow, Angell Mutoni will be a leading force among the pack. – M.E