Believe it or not, we are already one quarter through 2026 and so much has happened and keeps happening around us. Through it all, the music has never really paused and we owe much of that to the tireless efforts of rising artists who are committed to working their way through a range of feelings in their music. In a year when time has genuinely felt like an abstraction, the work of form-bending musicians and artists has tethered us to reality for better or worse and we’re all the better for it. 

True to our mission to continue to support rising artists from across Africa and the Black diaspora, our uNder column is back for another installments and the musicians we are celebrating this month have an unmistakable sense of humaness to them. Whether it’s the forward-leaning propulsion of Zen Univrse, the cathartic candour of S1orDie, the soulful inquests into pain that Jack APK proposes, or the romantic programming of Kofee Bean, these musicians have deeply-felt considerations that translates to their music, and we’re all better that they exist in the same timeline with us. Tap into their work and discover some new gems for your playlists; and thanks for rocking with us for another month. 

S1orDie

For Fans of: Lancey Foux, Cochise, and Fimiguerrero.

One of the more exciting shifts in Nigeria’s underground right now is how young artists are building their own systems. At the centre of that movement is CYK—short for Cyber Youth Kaizen—a loose collective that has become a meeting point for a new class of internet-raised creatives. The name doubles as a guiding idea, reflecting a generation of artists who learned from online spaces and turned that exposure into a working method. Their music moves freely, pulling from different scenes without settling in one place, and that openness defines much of what they do.

S1orDie is one of the clearest voices to come out of that circle, an artist whose steady run of releases has started to sketch out a clear identity. The Nigerian artist works across rap and melody, drawing from Trap, R&B and Alté. His songs often shift in tone, moving between sharp verses and more melodic stretches, giving his work an adaptable structure.

Across the last few years, S1orDie has built a dense catalogue of releases, moving quickly from early projects like ‘S3X’ (2023), which first drew attention to his name, to ‘PINK + WHITE’ (2024) and, more recently, ‘SS25’ (2025). Each project tracks a subtle shift in his sound without losing the in-the-moment feel that defines his music. On highlights like “CIGARETTE SILHOUETTE” and “CASH IN CASH OUT” from ‘SS25,’ the production moves into murkier territory with enough space for his often low-register, slurry flows.

While his other projects map out his sonic growth, the ‘NEVER TRUST A VOGUE GYAL EP’ series provides a tighter look at his thematic fixations, acting as a more focused outlet for his fascination with modern relationships, lifestyle and ambition. Lately, he has been raiding the Y2K vault, and he is so chameleonic that his recent release last month, “PHASE SHIFT,” saw him shift into the foundational Street-Pop aesthetics birthed in Ajegunle, one of the low-income districts in Lagos. His collaborative reach has also expanded through work with Monochrome on the two-part project ‘+We 2 Fly.’ – M.A.

As he continues to evolve, S1orDie represents the future of Nigerian urban music.

Jack Apk

For Fans of: Tems, Aylø, and Frank Ocean.

If you listen closely enough to Jack APK’s music, you can hear the singer cauterising his emotional wounds and constructing an homage to the resultant scars through his melodies. A casual dive into his catalogue reveals that pain is never too far away from Jack and he doesn’t neccesarily run away from it; instead he tries to use his music to understand the nature of hurt and solitude as a means to healing. The South African made his debut on 2019’s “123” with 44KA$H and Vergo Pharmacist, teaming up with his co-stars on a Trap-adjacent song about drugs and women. He followed it up with “Old Jack” in 2020, purposefully introducing his mid-tempo fusion of Soul and Trap that was fully unfurled on 2021’s ‘ISOLATION,’ a four-track dispatch on romantic desire and solitude. 

Since then, the singer has experimennted widely and frequently, pushing the boundaries of his work in different directions without sacrificing thematic discipline and lyrical consistence. Singles like the dance-influenced “Techno,” the Rage Rap-leaning “Can’t sleep,” and “Jetski!” preceded ‘ISOLATION II,’ a full-on immersion into Soul that provided highlights like “Paper towns” and “Interlude.” 2024 was noticeably lean for the rising singer who favoured a singles-lead approach, releaisng emotionally-wrenching songs like “You got someone,” “All I want,” and “Alone” that explored his sorrow at a romance that doesn’t quite go the way he envisioned while fleshing out the realties of navigating life alone. 

Growing bolder with his vulnerability, 2025 was a seminal year for Jack APK as he tunnelled into his weighty topics like obsession, loss, and rejection across two full-length projects, one extended play and a cache of singles. February’s ‘Blue hour’ was a six-track inquiry into the quirks of humanity and the price of self-confidence played out over quirky and off-kilter guitar-led instrumentals that allowed his voice to soar. In November 2025, he released the titanic ‘Scars & Wounds,’ further pondering heartache and growing pains across 16 tracks with highlights like “Who cares, just cry,” “Dog in me,” and “On my own.” Just one month later, he returned with ‘Come On!,’ a Trap-influenced extravaganza that found him leaning into self-pride and healing. 

2026 has started in similar fashion for the singer who released a two-pack, “2 love letters,” in February, detailing his capacity for love and tenderness. Impressively, seven years into a still-unfolding career, Jack APK has not lost any of the sensitivity that makes him an enjoyable listening, he’s still earnest, honest, and engaging, continuing to capture the raw moments of jeopardy and numbing euphoria that mark him out as a must-listen.  – W.O.

Zen Univrse

For Fans of: Olamide, Minz, and Asake.

In a recent interview discussing his music and influences, Zen Univrse was asked to name one African rap album that he could listen to forever, and his pick was Olamide’s seminal sophomore album ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth.’ Even though he didn’t go into detail as to the reason for his choice, the reasons for his affinity are immediately apparent to anyone familiar with both artists’ work. Released in 2013, ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth’ represents a crucial blueprint for a similar sort of hybridisation of Hip-Hop and Afropop sounds that Zen Univrse’s current genre-bending approach aims for. 

Interestingly, the Olamide influences in the rapper and singer’s work were not always as apparent as they are right now. His introductory EP ‘Bad Decisions’ from 2020 and the accompanying deluxe version were both defined by a breezy sound, often leaning into contemporary R&B textures and a more laid-back vocal delivery. A couple of subsequent tracks like “Streets Ain’t Safe,” inspired by the #EndSars protests, “Omo Ologo,” and particularly “Dragon,” the standout track from a 2023 two-pack, chart his evolution as he began to infuse a raw, vernacular-heavy energy into his music, echoing the influential style of Olamide and bridging the gap between his earlier, smoother sound and his current, more culturally-grounded Street-Pop delivery. 

A ton of his releases since “Dragon,” like 2024’s ‘Mr Univrse,’ and ‘Alternative Univrse,’ have seen him fully commit to this style, spitting melodious, witty lines over throbbing log drums or a dark, minimalist Trap beat, most of which are self-produced. “Ben 10,” the standout track from the latter EP, is one of his finest examples of this mature style, combining cutting lyricism with an irresistible groove. His latest album, ‘crazy motion,’ which arrived earlier in the year, continues to explore the depths of his lyrical prowess and dynamic production capabilities. He’s openly described the project as one that he hopes will bring him significant attention, and with his display on highlights like “bonita” and “run am,” the foundation for that mainstream recognition is firmly in place. – B.A.

Kofee Bean

For Fans of: Asa, Shekhinah, and Erykah Badu.

Kofee Bean is honest about using music as a map towards a long-held quest of finding a universal truth that was set in motion by soaking up influences from idols like Jill Scorr, Erykah Badu, and Sade. As a child growing up in Takoradi, Ghana, the singer was caughtb between diverse interpretations of music, moving fluidly between the colourful dynamism of Traditional Folk music played at weddings and funerals, the all-engrossing spirituality of Gospel Music, as well as the Jazz and R&B that her parents would frequently play. Inspired by what she heard around her, the singer (born Patience Naa Oyo Titus-Glover) developed a unique style, defined by the soulful essence of R&B and the sweeping melancholy of gospel music. 

She first got her start performing at venues across Accra, shaping her voice by throwing herself into the craft and sharpening her abilities. Convinced that she was ready to give music a go, Kofee Bean released her debut single, “Breathing,” in 2022. A warm, Jazz-inflected exploration of longing and desire, “Breathing” featured rapper, KiddBlack, who broadened the song’s interrogation of romantic dynamics. Almost one year after her debut, Kofee Bean returned with another song, “Garden Lily,” a more intimate offering that pondered the depths of desire with the singer asking a love interest to wait for her and choose her over other people. 

As she has continued to release music professionally, Kofee’s interpretation of romance and love has mirrored the contentious nature of modern dating. Her 2024 two-pack, “Silly Nigga,” is a fiesty two-punch excoriation of a romantic interest who doesn’t returm love with the same intensity or intention that Kofee does. The song features Kenyan rapper, Steph Unruly, expressing her fury at a lover who can’t quite act right, drawing the line at behaviour she finds too inconsistent for her. Later in 2024, Kofee Bean joined German singer, Peter Fox, on “Night Ride,” a dreamy Hip-Hop-R&B collab hinging on the allure of love. 

All of Kofee’s work in 2024 set the stage for 2025, her most busy year yet. She kicked off the year with “Taste,” a sensual, mid-tempo with rising Ugandan star, MAUIMØON, that opens with the striking question, “Do you believe in true love?” In June 2025, she returned with “Why,” a mournful guitar-led dirge about romantic heartbreak that featured fellow Ghanaian, Supa Gaeta. Just a month later, she was channeling optimism on “In2U,” an uptempo romantic manifesto that saw the singer offering her heart once more. Despite its brevity, the release was a light-hearted dispatch that set the stage for the arrival of “Cashmere,” another experimental release with the Ugandan-Rwandan producer, La Soülchyld. On “Cashmere,” Kofee Bean’s powerful grasp of emotional interiority and narrative building comes to the fore over Soülchyld’s alluring instrumental as she continues to craft worlds for her feelings to exist in unencumbered. – W.O.