The core of our mission at The NATIVE has always been to celebrate great music from Africa and the Black diaspora. It’s what led us to create our uNder column to spotlight talented acts who are primed for a breakthrough. Across over 30 editions, we have shared some of our favourite up-and-coming artists with you and have seen some of them rise to unimaginable heights that we could scarcely have imagined when we first encountered them and were excited by their work. 

The names on our list might be unfamiliar to you yet, but trust us – they possess the same level of ingenuity, grit, and improvisational excellence that put all our uNderr alumni on our radar. Whether it’s the streetwise confidence and swagger of Zaylevelten, the clear sonic identity of Joeyturks, the sharp-witted raps of Fimi, or the clear-eyed vision of Lia Butler, these artists have a gift that makes them great ambassadors of Africa’s ever-evolving musical landscape. 

Fimi

For Fans of: Sasha P, Eva Alordiah, and SGaWD. 

Almost yearly, conversations on X occur about the state of Nigerian Hip-hop and its direction, as Afrobeats continues to be the most dominant music culture in the country. For the longest time, Hip-hop in Nigeria had an unabashed American sheen about it, directly mirroring the thematic inspiration, visual elements, and delivery style of the New York-pioneered art form. The rise of indigenous genres in Nigeria and a pivot toward the authenticity that they proffer has left Hip-hop on the ropes in Nigeria. Recently, though, a new crop of rappers has emerged to reshape Hip-hop around local Nigerian contexts and innuendos. 

Rising star Fimi holds the epistolary essence of the genre without losing sight of her immediate society. When hip-hop emerged in New York over 50 years ago, it was an instrument for archiving, in part, the institutional racism, societal neglect, and virulent discrimination that African-Americans faced in their interaction with the world around them. In many ways, Fimi wields Hip-hop like a tool in the same fashion, using her raps as a statement of record to recount her experiences with naysayers, social obligations, and the sexism that she faces in day-to-day life. As a woman navigating life in Nigeria, she’s intimately aware of the potential landmines that can show up, and she confronts them with a sardonic rage. On “Spitting,” she recounts the story of a teacher who said she was ugly because her “melanin body dark as fuck” but, liberated in the margins of her track, she admits, “For a poor lil girl it was a problem/ Now I wear it around like a emblem.”

Unlike many of her Hip-hop peers, Fimi has an intuitive understanding of melody, rapping over instrumentals and beats that are sweet cocktails of Neo-soul, Jazz, and buttery Soul. Her lithe voice also allows her to lean into spurts of melodies with an insouciant edge. 2024’s “Welcome To Therapy” is a contemplative letter to herself about her journey as an artist and the cost of blowing up, while “Viral” is a technically flawless showing of her capability for world-building.  Things have kicked up a notch for Fimi in 2025 with a bigger audience dialled in for her work. “Pookie” finds her reflecting on a love interest and the factors that make their relationship feel like it’s headed for the rocks. 

Still, Fimi is at her best when she’s satirically picking apart deep-rooted social norms that, too often, function as a tool for restricting women’s autonomy.  Her two-pack April release, ‘Halo,’ confronts these issues head-on: the titular track takes aims at aunties who want to impose puritanical ideas on her while she’s defiantly reiterating that she’s shed all her insecurities. Fimi’s gift for crafting euphonious rap anthems shows up on the other song, “BEEF,” a sweeping Hip-hop statement that casts her as a wordsmith ready to step up anyone who doesn’t rate her work. “I’m a big name, don’t try me, don’t test me,” she warns over the mid-tempo instrumental.  Things are much lighter on “Hei God,” a party-starting collaboration with WeTalkSound and SGaWD that’s all about turning up for a great time, but Fimi still makes a mark with her distinctive verse. Boasting a sweltering flow and nimble mastery of melodic interludes to go with her skills, Fimi is well on her way to establishing herself as the rare star with a cogent message that needs to be listened to. – W.O.

Lia Butler

For Fans of: Shekhinah, Ami Faku, and Amanda Black 

In today’s hyper-commercialised music ecosystem, artists are eager to define their music as a genre with little or no groundbreaking work being done sonically, but Lia Butler – born Nombulelo Mzebo – bucks that trend with a lilting sound that could only have emerged from the hallways of her mind. In the Durban native’s hand, the dividing lines between Hip-hop, Soul, and dreamy R&B disintegrate to present a sound that is incisive and has modern connotations and triggers, but feels packed with prescient wisdom. Growing up, Butler’s interest in music was shaped by the canonical soul and R&B work from Whitney Houston, Erykah Badu, and Beyoncé that she heard around her. Back home, acts like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Brenda Fassie, and Thandiswa Mazwai provided more inspiration for her. 

Across her career, Lia Butler has done things her way, prioritising expression over conformity. SoundCloud has proven to be an adept lab for her work. ‘AMAKHAVA,’ her first project, is a sweet cocktail of Jazz and trance music that finds her exploring – and celebrating – the multifaceted nature of Blackness. There are wispy odes to Black beauty and spirituality as well as balmy ditties about Black love. A series of freestyles and remixes has further prepared her for the bright lights of the mainstream. In 2023, she released “U C U,” fully tapping into the emotional undercurrents that power her Neo-Zulu sound. 

2024 proved to be the biggest year of her career yet. Her song “Imimangaliso” was a candid reflection on the anguish of lost love. It was inspired by being ghosted, but rather than wallow in the pain of that experience, she chose to focus on the feeling of falling in love for the first time. She’s also featured prominently across ‘MAGLERA TAPES,’ the December mixtape by Maglera Doe Boy. Slowly, Lia Butler is building up her profile as a custodian of a new sound that centers her heritage, and she’s gaining attention without yielding an inch of who she is. – W.O.

Zaylevelten

For Fans of: Maison2500, Psycho YP, and New World Ray

In recent years, Ikorodu, one of the five administrative divisions of Lagos State, has grown to become one of the city’s most fruitful musical incubator hubs. While the populous division already boasts names like Lojay, Mohbad, and Seyi Vibez, the latest promising act coming out of there is an unlikely underground rap star known as Zaylevelten. “watching me,” the rapper’s breakout single from earlier in the year, has already amassed over 100,000 streams on Spotify alone and, perhaps more impressively, also earned him several cosigns from the likes of Davido, Blaqbonez, YT, Cruel Santino, Odunsi The Engine, and just about anyone with their ears to the ground. 

Before his breakthrough moment and the gazillion co-signs started rolling in, Zaylevelten went by Aizay, an exciting young rapper who sounds like Yeat if he grew up in Ikorodu. His style owes its influence to the buzzy, raw, and hyper-energetic Rage Rap subgenre that has grown increasingly popular in the United States in the last decade, but his lyricism is woven in distinctly Nigerian fashion. “Poe Up,” his official debut single, came in 2021 before going on to release a host of other tracks like “Rich as $HiT.” After releasing music under the Aizay moniker for about two years, the rapper changed his name to Zaylevelten in 2023. In an interview from earlier in the year, he explained that he changed his name because most people couldn’t pronounce Aizay right. While the name change didn’t necessarily come with a change of style, an added streetwise confidence and swagger came with his drops under the new moniker. 

In early 2024, he released “No Gree,” a fan favourite amongst his growing cult following, before releasing ‘l0cked 1n,’ his first project under his present stage name. The 7-track EP produced melodious cuts like “rush” and “what1become” as well as slappers like the title track, and “yaad,” both of which are engineered to transport you from the privacy of your room to the sweltering center of a mosh pit. The rapper built on the relative success of ‘l0cked 1n’ with the release of his debut album ‘before 1t g0t crazy,’ an insane premonition that can only come from a place of utmost belief in one’s ability. His unbridled confidence and charisma are on display across the project’s 15 tracks, dialling up the swag, chaos, and decibels to new levels. Cuts like “nina,” “money calling,” “dr0p” and “jago” showed just how smooth and polished his style had become even before his breakthrough moment came with “watching me.” Now with even more eyes on the rising rapper, he’s primed to make the jump from underground renegade to bona fide Rap star. One of his unreleased singles, “Maye,” is already making the rounds on social media, and with a new project possibly on the way, we might be about to witness just how crazy it can get. – B.A.

Joeyturks

For Fans of: Sute Iwar, Maya Amolo, and MAUIMØØN

Joeyturks’ discography is extremely lean, only releasing five official tracks in as many years, but that’s enough songs for him to make a serious impression. As a founding member of Ghanaian collective SuperJazzClub, the talented drummer, singer, and producer spends most of his time expanding the scope of his group’s expansive sound that subsumes genres like R&B, Neo-soul, Reggae, Hip-hop, and even muted washes of Dubstep. He, however, takes a more focused approach with his solo tracks, opting for something more understated and breezy. “Always,” his official debut solo single from 2020, is a mellow confessional that excels more for its layered and immersive production than for its lyricism. The swirling melodies that carry the song’s sparse lyrics only serve to augment the hypnotic drums and guitar strums that give the record its balmy feel. “Selfless,” his follow-up track, is equally similar in its composition, lyricism, and warmth.

2023’s “LEANING,” which features Boistory, is a clear standout in the artist’s discography. On the sensual duet, Joeyturks is mostly on production duty, ceding lead vocal duties to the late singer, whose caramel vocals excellently complement the record’s lush production. “BAli,” the most upbeat song the producer has released so far, is also spacey and warm, evoking a keen sense of serenity that’s synonymous with the shores of the island it takes inspiration from.

Even with just a handful of tracks, the Ghanaian singer and producer has managed to carve out a clear sonic identity that feels instantly summery and tender. Even collaborations with the likes of AYLØ, Joya Mooi, and Oshunda all land in that warm, sweet spot that all his other solo records seem to also exist in. His latest release, “CRUISE,” is just like the name suggests: a light and glimmery smooth jam that drifts by before you even realize it. – B.A.