Behind the continent’s increasingly adventurous underground scenes is a growing class of inventive producers reshaping what African music can and should sound like. From Zino Milly to Kampala-based DJ and producer Authentically Plastic, these producers’ work moves freely between Afropop, Rap, Electronic music, and the countless other sounds that exist somewhere in between.

These producers’ importance extends beyond the beats they make. Many of them are key figures within the communities around them, working repeatedly with emerging artists and helping establish the sonic language of scenes that are still taking shape. In the process, they’re becoming important architects of a new wave of African music that feels increasingly fluid and difficult to define.

For this uNder Special, we spotlight some of the producers from across the continent who are helping push that evolution forward.

Zino Milly 

“WHO IS ZINO MILLY,” the opening track from Zino Milly’s debut, and only, project so far, ‘BUTTON PRESSING,’ serves as a brief biography of the talented rising producer. ‘Zino Milly is an electrifying rising star in the world of music production, quickly gaining attention for his genre-blending sounds and remarkable ability to fuse soulful melodies and hard-hitting beats,’ a female voice coolly reads out this introductory remark, almost like a documentary narrator setting the scene for the story that follows.

The voice cuts out before giving way to an exhilarating remix of Disclosure & Aluna George’s 2013 smash hit “White Noise.” It’s an unexpected but fitting introduction to a producer whose work is truly electrifying but perhaps, more importantly, dynamic and unpredictable. While ‘BUTTON PRESSING’ arrived as the UK-based producer’s first official body of work in mid-2025, his production work dates back many years. 

A lot of his early work consisted of mid-tempo beats that found a natural home with Afroswing stars like Kojo Funds and Midas The Jagaban. These early releases established his affinity for infectious melodies and understated grooves, but they only offered a glimpse of the range he would eventually develop. Over time, his palette has continued to expand, increasingly blurring the lines between Afropop, R&B, UK Garage, and other sounds that shaped his production career.

That expansive palette has become even more apparent in recent months, as he’s begun working with more experimental acts like JELEEL!, onoola-sama, East London fusionist 00ab, and rising rapper deena. His project, just a few seconds shy of 15 minutes, is, however, where he most clearly demonstrates the range of his current output. Across ‘BUTTON PRESSING,’ he puts his own distinctive spin on songs like K.I.G.’s “Headz, Shoulders, Kneez & Toes” and A$AP Rocky’s “Fashion Killa,” alongside a handful of other records from across the globe, showing just how comfortably he continues to draw from disparate influences while filtering them through his own distinct production style. – Boluwatife Adeyemi

Topsy

Topsy is one of the producers quietly giving Nigeria’s underground its sound. If you’ve been tapped into Nigeria’s underground music scene for a while, you’ve probably heard Topsy’s work without even realizing it. That “Topsy, you did it again” tag has become almost impossible to miss, showing up across a new wave of records and around scenes like CYK and the wider 808collective scene.

Topsy is part of a new generation of producers who are moving beyond traditional genre boundaries. His sound draws from rap, punk, electronic music, Afropop and different corners of internet music, blending these influences into a style of his own. His production reflects the growing diversity of Nigeria’s underground scene, where artists are increasingly experimenting with different sounds rather than sticking to one genre.

A lot of Topsy’s range comes through in the artists and projects he’s worked on. His collaborations with Luwa.Mp4, especially across the Punk-Pop artist’s debut album ‘punKstA*,’ saw him working across punk rock, Afropop, hyperpop and rap, helping create a sound that felt far removed from the usual expectations of Nigerian rap while still leaving room for Luwa’s eccentricity. He gave us songs like “pROMISED NEVERLAND”, “Pure Water” and “pEEp MY RIDE.” His work also runs through the CYK scene, with production for artists like S1orDie, while his involvement with 808collective puts him alongside producers like Darius, Andi and 3CB. Also giving us songs like “PROJECT CYK” and “LOST ME.” Together, these collaborations show how producers are becoming a bigger part of Nigeria’s underground, not just making beats but helping shape the communities and sounds around them. Topsy’s work has also travelled outside Nigeria, with a credit on British underground rapper Len Lucci’s ‘goldenboy,’ showing how easily these connections can stretch beyond borders. His credits paint a picture of a producer who is constantly moving between different artists, sounds and scenes without being tied down to just one.

What stands out about Topsy is how naturally he moves between different sounds. There’s no obvious formula to his production, and that unpredictability is part of what makes his work feel distinct. Producers like Topsy are becoming important to how influences and sounds come together and take shape. –Samuel Iroanya 

3CB 

Edwin Cockeye-Brown, professionally known as 3CB, is an emerging producer actively contributing to the underground music scene. Referring to himself as a synthesiser, he began dabbling in music production as early as sixth form, after discovering a school studio with some of his friends, including artists Luwa.Mp4 and Cashmanny. The COVID-19 lockdown left many with a lot of time on their hands, and he utilised this break to put his experience to good use, elevating music from something he engaged with for fun to a career he could take as far as possible. Now, he creates unique melodies that are pivotal to a new age of Afropop sounds.

His first release, ‘Chronokinetic’ a word meaning “the ability to move through time,” is a three-track project reaching over seven minutes, which dropped in 2023 with Luwa.Mp4 and Chinye as featured acts. Within the release, “Citadel” included no additional vocals, serving as a pure expression of his solo production efforts, which were seen again in his 2024 track, “Nice Sprites.” Luwa.Mp4 is also featured on another body of work, ‘MEGAPHUNK,’ a revving project released in 2026 that further showcases 3CB’s versatility.

The producer has lent his talent to the development of synergistic pieces for several creators, including Igwe AKA’s “Egononomics,” scottyolorin’s “MY HUSTLE,” Elijah Aike’s “CULT OF NOTHING,” and Luwa.Mp4’s Headies-nominated “CYK Baddie.” He has occasionally drawn inspiration from other artists, imaginatively fusing his own distinct sound with existing music, notably Tekno’s “puTTin” on one of his collaborations with S1ordie, “PHASE SHIFT,” and Lady Donli’s “Take Me Home” on another, titled “BLACK TRUCK.” A number of his tracks show influences from EDM and Trap music, genres that have inspired him from the very start of his journey with music.

3CB has expressed his creativity in different capacities, including fashion, claiming he would one day want to be recognised as the best-dressed producer, as well as through his cleverly curated promotional videos for his music across social media. His latest work, ‘krystal fever,’ featuring Indi, incorporates more soulful, mellow tunes. In his quest to build a tangible catalogue through music, 3CB brilliantly weaves together a range of sounds that can connect with the varied tastes of music lovers from Nigeria and across the world. – Michelle Ejiro

Authentically Plastic

Kampala-based DJ and producer, Authentically Plastic, has plenty to say and do about the modern dynamics of digital subcultures and the necessities of radical self-expression. It shows in their music, which is brutally intense yet deeply layered with a myriad of references rooted in the daily mix of real life. Their sound is defined by a blend of several Electronic genres, taking inspiration from northern Ugandan rhythms, South African Gqom, Tanzanian Singeli, and dark ballroom vogue beats they grew up digging for and absorbing. Raised with a deep reverence for boundary-pushing art, they have always been drawn to the ever-mutating sonics of Industrial Techno, and dark synths. The work of these global subcultures also shaped their uncompromising approach to exploring body politics and queer liberation. 

Authentically Plastic got their start playing underground house parties in Kampala, showcasing their gift alongside a vibrant cohort of queer and feminist creatives. Moving on from early DIY gigs, they co-founded ANTI-MASS in 2018, a roving collective designed to champion femme, queer, and experimental artists. The project became an important part of Kampala’s underground scene, particularly as Uganda’s political climate grew more hostile towards queer people.  

For Authentically Plastic, this sense of freedom runs through studio tapes, with early releases and thunderous live sets that found them re-engineering dancefloor mechanics atop slowly jerking percussive instrumentals. Their 2022 debut album, ‘RAW SPACE’, introduced the full force of their wild creativity. But their 2025 sophomore follow-up, ‘ROCOCO RUINE’, presents the most evolved version of the producer so far, showing them as an artist dealing with the pressures of finding their way in a world that’s not always attuned to their desires or pace. Dense and thrillingly dark, ‘ROCOCO RUINE’ folds thick layers of percussion into shifting harmonies that seem to spill beyond the edges of each track. Openers “Shivers” and “Baksimba Simulacrum” offer a sonic critique of Western extravagance and institutional decay, acting as an antithesis to the strangeness and standoffishness of the commercial music world Authentically Plastic works around.

Recorded at Palais Rössl in Vienna and mixed back home in Kampala, there’s a sense of assuredness that comes from bridging disparate landscapes, and it’s that quest for cutting loose and moving with loved ones that serves as the subtext for their sets. In many ways, ‘ROCOCO RUINE’ chronicles the shifts in Authentically Plastic’s life as they work towards their dreams. They’re intuitively aware of this, referencing a relentless metamorphosis across the project’s nine tracks. With all the exciting prospects they have, what remains the centrepiece of their work is a commitment to contending with the messy theatre of existing in spaces that are not always in tune with those feelings. – Melony Akpoghene