For almost a decade, The NATIVE’s mission has been to champion African youth culture while spotlighting underground and alternative creative communities with the of reshaping the mainstream output. This vision has been actualised in more ways than one, but particularly, our monthly column, uNder, which kicked off four years ago in March 2020. 

Initially termed Fresh Meat, we spent some time every month curating a list of the best and most exciting new artists from around the continent. While some artists had gathered regional acclaim with a couple of releases, others were new to the block and working their way up their first big break. 

In many ways, uNder has always been an opportunity to lightly predict the next big thing. Long before his outstanding debut with ‘Mr Money With The Vibe’, Asake led the February ‘22  edition as a confident and refreshing contributor to street-pop and Deela’s “rapid fire quips” and “unfiltered sense of confidence,” recorded August ‘21, has earned her a blooming career marked with charming remixes from Flo Milli. Regardless of the varying stages of their career, uNder was created to celebrate young African acts pushing the boundaries of their creativity while holding the promise of expanding the scope of music from these parts. 

To bring our monthly column to life, NATIVE Magazine partnered with Los Angeles based artist services and distribution company, Human Re Sources, for our inaugural uNder LIVE showcase. Since establishing in 2017 under the leadership of J Erving, Human Re Sources has remained an outstanding independent powerhouse dedicated to talent development and positioning artists to deliver music to a global audience. The uNder LIVE showcase, scheduled bi-monthly, will similarly give emerging acts across the continent a chance to further their craft and showcase their skill in front of a live audience. The first edition, presenting four exciting acts, is slated for March 28th, 2024 will take place at Miliki, Lagos. 

To secure a front row seat at the action, RSVP here. 

[Featured Image Credits/Ify Ike-Nwabuoku]

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