The first edition of the NativeLand concert had performances by Odunsi, Ycee, Maleek Berry, J Hus and UK grime veteran, Skepta.
The much-anticipated NativeLand 2016 concert held last night at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event which was put together to launch the Native Magazine had performances from Odunsi, Maleek Berry, Ajebutter 22, DAP the contract, Ycee, Burna Boy and Skepta.
The concert, which attracted a large crowd mostly
made up of teenagers and young adults, was an exhibition of some of the
best foreign-based Nigerian talent. The most notable of them represented
the grime sound of London and Atlanta’s trap and included Don Papi, Kashtlanta, New World Ray, Isaac Umoren and PatrickxxLee.
Nigerian-based acts also strutted their stuff on the night; Performances from Ajebutter 22, BOJ, Ycee, the DRB Lasgidi crew waved the green and white flag for the home front.
Ultimately, it was up to London-based act of Gambian heritage, J Hus
to set the stage for the show’s highlight. J Hus, 20, is one of the
UK’s most promising acts for his mix of reggae, electronic afrobeat and
grime. He connected with the crowd from the first beat with performances
of ‘Friendly’, ‘Playing Sports’ and ‘Lean and Bop’.
The night belonged to one man, though, and he owned it from the moment he stepped up. UK grime legend, Skepta took
the stage to screams from a hyped crowd, and he delivered in equal
measure. Skepta ran through a roll call of his greatest hits, including ‘Man’, ‘That’s Not Me’, and the defiant ‘It Ain’t Safe’. It took next to no time for the stage to turn into a mosh pit overrun with excited fans.
By the time, he performed ‘Shutdown’, the hit single off his most recent album ‘Konnichiwa’, the show had long since been shut down.
Skepta’s set came to an end as DJ Spinall came on stage to bring out afro-fusion act, Burna Boy.
For technical reasons, his time ended after two songs and the crowd,
after waiting for things to return to normal, bid the night goodbye.
The NativeLand concert 2016 was a nod to the influence of foreign sounds in Nigeria, and true to the theme, influencers like Naeto C and Show Dem Camp’s Tec were sighted on the night.