From Cruel Santino's Rapid Fire to Amaarae's Digital Princess Going Viral, and from the bustling streets of Lagos, Nigeria, to Ghana, alté has managed to weave itself into youth culture, becoming a poignant influence on how they see and interact with the world. Could this mean that alté has infiltrated youth culture?

The answer could be yes. In recent times, Nigeria has witnessed a highly concentrated saturation of people, particularly Gen Z and young Millennials, who identify with the Alté movement.

Coined loosely from the words 'alternative' (English) and 'alte' (Latin), alté (pronounced as ul-teh) can be said to be the Nigerian lingo for "something other than normal", different, individualistic or non-conforming. It is said to have begun in the early 2000s by a group named the DRB Lasgidi in Lagos and only began to gain prominence in the 2010s following the upsurge of unique-sounding acts like Santi, Lady Donli, Odunsi (The Engine) and several others.

Alté was first mentioned in Boj's 2014 classic, Paper.

"The ladies love me because I'm an alté guy." The word alté has been mentioned in more songs since that debut and has become an identifying name for one-third of every Gen Z. In a music scene heavily saturated by mainstream artists, alté musicians have managed to wield some form of influence and made their mark. Staying true to themselves, like the pioneers say the movement entails, these genre-bending outliers have made brilliant sounds consumed by even the thickest conventional Nigerian youth.

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Read 👉 The Rise of Alte