NATIVE: the Lagos label behind Black Panther’s pioneering soundtrack

“We have a saying in Nigeria: Naija no dey carry last. For those born in the motherland and the diaspora, to our parents’ generation and beyond, that phrase is ingrained in our brains, symbolic of the stubborn, salient pride in our identity. It carries many meanings; we don’t falter in any aspect of life, we refuse to settle for less, our ingenuity is undeniable. The saying never diminishes. Instead, it adapts, waiting for new blood to craft its own definition. NATIVE carries that zeal into music and culture, bringing new concepts, vigour and enterprise to the African continent. In its six years as a magazine – and now a festival and record label – the Lagos and London-based creative hub has placed a magnifying glass on its surroundings, zooming in on the hubris of modern Africa’s creative scene and highlighting sounds – Afrobeats, alté, amapiano – that are now being exported to the western world at breathtaking pace.”