The Alté community, according to Nigerian-British artist Bolaji Odojukan, known as BOJ, includes Rema and Fireboy, the faces of Gen Z afro beats.
In a recent interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos, BOJ, who is a member of the musical trio DRB LasGidi alongside TeeZee and Fresh L, made the claim.
Afrobeat, dancehall, reggae, hip hop, and alternative R&B all have characteristics in the fusion form of music known as alté. It refers to unconventional, idiosyncratic, and non-conformist forms of self-expression in music and clothing.
BOJ argued that alté serves as a major source of inspiration for contemporary musicians like Rema and Fireboy.
He said, “Santi has always been there from the get-go. Santi, LOS, and us but Santi’s name was Oxy B back then. So, I would say we are the ones who pioneered alté.
“And what is happening now was always bound to happen. We were the cool guys and there were a lot of young kids that gauged us and were like, ‘Okay, we want to emulate this stuff.’ Even if it wasn’t that we are doing exactly what they are doing, we are letting guys know that you could do things differently in whatever field you are in.
“Everybody in the alté makes different types of music. So, the music wasn’t actually called alté. It is everything else around it. I would say that fashion is one of the things that translated the most into the mainstream in terms of the aesthetic of the mainstream. I feel a lot of the mainstream new cats are actually alté guys. I would say Rema is an alté guy, I would say Fireboy is. If you gauge the way they dress, the swag, the way they move .”