by Chi Ibe

The Underground is an original initiative by the Inner Circle, a group of young individuals with a passion for music. The event is centred on discovering musical talent, and on the 26th of December, 2010, a special edition titled The Underground Exclusive held at Rehab, Victoria Island. The event was powered by Drunknmunky and supported by Chocolate City.

Over 50 artistes applied to contest, and all were screened by a panel of music industry professionals. 20 artistes were then short listed for the event at Rehab. “The day was a massive success with over 500 people in attendance and a list of celebrity judges that included Pope Beazy, Ill Bliss, Adey, Tha Suspect, Toolz and Gbemi of Beat FM and many more. Also in attendance were various music producers, managers and directors,” said Taiwo Kamson of Inner Circle.

The event kicked off at 6pm, and the line-up of competitors included artistes from different music genres. Some who performed were Banky, Cosmos, D Tone, Dem Boyz, Eftee, Esel, Fabulous Guys, Irene, Oshman, Sammy, Songstar, Stoned, Tfresh, Thardey Fweshniz, Trillz, Yesi and Yung Boss. After a very impressive first round, the crowd voted and as the votes were counted, past winner and runner up Oye Smith as well as Chris Nice, Beazy and Pope performed for the guests.

The finalists as chosen by the audience were Thardey Fweshniz, Oshman, Yesi and Sammy. They were required to perform once again and Yoruba rapper Oshman emerged as overall winner after a heated battle.

The grand prize includes a solo track produced by award winning producer Jesse Jagz and sponsored by Spellz. Other prizes include clothing by Drunknmunky, Nack and Vincent Gath.

“The underground has grown from strength to strength and continues to pave the way for upcoming artistes looking for a break in the music industry,” Kamson concluded.

Pictures from the event below:

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