The event took place at the Landmark Beach, Lagos, on Saturday, 20th of April 2019. Headline acts included: Patoranking, Niniola, Teni the Entertainer, Wande Coal, Sir Shina Peters, Joey B (Ghana), Moonchild Sanelly (South Africa), Sarz, DJ Cuppy, DJ Consequence and a lot more.

In a well-coordinated and executed event, the festival was split into two– the next gen stage and the main stage,the excitement kicked off at the NEXT GEN stage, a stage that was specially built for the ‘Next Generation’ of musical talents; which are popularly called the ‘upcoming’.

Organizers of the event should be applauded for paying close attention to the importance of  ‘stage performance and craft’ of the emerging acts, unlike most events where they are usually limited to a cliché. The separate stage was created with the option of using ‘a live band’ or a ‘DJ’,who was equally a young chap called TITANIUM and hosted by TOLU DANIELS.

No doubt, all the ‘next gen’ artiste brought their A-game, i mean, it was thrilling to see people have fun even before the main show started, a rather unusual scene as far as Nigerian shows are concerned.

BOOGEY and PAYBACK gave a rendition centered around hip-hop, an ‘almost accapella’ performance from BARELYANYHOOK, a thrilling duet from DAMI ONIRU and REMY BAGGINS, a blend of trap music from PYSCHOYP were needed to declare the Next Gen Stage as a force to reckon with.

Also, TEMS gave a calm and coordinated live performance of her songs with her unique voice, garnishing it with a medley of popular songs. Nigerian hip-hop rave, BLAQBONEZ came through with a sizzling outfit to give a topnotch performance, especially performing his song “Denied” live – quite impressive. FLASH thrilled the crowd with two bangers, which was enough to make a resounding presence for the evening. Of course, NONSO AMADI did justice with his set, mans didn’t come all the way from Canada for nothing,amidst all other breath-taking performances from emerging acts.

One of the reasons why the Gidifest2019 would definitely be regarded as one of the best musical events in Nigeria this year is tied to how it orchestrated its NEXT GEN act, a smooth flow of artistic brilliance, understanding and co-ordination. EVERY UPCOMING ACT WAS RESPECTED and DULY CATERED FOR. Kudos!

Some minutes past 8 pm, the party was moved from the next-gen stage to the MAIN STAGE, a decision that had a couple of tongues wagging because they felt it was quite early. However, the party took another dimension from that time till past 4 in the morning, hosted by Shody ”The Turn Up King’.

The crowd was appeased with mind-blowing performances from Patoranking, Niniola, Teni the Entertainer, Wande Coal, Shina Peters, and the likes. The DJs were on deck to supply music that ran across generations, throwing the crowd into a euphoria of excitement and a partial reminisce of how grown they had become, I was too.

TENI’s versatility and performing craft continues to improve day in day out, I mean, she went as far as performing a twisted ‘Kwam 1’ song in tune with her lyrics, ZLATAN brought the street vibe that a larger part of the crowd was in the mood for, NINIOLA showed why she is the Queen of Afro-house with a steller and Energetic performance. MOON CHILD SANELLY spiced up the tempo to a +18 display, after she taunted the guys with her thick bum, trust them to follow her seducing charm.

WANDE COAL showed why is he still one of the most talented music act Nigeria has ever had, he brought back memories from ‘Mo hits’. PATORAKING displayed authenticity with his patois riddled master-class performance and stage presence (Arguably the best of the night), while SIR SHINA PETERS connected swiftly with a crowd filled with young people with his Afro Juju vibes, it was a massive Turnup!

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