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Lagos Through
The Lens

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Lagos-based Photographer Uche Seun Akinbi Dapo, introduces Ballantine’s to artists who are making an impact in his local music scene.

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STRAFFITTI

Straffiitti is an artist, producer, graphic designer and fashion designer. 

He founded one of Lagos’ leading streetwear brands, Thirsty, a ready-to-wear clothing brand as well as Thirsty Lab, an experimental custom-piece clothing brand. Thirsty Worldwide is a creative collective inspired by their ‘thirst’, which is the driving force instilled in their ethos to keep breaking boundaries set by themselves in their mind. He’s also working on his latest album as an artist and producer. 

Straffitti stands out to me with his genre-scape of music, blending RnB, Hip Hop, and Afrobeat, as well as extending into the world of fashion and co-owning a label alongside his partner. His uniqueness stands unrivalled as he continues to inspire the Lagos creative scene.

He has helped shape my work in a way by exploring digital manipulation and street-style editing to enhance and transform images during the post-processing stage. This involves creating digital collages, adding painterly effects, or experimenting with mixed media techniques.

 

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Straffitti stands out to me with his genre-scape of music, blending RnB, Hip Hop, and Afrobeat, as well as extending into the world of fashion and co-owning a label alongside his partner. His uniqueness stands unrivalled as he continues to inspire the Lagos creative scene.

CHARMAINE ‘L A

Charmaine ‘L A (but people call her COCA) is a Lagos-bred singer/songwriter and creative. She draws a lot of her influences from the various countries that she’s had the privilege to find herself rooted in, whilst always knowing Lagos was in her heart.  

Growing up, she surrounded herself with all forms of art and creativity from music to dance to theatre and visual art too and she found that music was her first form of self-expression but keeps the other forms closely tied in too.

She helps to shape the scene, mainly by expressing herself and all that she is – taking time to get into the details of expression through all her creative outlets. She draws on a wide array of influences growing up and with her art, she aims to prove to herself and anyone else watching that all those influences can coexist in the same space and birth something new and true. 

When collaborating with Charmaine, she assists in creating visual narratives that engage female viewers on a deeper level and convey complex emotions or ideas.

 

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Charmaine aims to prove to herself and anyone else watching that creative influences can coexist in the same space and birth something new and true.

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ELFAB

Lukman Olabode Azee whose stage/artiste name is ELFAB (occasionally called Fabz), is a musician and fashion label owner of Groovy. 

 The entertainment scene in this part of the world seems to lack diversification but in simpler terms, he wants to be known as the artist with quality content and thoughtful messages, whilst simultaneously being the go-to designer for renowned and upcoming streetwear brands as well as a builder of tech products.

Aside from being a good artist and creative, he brings more value to any team he finds himself in. This is someone who designs his artwork himself and produces some of his beats occasionally. He just makes the work easier for anyone on his team and it’s easier to create quality content with him due to his redefined style and top-notch fashion sense.

 

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ELFAB makes the work easier for anyone on his team and it’s easier to create quality content with him due to his redefined style and top-notch fashion sense.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Uche Seun Akinbi Dapo is a photographer based in Lagos. Check out his work here.

 

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