Alté, pronounced locally as (uhl-teh) and cropped from the word alternative, is a music genre originating from Nigeria. It's come to include a music genre, but it started as a way of being that champions individualistic and non-traditional modes of self-expression. The central idea is to stay true to yourself in spite of existing traditions or cultural restrictions. It is a phenomenon most prevalent among young Nigerians that emerged around 2007 — just around the time many young people in the country were gaining increased exposure to the internet — and has only recently begun to enter the mainstream media.