Bantu (band)


BANTU is a 13-piece band based in Lagos, Nigeria. Their music is a fusion of Afrobeat, Hiphop, Afrofunk, Highlife and Yoruba music. The group features multi-instrumentalists and singers who perform as a collective.

History

Nigerian-German brothers Ade Bantu & Abiodun, Sierra Leonean-German-singer Patrice and Nigerian singer Amaechi Okerenkwo founded BANTU in 1996 in Cologne, Germany. BANTU is an acronym for Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity and according to band member Ade Bantu the name was also chosen to honour South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Bantu Biko. The band’s first recording was "No Vernacular " which they released on the Cologne Carnival compilation Humba 2-Fastlovend Roots
in 1996. Their debut album Fufu was released in 2000 and it became an instant success in Nigeria earning them two radio hit singles: "Nzogbu" and "Fire Inna Dancehall". After the departure of Amaechi and Patrice from the band a second self titled album “BANTU” featuring Jamaican drummer Sly Dunbar, Peter Tosh guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith, Positive Black Soul and Pee Froiss from Senegal was released in 2004 with Ade Bantu & Abiodun handling most of the vocal duties. In 2005 Bantu was awarded the Kora Awards in the categories “Best Group West Africa” and “Best Group Africa” for their third album release “Fuji Satisfaction” a collaborative effort that featured Nigerian Fuji music singer Adewale Ayuba. In 2011 Bantu released their fourth studio album titled “No Man Stands Alone” an album of collaborations mostly recorded in Nigeria. The album featured Highlife music legend Fatai Rolling Dollar, Nigerian singer Sound Sultan and Nigerian-German singer Nneka amongst many others. Since 2013 the BANTU collective has been hosting Afropolitan Vibes a monthly live music concert series and annual music festival in Lagos, Nigeria. On 7 July 2017 the 13 piece BANTU collective released Agberos International. The 10 track album was produced by Aman Junaid. It featues Tony Allen on drums and Nigerian spoken word poetess Wana Wana. The music on the album straddles Afrobeat, Highlife, Funk and Hiphop, while the lyrics have been described as witty, political and satirical.

Collaborations

BANTU's broad musical scope has led to an extensive list of collaborations across all genres of music. They have recorded with the likes of British reggae group UB40, German Reggae artist Gentleman, Afrobeat co-founder Tony Allen, jùjú musician Ebenezer Obey, Juju artist Dele Ojo, Highlife singer Paulson Kalu, Orlando Julius, Nigerian actor and folk singer Jimi Solanke, Schäl Sick Brass Band and the Berlin-based Afrobeat Academy Band.

Awards and nominations

BANTU was awarded the Kora Awards in the categories “Best Group West Africa” & “Best Group Africa” for their album ''“Fuji Satisfaction- Soundclash In Lagos” in 2005 in Durban, South Africa.
BANTU's single "Where Di Water" was nominated for the 2009 Channel O Music Video Awards in the category "Best Ragga Dancehall Video "Lagos Barbie" the lead single off BANTU's "Agberos International" album was nominated in the "Best Alternative Song" category at the 2018 edition of The Headies Award in Lagos, Nigeria

Band members