Nigeria’s international Afrofunk band BANTU has announced the release of its new album, Everybody Get Agenda on 25 September.
The tone for the ten-track album, with limited edition vinyl and CD, was set by two singles released earlier this year, ‘Animal Carnival’ (With a remix of the same track feat Fokn Bois from Ghana) and its predecessor ‘Disrupt The Programme’. Both singles convey the message of BANTU, which is about awakening people to happenings around them. The band’s lyrics address issues around corruption, injustice, migration, xenophobia and urban alienation. BANTU is driven by a strong desire for social justice.
Featuring Seun Kuti in the track ‘Yeye Theory’, other songs are titled, ‘Cash and Carry’, ‘Jagun Jagun’, ‘Big Lie’, ‘Man Know Man’, Killers and Looters’, ‘Water Cemetery’. All tracks not missing the conscious tone of exposing political, societal ills and a call to action.
Everybody Get Agenda was recorded at Rigmaroll and Blackstar Studio in Lagos, produced by Grammy Award winning producer and engineer Aman Junaid (George Clinton, TLC), mixed by Manu Schlindwein in Cologne, German (Patrice, Mariama, Angelique Kidjo), and mastered by Tony Dawsey (Jay Z, GangStarr, Nine Inch Nails, Whitney Houston).
Ade Bantu revealed to eyesofalagosboy.com, “Everybody Get Agenda is a collaborative effort of all band members with a guest feature by Seun Kuti. We hope that with this album we can inspire you all to stand up against the status quo and fight social and economic injustice, while you dance to our rhythms and groove to the horns.”
BANTU is distinguished by the fact that while created and fronted by vocalist Ade Bantu, it is unmistakably a collective, collaborative effort. “When you have a band this strong, this tight, where everyone gets to shine, magic happens,” Ade highlighted. This new album is pushing the boundaries of funkiness and political prowess for contemporary music, in Africa and globally, perhaps even more than with their last superlative release, Agberos International.
Formed as an acronym of Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity (BANTU) by brothers Ade Bantu and Abiodun in Germany in 1996, the group has created a unique and immediately recognizable fusion of Afrobeat Hip Hop, Afrofunk and Yoruba music.
Since its first album No Vernacular, released in 1996. Bantu has scored a series of hits across Europe and Africa winning several major continental awards – the Kora Awards for “Best Group West Africa” and “Best Group Africa” while securing other nominations such as the Channel O Music Video Awards and The Headies. BANTU has collaborated with an international cornucopia that include UB40, Tony Allen, Nneka, Brothers Keepers (which they created), Asa, Gentleman, Fatai Rolling Dollar and Burna Boy and several others.
BANTU have also been credited with the recent revival of the live music scene in Nigeria through Afropolitan Vibes, a monthly concert series and music festival that they host for over 7 years in Lagos. The show has featured over 160 top Nigerian and international acts and was voted as“one of the world’s best music events of the moment” by The Village Voice.
The long player showcases the 13-piece ensemble at it’s best as they once again chart new musical territories and firmly plant their flag.