Recently I discovered a new way to Spice up my summer and giving me a true feeling of what it really means to be a young African who is conscious of his culture and still trendy in the 21st century. Afropolitan Vibes is a monthly live music concert which exists as a platform for alternative music: a place where music lovers congregate to watch contemporary singer-songwriters and musicians perform mostly original works that are firmly rooted in African musical origins of Afro-beat, Afro-funk, Afro-hip-hop, Afro-pop and Highlife music. It was created by Adé Bantu and Abby Ogunsanya in 2013 in Lagos.
BANTU aka Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity is a 13-piece Afrofunk/Afrohiphop/Afrobeat musical collective founded by Nigerian-German brothers Adé Bantu and Abiodun. Bantu’s music is an eclectic fusion of the rich cultural heritage of the Yorubas and the hybrid sounds of urban Africa and the diaspora; their Afropean origin is reflected in the band’s lyrics. Social consciousness and the daily personal and political struggles of an imprisoned society is an essential element of their message and music which they use to mobilize, motivate and inspire both the minds and hips of their listeners. Adé Bantu is the creator of Afropolitan Vibes and the co-producer of Elders Corner, a documentary film on the history of Nigeria told through the lives and times of its musical icons.
Bantu emerged on the Nigerian musical scene in 1999 with their catchy dance single, “Nzogbu”. Since then, the collective has had a string of radio hits which earned them a loyal following and fan base both within and outside Nigeria. Their last CD release was in 2011 -“No Man Stands Alone” -an album of duets and a tour de force of Nigeria’s contemporary urban music soundscapes. They are currently in the studio putting finishing touches to their fifth studio album. Their latest single release is Afropunk in May 2015. The band has collaborated with Patrice, UB40, Gentleman, Nneka, Harry Belafonte, Fatai Rolling Dollar, Orlando Julius, Asa, Sound Sultan & many others. They have toured Nigeria, Sweden, England, Germany, Uganda, Ghana, Holland, Tanzania, Denmark and France.
Since 2013 BANTU have been hosting“Afropolitan Vibes” a monthly live concert series at Freedom Park Lagos. It comes up every third Friday of each month,Show starts promptly from 8.00pm-10.30/11.00pm. The show consists of artists such as Nneka Afro-Soul crooner & go to hook guy BOJ, Juju-Highlife veteran Sina Ayinde Bakare, Bez, Falana,Dabyna who describes himself as “the bridge linking the past, present and future of rock ‘n’ roll”, Aramide and among others.
Written By Rodney Patrick
Twitter: Nofstnme
