Adegoke Odukoya, better known as Adé Bantu (born 13 July
1971 in Wembley, London), is a Nigerian-German musician, producer and activist.
He is best known as the founder of the Afro-German musical collective and NGO
Brothers Keepers and as the front man of the 12 piece band Bantu He received
the Kora Award (the Pan-African equivalent of the Grammy) for his album
"Fuji Satisfaction" in 2005.
Adé Bantu was born in Wembley, London. He is biracial, being
the son of a German mother and a Nigerian father. In 1973 he relocated to
Lagos, Nigeria with his parents Adeleke Odukoya and Barbara Odukoya. After the
death of his father in 1986 he moved with his mother and 3 siblings to Germany.
He is the elder brother of musician Abiodun Odukoya.
Musical career
Attracted by Germany's emerging hiphop movement Adé Bantu
joined the hiphop group Exponential Enjoyment with Goldlover D (Sini Demir),
Double A (Mola Adebisi) and General GG (Götz Gottschalk) in 1989. He used the
alias and stage name "Duke T".
Their single "Think for a Moment/Style
Introduction"(Tan Tric 12") is the 3rd German hiphop release (1989).
They went on to produce the first multilingual hiphop album in Germany titled
"Chop or Quench" (1993). It featured the pioneer German hiphop crew
Advanced Chemistry. This was followed by a freejazz hiphop album with Peter
Kowald, Sainko Namtchylak and Peter Brötzmann titled Expo's Jazz & Joy"
(1993).
In 1993 he was approached by Fonk Free aka Moreno (Oliver
Freyman) and DJ An-dré (André Schröter) and together they founded the band
'Weep Not Child' releasing "From Hoyerswerda to Rostock" (Buback
Records, 1993) and "Liberation thru Music & Lyrics" (Groove Attack,
1994). Their music clip "Je Ka Bere" was featured in the European
campaign of Media Against Racism.
In 1998 Adé was invited by Jan Ü Krauthaeuser to participate
in the Cologne alternative carnival organisation "Humba e.V.". This
led to a musical project with his brother Abiodun , Patrice and Amechi
(Amechinna Okerenkwo) that would take him back to his Nigeria roots. Bantu aka
Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity was born. He officially changed
his stage name to Adé (later to Adé Bantu after his 2005 album release).
Bantu's debut album "Fufu" became an instant success in Nigeria
earning them two radio hit singles "Nzobu" & "Fire Inna
Dancehall". In 2000 after a wave of racist motivated violent attacks on foreigners
which climaxed in the killing of Alberto Adriano, Adé Bantu set up the
Afro-German musical collective Brothers Keepers. Their song "Adriano (die
letzte Warnung)" (Adriano the final warning) was released in 2001. It
became an anti racism anthem selling well over 220,000 copies and making it to
the Top 5 of the German pop charts. An album titled "Lightkultur" was
released as well as a Sisters Keepers single "Liebe und Verstand"
(Love & Understanding). "Adriano (die Letzte Warnung)" was
awarded the 'Eins Live Radio Award' for "Best Single of the year
2001".
In 2003 Adé Bantu, his brother Abiodun and German reggae
singer Gentleman recorded the single "Rudie (Hold It Down)" together
with UB40. In 2004 he released his much anticipated European debut album
"Bantu". The album featured Don Abi, Sly Dunbar, Positive Black Soul
and Pee Froiss from Senegal.
In 2005 Adé Bantu once again assembled Brothers Keepers for
a second musical venture. Broadened by many Turkish, Italian, Swedish and
German artists their album "Am I My Brothers Keeper?" went far beyond
the success of its predecessor, directing rousing statements, biographical
insights and critical irony at German society. He released "Fuji
Satisfaction" an eclectic mix of Fuji, hiphop, Dancehall, Afrofunk and
Afrobeat that featured Nigerian Fuji singer Adewale Ayuba in 2005. It won
critical acclaim and the Kora Awards as "Best Group West Africa" and
"Best Group Africa" 2005. This amongst other things promoted his move
back to Lagos, Nigeria. He worked with the BBC in 2005 on the "Africa Connection"
project with South African vocalist Thandiswa Mazwai, Senegalese singer Cheik
Lo & Guinean Kora Player Sekou Kouyate recording "Caution
(Beware)".
In 2006 he performed with Afrobeat Academy Band during the
2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He has collaborated and toured with Tony Allen
and Seun Kuti. Ade Bantu resides in Nigeria.
In 2011 Ade Bantu released "No Man Stands Alone"
an album of collaborations which was mostly recorded in Nigeria. The album
featured Highlife music legend Fatai Rolling Dollar, Sound Sultan and Nigerian-German
singer Nneka[ ] In 2012, Bantu released a new single "Oya Oya", which
is available for free download] on the official website. Currently Bantu is
putting finishing touches to his 5th studio album.
Adé Bantu is the creator of Afropolitan vibes a live music
concert series which holds at Freedom Park Lagos Island
TV / Cinema appearances
Bantu was featured in the cinema documentary "Yes I
Am", a documentary on Afro Germans directed by Sven Halfar. He also
appeared in an episode of German soap Lindenstrasse (Episode 710).
Ade Bantu appeared in Harry Belafonte's documentary film
Sing Your Song In 2012, Bantu joined the panel of judges of Project Fame West
Africa, a music TV reality show.
Politics & Activism
Adé Bantu is politically active. He is the founder of
Brothers Keepers e.V. an NGO affiliated with the Brothers Keepers musical
project. They visit schools, lobby for changes in asylum and
anti-discrimination laws and help victims of racist motivated attacks.
He was involved in the Anti Shell campaign in Germany and
initiated the Ken Saro Wiwa week in 1997.
He continues to be an activist, lecturer and public speaker
addressing racism against people of colour, AfroGermans and Africans in
Germany. He was invited by German minister of foreign affairs Frank-Walter
Steinmeier on his first official visit to Africa in August 2007. He
participated at the Partnership for Africa Forum hosted by German president
Horst Kohler in November 2007. Adé Bantu and his Afrobeat Academy Band have
partaken in intercultural exchange programmes with Goethe Institute and the
German ministry of foreign affairs giving concerts and workshops in Ghana,
Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria. He was awarded the Nordrhein Westphalia Cultural
Prize in 1997 for the Hiphop musical "Coloured Children" a piece he
wrote and co-directed with Anita Berger. Adé Bantu has been in the forefront of
the debate against the use of the N-word in Germany. He initiated a petition
(with Brothers Keepers) against German Rapper B-Tight's album "Neger,
Neger" (Nigger, Nigger) in 2007.
Adé Bantu is the co-founder and creative director of
BornTroWay a community arts project targeted at disadvantaged youths in major
African cities. The project was launched in Ajegunle, Lagos in 2011
Trivia
Adé Bantu was a radio host at Deutsche Welle. He hosted
"Good Morning Africa" from 1997–2000. He co-directed Nigerian-German
hip hop/soul singer Nneka's video "Africans"
Discography
With Exponential Enjoyment
1989 Style
Introduction-12 inch (Tantric/VeraBra Rec)
1993 Chop or
Quench (Deep 6 Rec)
1993 Expo's Jazz
& Joy (VeraBra Records)
With Weep Not Child
1993 From
Hoyerswerda To Rostock (Buback Records)
1994 Liberation
Thru Music & Lyrics
1998 Goal (
12" Chlodwig/BMG)
With Bantu
1999 Fufu (Kennis
Music Nigeria)
2004 Bantu (Nitty
Gritty Music/ Rough Trade)
2005 Fuji
Satisfaction (Piranha Rec)
2008 Bantu (X3M
Music, Nigeria)
2011 No man stands
alone[4][5]
With Brothers Keepers
2001
Adriano-Single(WEA Rec)
2001 Lightkultur
(WEA Rec)
2005 Bereit-
Single(Sony)
2005 Am I My
Brothers Keeper?"(Sony)
Collaborations
1990 "Kickin
The Facts" (from LSD album "Watchout for the 3rd Rail")
1994 "Keep in
Line & Sunshine" (from Di Iries self-titled album)
1995 "Late
Night" (from Reiner Witzel's "Passage to the ear")
1995
"Illusion" (from Kastrierte Philosophen album "Soldier")
1996
"Polyglot Poets" (from Advanced Chemistry's self-titled album)
1997 "The
Message" (from Two Step Forward project)
1997
"Colonial Mentality" (from Schäl Sick Brass Band album
"Majnoun")
1999
"Tschupun"(from Schäl Sick Brass Band album "Tschupun")
2000 "Maza
Meze" (from Schäl Sick Brass Band album "Maza Meze")
2002 "Rubber
Dub" (from Schäl Sick Brass Band album "Kesh Mesh")
2003 "Rudie
(Hold It Down)" (UB40 single featuring Gentleman & Don Abi)
2006
"Odolayé" (from "Lagos Stori Plenti" sampler featuring
Dede, Mode9 & Azadus)
Cinema
Halfer Sven, "Yes I Am" Brothers Keepers
documentary on DVD, Arthouse 2007
Ade Bantu was recently featured on CNN and he was one of the Hosts of the
President of Germany when he came visiting Nigeria
Culled from Wikipedia
Culled from Wikipedia
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