Ade Bantu is a Nigerian German musician, cultural curator and film producer whose 30 year career has spanned continents and genres. He is best known as the frontman of the 13 piece, award winning band BANTU (Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity), the founder of the Afro German music collective Brothers Keepers, and the creator of Afropolitan Vibes—Lagos’s premiere concert series and annual festival.
Ade has released eight studio albums with BANTU—beginning with Fufu (1999) and most recently What Is Your Breaking Point? (2023). The album, “Fuji Satifaction” earned him and his band two Kora Awards for “Best Group Africa” and “Best Group West Africa,” and with Brothers Keepers he won the 1LIVE Krone Radio Award for the single “Adriano (Letzte Warnung).”
Ade has collaborated and recorded with luminaries such as UB40, Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Megaloh, Patrice and Fatai Rolling Dollar, and shared stages and studio sessions with Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Harry Belafonte and many others. He served as a judge on Project Fame West Africa TV show from 2012–2015.
As a film producer, Ade has overseen short films, documentaries, radio and TV productions for clients including Jameson, WDR and Deutsche Welle. He curated “Naija Pop in HD” for the Ex Africa exhibition series in Brazil and produced the “Statues Also Breathe” exhibition project by French sculptor Prune Nourry and the accompanying shortfilm. He is currently in production on two feature length documentaries slated for 2025/26 release, while touring and crafting exciting new music with BANTU.