Bana ba Kongo
Founded in 2011, the band's music takes a very light-hearted approach to li… Read Full Bio ↴Founded in 2011, the band's music takes a very light-hearted approach to life and living. There is absolutely nothing ordinary about this bunch of Lusaka-based 20 somethings. The band’s music draws influences primarily from the work of contemporaries such as Mozegator, Ama Blax and Nasty D and the kalindula legends of the 80s and 90s. Their sound is the final product of years of experimenting with different genres such as house, kalindula, boostele, classic rock, hip-hop and dancehall.
Freshmen (Ba Fresh)
Freshmen
Albert Njapau (real name Albert Njapau) hails from Chamba Valley in Lusaka, a quite fitting point of origin for the multi-talented singer/rapper. Anyone who knows "Ba Fresh" knows that his trademark is his incredible sense of humor. In the studio, Fresh is responsible for many of Bana Ba Kongo's insanely danceable drum patterns. Fresh has a fair amount of production experience working as Stretch's assistant during his time with X.Y.Z Entertainment. Fresh’s lyrical subject matter varies from side-splitting comedy to social commentary to catchy, feel-good call-and-responses. On stage Fresh can fairly be called the most distinguished dancer of the three
1 Billyon
1 Billyon
Born Jilowa Wambili some twenty years ago in Lusaka, Billy (as he is affectionately known) is a product of Mupapa School in Ndola. Billy's biggest strength lies in his versatility, counting song-writing and singing in all imaginable styles as his main threats. Billy can boom out a strong ragga hook, or something far more soulful and emotional at the drop of a hat. Coupled with his knack for creating concepts out of nothing, Billy hopes for a bright future in the game. The happy-go-lucky University of Lusaka Commerce student counts Bob Marley and P.K. Chishala among his inspirations, and strongly admires the work of T-Sean and B Flow.
Bashi Drew
Bashi Drew
Guitarist and producer Nkandu Kataya provides a lot of the band's musical direction. His eclectically diverse musical tastes are evident in all the band's production, combining elements of rock with kalindula, soukous and even hip-hop! Bashi Drew also contributes the odd backing vocal on select records.
Bana first came on the scene late 2011 with their provocative Internet release ‘Lwimbo lwa Nsele’ which caused a major furor on the underground. Despite not receiving any airplay (for obvious reasons) the group attracted attention from bar and pub owners, often being invited to perform a few tunes for their patrons. The feedback and response thus far has been encouraging, with many showering praise on the groups outlandish outfits and solid stage-work. 2012 saw the group hitting the top 3 on the daily Hot FM charts in the month of September with the song "Ngelengede". The video also enjoyed significant airplay on local TV stations. As of writing, Bana have all but wrapped up work on their yet-to-be-titled debut album set to hit shelves in December this year.
Bana Ba Kongo’s music is definitely a breath of fresh air in a Zambian music industry stifled with bubblegum music. From day one, BBK have always strived to go back to the fundamentals and present a uniquely Zambian sound with a 21st century twist. Despite the often edgy subject matter and sometimes unconventional approach to song structure, Bana believes that their music will keep people across the continent grooving for a long time to come!
Freshmen (Ba Fresh)
Freshmen
Albert Njapau (real name Albert Njapau) hails from Chamba Valley in Lusaka, a quite fitting point of origin for the multi-talented singer/rapper. Anyone who knows "Ba Fresh" knows that his trademark is his incredible sense of humor. In the studio, Fresh is responsible for many of Bana Ba Kongo's insanely danceable drum patterns. Fresh has a fair amount of production experience working as Stretch's assistant during his time with X.Y.Z Entertainment. Fresh’s lyrical subject matter varies from side-splitting comedy to social commentary to catchy, feel-good call-and-responses. On stage Fresh can fairly be called the most distinguished dancer of the three
1 Billyon
1 Billyon
Born Jilowa Wambili some twenty years ago in Lusaka, Billy (as he is affectionately known) is a product of Mupapa School in Ndola. Billy's biggest strength lies in his versatility, counting song-writing and singing in all imaginable styles as his main threats. Billy can boom out a strong ragga hook, or something far more soulful and emotional at the drop of a hat. Coupled with his knack for creating concepts out of nothing, Billy hopes for a bright future in the game. The happy-go-lucky University of Lusaka Commerce student counts Bob Marley and P.K. Chishala among his inspirations, and strongly admires the work of T-Sean and B Flow.
Bashi Drew
Bashi Drew
Guitarist and producer Nkandu Kataya provides a lot of the band's musical direction. His eclectically diverse musical tastes are evident in all the band's production, combining elements of rock with kalindula, soukous and even hip-hop! Bashi Drew also contributes the odd backing vocal on select records.
Bana first came on the scene late 2011 with their provocative Internet release ‘Lwimbo lwa Nsele’ which caused a major furor on the underground. Despite not receiving any airplay (for obvious reasons) the group attracted attention from bar and pub owners, often being invited to perform a few tunes for their patrons. The feedback and response thus far has been encouraging, with many showering praise on the groups outlandish outfits and solid stage-work. 2012 saw the group hitting the top 3 on the daily Hot FM charts in the month of September with the song "Ngelengede". The video also enjoyed significant airplay on local TV stations. As of writing, Bana have all but wrapped up work on their yet-to-be-titled debut album set to hit shelves in December this year.
Bana Ba Kongo’s music is definitely a breath of fresh air in a Zambian music industry stifled with bubblegum music. From day one, BBK have always strived to go back to the fundamentals and present a uniquely Zambian sound with a 21st century twist. Despite the often edgy subject matter and sometimes unconventional approach to song structure, Bana believes that their music will keep people across the continent grooving for a long time to come!
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Bana ba Kongo Lyrics
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