Baco and Urban Plant to release triple album

The Afro-fusion band is led by singer and songwriter Baco, who is of Comorian and Malagasy origin, while the band’s remaining six members hail from Cameroon.

Rocking My Roots can now be pre-ordered here.

The album features a number of French artists such as Christophe Mareschal, Franck Mantegari, Willy Roots and Sebastien de Laleu, as well as Cameroonian musicians Emilio Bissaya, Bacar Ahamada, Alain Nyame and Aboubass.

The songs on the album are delivered in several languages including English, French and Swahili. So far, the band has released ‘Kwale’ and ' Bwana' as the offering's singles.

“The album is a result of artistic research related to the African roots of our current music, which is a fusion rock, rap and reggae, and the African pulse in general," Baco told Music In Africa.

“That's why the album is called Rocking My Roots. It plunges into the roots of the African drum by linking it to the genres from mother earth that were developed by Afro descendants."

Baco has often said that he wants to take "Chuck Berry back to Africa."

“Indeed, the credo of Baco & Urban Plant is to collect the heritage bequeathed by black music to the heritage of current music through RnG, a new and surprising style where the 'R' represents rock, rap and reggae, and the 'G' being the Bantu goma [a variant spelling of 'ngoma'] drum.

Baco says the songs on the album appeal to the memories of the Bantu traditions of the Mayotte.

“My albums have always been about awareness and Rocking My Roots further reinforces this will,” he says.