Ahmed Janka Nabay is the self-proclaimed Bubu King, and it may not be far from the truth. Bubu is a traditional African-Muslim sound, created by blowing into bamboo pipes. Until now, it was largely unrecorded and heard only during the holy month of Ramadan. So if not the king, Nabay is at least the bubu ambassador to the West.

Before discussing the music, the history of Nabay and his home bears detailing. It’s impossible to write about African music without delving into African history—Africa is not only the cradle of civilization, but the birthplace of music. Nabay hails from Freetown, Sierra Leone, a state known for blood diamonds and civil war. (And as we’ve learned from M.I.A., coming from a place ravaged by civil war can result in some amazing music.) Freetown originally formed as a city of ex-slaves (hence the name), who were returning from all areas of the world. The diverse origins of Freetown’s inhabitants led to a musical jambalaya stew. Freetown is ripe for musical mining (har har), but the ‘90s civil war destroyed the city’s music industry. Originally recorded before and during the outbreak of the war, Bubu King was only recently released because of the fighting and Nabay’s subsequent exile. According to his MySpace, “Janka’s music was instantly appropriated by the rebel forces—they would blare his bubu music to lure people out of hiding before capturing them.” Nabay took offense to this, as his songs promote democracy and the “rule of law.” This in turn pissed off the rebel forces, and when rebel forces don’t dig your style, you don’t find out about it through a politely worded letter— you find out with an AK pointed at your head at 3:00 in the morning. Nabay fled.

Now residing in Philadelphia, the one-time home of his idol Bob Marley, Nabay is presenting bubu for the first time to western ears. On Bubu King, the traditional bamboo pipes play alongside some modern twists – carburetor pipes, keyboards and strings. The music has a stripped down feeling, without too many instruments or complications. There’s an airy quality to the sound; songs are anchored in Nabay’s voice and the background singer’s chanting, while the simple drumbeat, repeating wind refrain and occasional keyboard float by. The lack of encumbrance gives the music a flighty freedom, begging you to take the sound lightly so it can hit you with a chanting punch. The style is highly catchy, making you move, infecting your bones—even if you don’t understand the lyrics. Although English is the official language of Sierra Leone, Krio is also commonly spoken, and on Bubu King, Nabay makes liberal use of both.

Although on his MySpace page Nabay says he “took no side” in his country’s civil war, he does hold an opinion on government. In “Good Governance,” he chants for human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and “giv[ing] power to the human.” He is far from the first to pair traditional African music with politics—Nigerian afrobeat legend and human rights activist Fela Kuti famously used songs like “Zombie” to mock the unthinking nature of his country’s soldiers. Africa is arguably where music moved out of the realm of pure sound and into a form of communication with the invention of talking drums, drums pitched to imitate the human voice and used by distant tribes to remotely converse. On Bubu King, Nabay is speaking to us from the past, from a far-away continent, from a world often vastly different than our own, but he is still able to connect with us through the universal language of music. The songs meant targeted at English-speaking westerners are not songs about love or reminiscence, they are songs communicating a demand for equality and social justice.

This album is an amazing introduction to bubu music, a fun listen with serious meaning, and an album with an unfortunately bloody past. Even if written a decade ago, the traditional sound is given a modern resonance. Its simplicity is arresting, and will have you anxiously awaiting a full-length release.

Track List:
1. Top Sul Bah
2. Eh Congo
3. Good Governance
4. De Bul