The band was born in Brixton in 2006. The core members of Yaaba Funk met on the South London African scene in the late 1990s when, as well as studying African music, many wild  nights were spent jamming together at house parties  – drumming, dancing and djing til dawn.  The name Yaaba Funk comes from an album called Yaba Funk Roots, the only album ever released outside of Africa by Captain Yaba, a musician from northern Ghana and exponent of the 2-string ‘guitar’ called the koliko.  

Their debut album “AFROBEAST” was released in May 2010 by Sterns Records. Remixes by DJD and Richard Olatunde were also released in 2010 by Here and Now Recordings. Their industry supporters include Rita Ray and Max Reinhardt (The Shrine), DJ Ritu (BBC Radio London), Russ Jones (Future World Funk) and  Miles Cleret (Soundway) among others.

Band members Chief Commander Yaaba, Mr Brett and the Outlaw Clive Wales also DJ at Afro inspired nights around London – spinning Afrobeat, Mbalax, Cuban rumba, Brazilian grooves, broken beat 70s Nigerian funk, reggae and of course Highlife. Yaaba Funk also contains experienced workshop leaders who use music to engage people of all ages and descriptions.