PJ Morton’s latest album, Cape Town to Cairo, is a reflection of his month-long visit to Africa, an album filled with gratitude, feeling, education, and connection. And with limited time on his side—traveling from Mzansi to Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya last year—the creative met up with local African artists that he had never worked with before, opening himself up to experiencing what the motherland has to offer.
And as expected, PJ Morton found that New Orleans, his hometown, and Africa have so much in common. Soul and music.
“Even with the limited time on hand, we planned our visit to the tee to allow us some down time so I could immerse myself in the different countries that I visited. That was also important for the creation of the music,” he said.
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The 5x Grammy Award winner shares that his visit was more than just a music excursion, but a chance to connect with Africa in a way he always wished. Feeling a deep sense of belonging and “a sense of home,” he said.
“I think when I initially landed in Cape Town, my shock was just at the beauty of the place. And unfortunately, I feel like that beauty was never really shown in America growing up. They never really showed you those parts of Africa, so that took me aback. Then I went to Nigeria, landing on Fela Kuti’s birthday, I immediately felt a connection. From there, hearing the rhythms and tasting the food there immediately reminded me of home.
“Ghana gave me a picture of where my people came from, where they were enslaved and brought to America. I got to draw that direct line,” adding also that he got to visit Egypt. His first day in Mzansi saw him penning down the song ‘Thank You’, in a moment of being overwhelmed by the gratitude of arriving in Africa and the feelings he experienced. He also shares that his love for the songs on the album speaks to different parts of his experience, with All the Dreamers being his current melody that serenades his soul, made special also by Asa’s vocals on it.
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“‘Home Again’ is another special one to me because of how raw it is. But then I have favorites like Count On Me—just the message, the feel, and hearing how amazing Fireboy DML sounds on it. But honestly, all the songs are so special to me. Having a Kuti family member on Who You Are, Mádé Kuti, just reminds me of home. Simunye carries a special message of unity, making it such a beautiful sing-along. They are all my little babies.”
“What I want with this album is for the ignorance that I had regarding a lot of things to shine through with my discoveries in real time. Every African country has its own sound; it’s not all afrobeats or amapianos. There’s so much in between. I hope those discoveries come through, making this an exchange of the diaspora more than anything. And really, I want to show everyone that everything really comes from Africa,” he said.
The album was created on the move, with the biggest challenge being the uncertainty of its genre. But because of how organic and agile the process was, he had to allow himself to go wherever his spirit and gut were leading him to.
“I had to figure out how to make the songs work together after the fact, but I couldn’t focus on that while writing the songs. I am grateful that eventually we could find a through line. And that’s how we got to the album,” he said.
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To accompany the nine-track album is a documentary that shows the visual process of his entire journey, giving the world a glimpse of Africa as he experienced it. The doccie will be completed on his next visit to Mzansi in September, showcasing a full-circle moment.
“I am really excited to be returning to South Africa; we had such a good time the last time. I staged my first shows ever in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and Durban was mad at me, so we are hitting all three now.
“We just started in Europe—London, Paris, and the Netherlands—and we are about to do a whole US tour. I am bringing my whole squad, Afro Orleans – my 11-piece band, to Africa, and we are going to add some extra elements since this is where we made the album. So, there’ll probably be some special little things that we are not able to do in the States or in Europe.” With this album and the process that he underwent, PJ Morton shares that he will never be the same again.
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“I am definitely changed forever after this trip and this experience. I think how I hear music is different to the way I connect. It’s hard not to hear Africa in everything now; it’s just there,” he said, laughing. “I am also forever connected; I know that there is a home and that I am connected to so many people on that continent.
“Like with every album, I never go in with expectations of a Grammy or any accolades. I do appreciate that I recently won them, and with that I always remind people that I’ve been nominated 20 times and won 5. Which means I lost 15 times, but that because that has never been the focus, it never stopped the music. All I want is for as many people to hear this music, experience it, and hopefully love it. For it to get to whomever needs to hear it, whomever is purposed for it, and that it educates—that will make me really happy.”
