Congolese music is one of the most influential music forms of the African continent. Since the 1930s, Congolese musicians have had a huge impact on the African musical scene and elsewhere. Many contemporary genres of music, such as Kenyan Benga and Colombian Champeta, have been heavily influenced by Congolese music. In 2021, Congolese rumba joined other living traditions such as Jamaican reggae music and Cuban rumba on UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list.
Soukous is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation, and gained popularity in the 1980s in France. Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo, song structures and longer dance sequences.
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.
Kanda Bongo Man is a Congolese soukous musician born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley. His solo career only started to take off after he moved in 1979 to Paris, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant zouk music popularized by Kassav. His first solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits.
Kwassa kwassa is a dance created by Jeanora, a mechanic in Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that started in the 1980s, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popular in Africa.
Nyboma Mwan'dido, often simply Nyboma, a prominent Congolese soukous tenor vocalist, has been over a fifty-year span a leading member of several outstanding bands, including Orchestre Bella Bella, Orchestre Lipua Lipua, Orchestre Kamale, Les Quatre Étoiles, and Kékélé, in addition to performing and recording as a solo artist. He is widely recognized as one of the best singers in Congolese music.
Oliver N'Goma was a Gabonese afro-zouk and soukous singer and guitarist. He was born in Mayumba in south-west Gabon in 1959. He is best known for his 1990 song Bane.
Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese rumba has gained global recognition and remains an integral part of African music heritage. In December 2021, it was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
Kwassa Kwassa is a soukous album by Kanda Bongo Man, released 1989.
Dany Engobo is a Congolese musician and leader of Les Coeurs Brises. He started his music career in Brazzaville. He worked with a guitar maestro Diblo Dibala in most of his songs. He moved to Paris in 1976 where he formed his band, Les Coeurs Brises. The band included musicians from France, Algeria, and Israel alongside Congolese dancers who lived in Paris. The group toured across Europe, the United States, and some countries in Africa but never in his home country. He learned French upon his arrival in the country and from then on he started singing his songs in that language. For international purposes, his songs are mostly done in Lingala Language and French.
Fogaraté! is the seventh album of the famous Dominican songwriter and musician Juan Luis Guerra. It was released on July 19, 1994. The album mixed a variety of music genres including rural and flolklroic rots of merengue called "Perico Ripao" with elements of African soukus music and Tropical Music such as Reggae with the collaboration of African guitarist Diblo Dibala and Dominican accordionist Francisco Ulloa, along with Son, Bachata and Salsa. Also, the album features a particular, bachata-styled adaptation of the Lacrimosa movement from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor and Guerra's first song fully in English "July 19". Exploring lyrics and themes about magical realism of Latin American literature and commenting on the politics of the Caribbean, for many fans and critics, Fogaraté! is one of his most musically complex album.
L'Orchestre Bella Bella was a prominent DR Congo soukous band that formed in the early 1970s. It was led by the Soki brothers.
Nnamdi Moweta, is a radio personality, music producer, music supervisor, music promoter and consultant. He is the host of Radio Afrodicia, a radio show on KPFK, a listener-sponsored radio station based in Los Angeles, California. With an audience of approximately 50,000 listeners weekly, Moweta is the only African-born radio host in Los Angeles, California. In 2011, Moweta was featured on Reuters Africa Journal segment about African DJs in the United States.
Zing Zong is an album by the Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man, released in 1991. The album is dedicated to the memory of Soki Vangu and his brother Soki Dianzenza, who were in the earlier Zairean soukous band Orchestre Bella Bella. Both brothers died within a year of each other. "Freres Soki" is a tribute to them, and "Zing-Zong" is a reworking of a Bella Bella hit, "Houleux Houleux". Kanda supported the album with a North American tour.
Syran Mbenza is a guitarist, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has lived in Paris since about 1981. He has recorded and performed prolifically over five decades, including as a solo artist; as one of the four members of the popular soukous "supergroup" Les Quatre Étoiles; as a founding member of the acoustic, Congolese rumba revival band Kékélé; in other bands; and in support of numerous artists. He has been described as one of the greatest guitar players of Africa.
Aurlus Mabélé was a Congolese singer and composer. He was commonly referred to as the "King of Soukous".
Soukous in Central Park is a live album by the Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man, released in 1993. Kanda promoted the album with a North American tour.
