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Congolese Music / Re: ARE WE WITNESSING THE END OF THE GOLDEN ERA OF CONGOLESE MUSIC?
« on: July 14, 2014, 23:46 »
Shamala you raised a great question.
We are seeing the end of golden era of Congolese Music. It has been gone for some time. I would say that East African music was great during the 1970s and 1980s. Congolese Music was golden from 1980s to mid 2000s.
Congolese music started to become very known in 1980s when Franco and Tabu Ley went to my country USA. That is where you started to see people enjoy Congolese music. Already Europe had some awareness of Congolese music. I would say that Rumba music was great in 1980s with Franco, Bokelo, and Tabu Ley. We call that Rumba Odemba. But then Congolese music became more and more sebene music. Soukous music comes as result of Kanda Bongo Man, Nyboma, Pepe Kalle, Zaiko Langa Langa, and Papa Wemba. 1980s was a great time because you had the Odemba age vs the soukous age. But when the 1990s came, we had the birth of CLAN WENGE. We had Wenge El Paris and Wenge Musica BCBG 4x4. These groups became the new youth while Papa Wemba, Pepe Kalle and others became the old soukous age. Zaiko Langa Langa and Wenge Musica were the groups on top with Zaiko representing the older group with Wenge being the younger version of them. It was about music.
Early and mid 2000s were excellent as well because you had older artists coming back like Tabu Ley's final album Tempelo. You also had return of Bibi Dens, and others. Congolese music was starting to get better. But in 2007, that all changed in my opinion. All the sudden with the controversial election of Joseph Kabila, Congolese music took a major dive. All the sudden Congolese politicians want to get recognition so they ask the artists to help out. That is when the mabanga thing got out of control. Also the white folks had enough of African music as a whole. So this is leading to the end of African music. That is the unfortunate reality but it is the truth.
The only music doing well is West African music because it is English. DUH. East African, Southern and Congolese music have been declining. Also West African Music has done a good job doing some Afro-pop music as DJ Sly and Tata Nkiadi pointed out already. That is the truth. So Shamala, we can only look forward to West African Music.
We are seeing the end of golden era of Congolese Music. It has been gone for some time. I would say that East African music was great during the 1970s and 1980s. Congolese Music was golden from 1980s to mid 2000s.
Congolese music started to become very known in 1980s when Franco and Tabu Ley went to my country USA. That is where you started to see people enjoy Congolese music. Already Europe had some awareness of Congolese music. I would say that Rumba music was great in 1980s with Franco, Bokelo, and Tabu Ley. We call that Rumba Odemba. But then Congolese music became more and more sebene music. Soukous music comes as result of Kanda Bongo Man, Nyboma, Pepe Kalle, Zaiko Langa Langa, and Papa Wemba. 1980s was a great time because you had the Odemba age vs the soukous age. But when the 1990s came, we had the birth of CLAN WENGE. We had Wenge El Paris and Wenge Musica BCBG 4x4. These groups became the new youth while Papa Wemba, Pepe Kalle and others became the old soukous age. Zaiko Langa Langa and Wenge Musica were the groups on top with Zaiko representing the older group with Wenge being the younger version of them. It was about music.
Early and mid 2000s were excellent as well because you had older artists coming back like Tabu Ley's final album Tempelo. You also had return of Bibi Dens, and others. Congolese music was starting to get better. But in 2007, that all changed in my opinion. All the sudden with the controversial election of Joseph Kabila, Congolese music took a major dive. All the sudden Congolese politicians want to get recognition so they ask the artists to help out. That is when the mabanga thing got out of control. Also the white folks had enough of African music as a whole. So this is leading to the end of African music. That is the unfortunate reality but it is the truth.
The only music doing well is West African music because it is English. DUH. East African, Southern and Congolese music have been declining. Also West African Music has done a good job doing some Afro-pop music as DJ Sly and Tata Nkiadi pointed out already. That is the truth. So Shamala, we can only look forward to West African Music.