I live in the states and get to listen to a lot music from all over the world and have still yet to find anything as close to what we can do with the guitar. Just wondering if weMre biased when we say that because of the fact we grew up with the music lr are we really a few light years ahead? Are we buggin or what? Wish we had europeans on the forum and people from the rest of the world on the forum so we could really get to the bottom of this

It's not just you; I've listened to most, if not all the Western musical pieces that are considered the "greatest ever" Rock, Pop, R&B, French Chanson, Hip-Hop, Jazz and more, and while it's some are indeed very good, nothing gives me better muscial satisfation than listening at a great Congolese album.

The way the guitar is played in sebene and rhumba, no body can match it, with the exception of some Western African groups. Many East African groups try to emulate the style, but it's just not the same.

Name a Western gutarist that play a guitar with the speed and precision like Flamme Kapaya here:

Or Auguy Lutula here:


Western people just aren't open to music styles their not familiar with, especially from places they call the 3rd world.

And honestly I think the whole "World" music genre is bullshit because all of those people are occasion listeners. They buy a few world albums to feel cultured, maybe attend a few WOMAD festivals, then they go back right to listening to their regular white people music. - That's what people Wemba and Kanda Bongo Man learned the hard way. Also in part why Youssou N'dour makes occasional appearances on the international scene and mostly makes traditional Mbalax music for Senegalese and Africans.

I always see these articles on music sites about best "Gutarists of all time"- and it's all Rock genre artists from the 60's/70's/80's. Theorictally speaking, if those "guitar legends" (in their prime) were to show up at Congolese replacing the solo, they would have a very hard time keeping up to the fast pace. They'd also get tired as Congolese concerts are longer, in addition to the fast pace.

@Bencuri I believe is British, so it'd be great to hear what he has to say

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ..... My below statements have nothing to do with racism and i am not a racist...

This is all MUSIC.

WHY DO YOU THINK AFRICAN MUSIC IS SIDELINED IN THE US..

The day they start promoting these guys will be the End of most of their Stars..??

I seldom get to listen to most of the song Especially those produced after 2000.

And if one manages to get a nice tune from US - follow up on the musician or producer and will definitely notice that both or one is not purely from US.

so many american guitarists KNOW how well congolese play the guitar and have come to study under them. i dont know so much about in the 2000s-10s but i know for sure big time white artists like paul simon and eric clapton have done this in the 70s and 80s.

as for why african music is being kept out of the united states, the united states is the most xenophobic country when it comes to entertainment and music. part of it is the keep the lie alive that no place is greater than the united states. that includes our entertainment.  if african music had its own main stream space it wouldn't be the end of artists from the united states it would just mean the mindstate of the people would be more open to the idea of african people 1) not being savages 2) actually being rich and having money and large homes and nice cars etc 3) it would make american people more open minded to africa as a place to go and perhaps even live. these are all thing this country philosophically does not want to see because it would damage these stereotypes.

if you notice in the U.S. every 10 or so years there is a 'latin explosion' and also a few hits from 'the caribbean' (most times a jamaican dancehall or reggae song) and then they disappear from the collective consciousness of the people. they're trying to bring in the 'afrobeat' but the videos that have been coinciding with these afrobeat songs (the french montana song for example) the songs are being done by america artists not african ones. the internet is the only reason why american people are even privy to any of this now adays.

let's not get carried away though that united states musicians don't exist or are horrible and can't keep up musically. the guitar is definitely the specialty of the congolese and they have inspired the world with their techniques.

Talking about documentary films here is one for Mzee Papa Wemba.




Back to the topic, i remember watching one documentary were Grande Maitre Franco was asked whether he agrees that congolese rumba music is superior to other music genres worldwide and his answer was in the affirmative. He went  on to justify his answer by saying its not easy to compose a song of 8 plus minutes while keeping the harmony in the song and all the music instruments remaining audible relevant.  I concur with Grande Maitre.

so many american guitarists KNOW how well congolese play the guitar and have come to study under them. i dont know so much about in the 2000s-10s but i know for sure big time white artists like paul simon and eric clapton have done this in the 70s and 80s.

Could you provide video examples? I've been looking. Yes, I know Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, also Ry Cooder have played rhumba, but this was the slower pace, often Cuban sounding rhumba of the 60's-70's

Think @brazzaboy is referring to modern sebene guitar and it's speed. There are many white guitarists on YT who have demonstrated their knowledge and skill, but the folks who are considered the "best" (Rock) and most famous just don't know about the modern style on Congolese guitarists.

Talking about documentary films here is one for Mzee Papa Wemba.

lol, if ever a documentary did a giant disservice to the lead figure this is it. Bad example because the BBC made Wemba and Congolese Europe look like lies, cheats, and steals with no morals.

so many american guitarists KNOW how well congolese play the guitar and have come to study under them. i dont know so much about in the 2000s-10s but i know for sure big time white artists like paul simon and eric clapton have done this in the 70s and 80s.

Could you provide video examples? I've been looking. Yes, I know Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, also Ry Cooder have played rhumba, but this was the slower pace, often Cuban sounding rhumba of the 60's-70's

Think @brazzaboy is referring to modern sebene guitar and it's speed. There are many white guitarists on YT who have demonstrated their knowledge and skill, but the folks who are considered the "best" (Rock) and most famous just don't know about the modern style on Congolese guitarists.

no i don't have any video. i read about this years ago. my father who also studies the music and his good friend pepe felly (yes that pepe felly) has also said the same thing. what they played was slower paced because they could never duplicate what they heard lol a testament to the congolese and our place in the world of music

They cannot dance!!! ?

Mwana Nsalu is right listen to Drake & Wizkid song or the Unforgettable song by French Montana ft Swae Lee which was turned in Uganda @ Kampala, the crazy fact is that is golden disc in Italy and Platinum in United States two of the most racist country
Being a black Italian all I can say is that everything that a guy with a white skin does and a black american does is considered as golden by Italians but whatever does an African guy is seen as shitty, for example there is a guy called Rovazzi who make comedy music and got 100 million views on YiuTube being white while a guy from Ghana who does the sa.e thing got death threat and can't do concerts anymore that's the racism in Western world so we have to get used to it

Talking about documentary films here is one for Mzee Papa Wemba.

lol, if ever a documentary did a giant disservice to the lead figure this is it. Bad example because the BBC made Wemba and Congolese Europe look like lies, cheats, and steals with no morals.

@Matebu isnt that crazy that thats pretty much the only documentary on our music? (other than the few documentaries about Franco of course)

Talking about documentary films here is one for Mzee Papa Wemba.

lol, if ever a documentary did a giant disservice to the lead figure this is it. Bad example because the BBC made Wemba and Congolese Europe look like lies, cheats, and steals with no morals.

@Matebu isnt that crazy that thats pretty much the only documentary on our music? (other than the few documentaries about Franco of course)