For decades, Congolese music has been king on the African music scene. Many have loved, cried, lived and danced to the rhythms of Congolese beats, from rumba to ballads and ndombolo. Congolese artists are legends that have filled the world’s biggest concert halls. This list explores the ten best Congolese bands and musicians you should listen to.
FRANCO LUAMBO MAKIADI
will forever remain in the collective memory of the Congolese as the undisputed ‘King of Rumba.’ Most commonly referred to as ‘Franco,’ he was nicknamed the ‘Sorcerer of the Guitar’ as he mastered the skills of playing fluidly with seemingly little effort. During a span of 40 years in the music industry, Franco produced over 100 albums and approximately 1000 songs to his name. His music blended Cuban rumba with local Congolese rhythms, attracting both the young and the elderly. Until today, his influence can be heard in local music, and remains popular in nightclubs.
During his lifetime, Seigneur Tabu Ley Rochereau was a prominent Congolese rumba singer, a prolific songwriter, one of the continent’s most important vocalists and a politician. He is also the father of the French rapper Youssoupha and 67 other children. Over the years, Tabu Ley produced 250 music albums and composed around 3000 songs. He was also known as the bandleader of Orchestre Afrisa International. A pioneer in soukous music along with his guitarist Dr Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley also drew on international elements, such as Caribbean, Cuban and Latin American rumba, which he fused with Congolese folk music. He has been described as the ‘African Elvis.’
zaiko langa-langa is a seminal Congolese soukous band which has been popular throughout the decades, surviving until the 2000s. The word Zaiko is a shortened version of the lingala sentence ‘Zaire ya bankoko,’ which translates as ‘Zaire of our ancestors’ with Zaire referring to the river now known as ‘Congo;’ and ‘Langa Langa’ in turn translates as ‘marvelous.’ Known for having a hippie and rebel attitude, the band became a symbol of the post-independence generation. Their large appeal on the youth of the DR Congo, has meant a comparison is often made between them and the Rolling Stones. Over the years, a number of important Soukous artists have joined the band, including Papa Wemba. In 2000, they were recognized as the ‘best Congolese music group of the 20th century’ by the Congolese Media Association.