Credits:

Papa Wemba

Description:

Papa Wemba's late works, full of communal atmospherePapa Wemba was one of the leading African musicians who made a name for himself during the world music boom. His shocking death on April 24, 2016, five years ago, when he suddenly collapsed and died while performing in Abidjan, shocked even African music fans at the time. This is a mini album of five songs that Papa Wemba left behind in his later years. Papa Wemba (1949-2016) was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as the Belgian Congo, and burst onto the scene in the late 1960s as an original member of the legendary band "Zaiko Langa Langa," becoming a national sensation. In 1977, he started his own band, Viva La Musica, and created "rumba rock," a rock-oriented build-up of Congolese pop music, which was then called "Lingala pop," and gained overwhelming support, especially among the younger generation. In the 80's, he was introduced to the world as one of the leading African musicians along with Yussou and Salif, and in 1986, he made his first tour of Japan.In 1988, "Papa Wemba" by Martin Masonier became a worldwide hit, and in the 1990s, he released three albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, and continued to be active between France and the Congo. However, in the 2000s, he was imprisoned for pandering to illegal immigrants, and his activities stagnated for a while, but around 2010, he became active again, releasing several albums for the global market, such as "Our Father Rumba" and "Maitre d'ecole". Then, in 2015, one year before his death, he produced this work, "Mai Ya Pembe," probably for French immigrants and the local Congolese market. Although this work was made in his later years, the powerful sound and trebly vocals are still the same Papa Wemba of yesteryear. He was in his mid-sixties at the time, but his youthfulness is so impressive that it is hard to believe that he would have died on stage a year later. Although the album is billed as a mini-album with five songs, many of the tracks are actually around 10 minutes long, making it a total of 41 minutes in length, so it could easily be called a full album. In addition, the accompanying DVD (PAL format / Region 2) shows young Congolese women dancing in a sexy manner and is full of attractions.It is a very entertaining film. Although the quality of the recordings and images is not world-class, the communal atmosphere of the film, including this point, is a major attraction of the film. It is definitely enjoyable for Congolese music fans.

Tracklisting:

1. PENITENCE
2. EST-CE-QUE
3. KEBO
4. SIX MILLIONS DES SOUCIS
5. REFERENCES