Makossa Music Guide: A Brief History of Makossa Music

Makossa is a type of Cameroonian pop music that is built on Congolese rumba, funky electric bass guitar, and a brass section. The term "makossa" comes from the Douala word for "dance." It has enjoyed long-standing popularity on the dance floors of Cameroon, West Africa, France, and the French West Indies. In most cases, makossa music is performed in French, Duala, and Cameroonian Pidgin.

The sound of makossa became more widely known to American audiences via the 1972 hit "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango. There are also notable references to makossa music in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" by Michael Jackson and "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" by Shakira.

Makossa music traces its origins to the late 1950s and early 1960s.

• Douala roots: In the late 1950s and 1960s, Cameroonian group Los Calvinos began playing a type of Douala dance music (named for Cameroon's largest city). Lead singer Emmanuel Nelle Eyoum frequently chanted "kossa kossa" within these songs, and this helped give makossa its name.
• Popular recordings: Makossa took off in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Stars of the era included Manu Dibango, André-Marie Tala, Mbarga Soukous, and Mama Ohandja. During this era, bass rhythms picked up, and brass instruments became a more frequent presence in makossa music.
• Stylistic overlap: 1980s makossa artists like Ben Decca and Petit Pays added other musical traditions to the genre. Key among these was zouk from the French Antilles and soukous from Congo. Keyboards and synthesizers also found their way into makossa groups.
• New forms: Today, makossa can still be heard in the dance clubs of Paris, New York, and Douala. Modern makossa is often blended with other popular music genres like hip-hop, reggae, and electronic music.

The makossa music scene has spawned many notable artists.

1. 1. Petit Pays: Petit Pays, who fronts the Les Sans Visas band, is the most popular contemporary makossa artist. Hailing from the Douala neighborhood of Bepanda, Petit Pays incorporates other genres into his brand of makossa. These include French Caribbean zouk, Ghanian highlife, and Congolese soukous.
2. 2. Manu Dibango: Singer and saxophonist Manu Dibango enjoyed worldwide fame for his 1972 song "Soul Makossa," which only increased when American pop singer Michael Jackson added the song's refrain—"mamako, mamasa, maka makossa"—to his hit single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" off of 1982's Thriller LP. Twenty-five years later, Rihanna also incorporated "Soul Makossa" into "Please Don’t Stop the Music."
3. 3. Ben Decca: Ben Decca is a popular makossa singer from Douala who has recorded genre touchstones like 1983's Mbango Muam and 1988's L'Amour A Sens Unique.
4. 4. Grace Decca: The younger sister of Ben Decca, Grace Decca has won numerous Cameroonian music awards for 1998's Appelle-moi-Princesse. In recent years, she has also delved into English-language gospel music.

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