Tonye Jackson

Tonye Jackson, a Bassa man, released three albums in the early 1980s with Makossa, mixed with Congolese influences and Bassa rhythms such as Assiko.

♫ Audio: 1981 – Tonye Jackson – Ngola Libii Exhibition

DISCOGRAPHY

Georges Dickson

Georges Dickson was popular in the second half of the 80s and the first half of the 90s with his "Makozouk" style, a mix of Makossa and Zouk. He scored several hits during those years, including "Kiss Me Doudou", "Crise Economique" and "Ville Morte". In the last two songs, he comments on the economic crisis and the resistance against it, which prevailed in Cameroon around 1990. 

♫ Video Clip: 1990 – Crise economique - Georges Dickson

♫ Video Clip: 1992 – Villes mortes - Georges Dickson

After his 1995 album, Georges Dickson remained silent for several years. At the beginning of the new millennium, he released a few more albums that did not become very well known because of poor distribution. In recent years, with the exception of an occasional video clip, little has been heard from him.

♫ Video Clip: 2012 – Georges Dickson – Ne tirez pas sur l’artiste

♫ Video Clip: 2017 – 3ème Pied - Georges Dickson

DISCOGRAPHY

Maréchal Papillon

Din Din Ferdinand, aka "Maréchal" Papillon, is the promoter of Sakissa, his own form of Makossa, which is characterised by a danceable up-tempo rhythm and Congolese guitar lines. 

In the mid-80s, Papillon took its first steps on the musical path. A few years later he was discovered by Guy Lobe, whose career reached its peak around that time. Lobe arranged Papillon's first LP "Femme sans ambition", which immediately became a hit in Cameroon. 

♫ Video Clip: 1990 - Papillon – Femme sans Ambition 5:36

This success did not go unnoticed in Paris, the epic centre of African music in those years. Papillon attracted the attention of the Paris-based label Air B. Mas Production, which mainly focused on Congolese music, but also recognised the hit potential of the young Papillon.

His next album "L'amour et la misere" was released by Air B. Mas in 1993 with the subtitle Soukous Makossa Love. With this album, Papillon also broke through in Paris and from then on his career took off.

♫ Video Clip: 1993 – l’Amour et la misère 6:07

From then on, Papillon released a constant series of albums - one every eighteen months on average - and scored hits with clock-like regularity. Often these were albums under his own name, but Papillon proved to have an eye for young talent with whom he regularly released albums under the banner of his band "Orchestre Pizza Dance".

In 1996, the USA-based Tinder label released "Femme sans Ambition" as a CD in cooperation with Aladji Toure's TJR label. It was a compilation that also contained 4 tracks from the successful 1990 album "Trouver la Vie" by Petit Pays.

In 2005, his career was at its peak. To celebrate his fifteenth anniversary as an artist, he released a double album "Porc-epic", featuring Jacky Kingue and the Ivorian star Meiway, among others. For his 2009 album "Kamerun", Papillon once again managed to get hold of a big name, no one less than Manu Dibango. 

♫ Video Clip: 2005 – Porc-èpic 8:01 (ft.Jacky Kingue)

♫ Video Clip: 2013 – A Môto 6:48

Unfortunately, Papillon's collaboration with fellow artists also has a dark side. From the start of his career, Papillon has been pursued by accusations of plagiarism, breach of contract and misusing the good names of fellow artists for his own gain.

In the early 1990s, for example, he sold the song "Homme demesure" to the then newly broken Epee & Koum. But before Epee & Koum's album is released in 1993, Papillon releases it himself as 'l'Amour et la misere. In 2006, he got into a conflict with Meiway who accused him of abusing his name. In 2008, Senegalese singer Coumba Gawlo made the same accusation against Papillon. In 2013, the young artist Longue Bille, the little brother of the singer Longue Longue, accused Papillon of stealing the song "A Moto" from him, after letting him know about the song and asking for advice. Finally, Papillon got into conflict with the Dibango heirs last year because he wanted to organise a memorial concert for the late Manu Dibango without the family's consent.

News item: Issue with Epee & Koum

News item: Issue with Meiway

News item: Issue with Coumba Gawlo

News item: Issue with Longue Billè

News item: Issue with family Dibango 

I cannot pass judgment on all these issues, but it is remarkable that Papillon so often gets into such disputes with fellow artists. There is a saying in Dutch: “Where there is smoke, there is fire”. And no matter how you look at it, this kind of publicity does not do his image as an artist any good. And that's a pity, because Papillon, with all his talents, doesn't need this type of publicity.

Unfortunately, I have to end this post with more bad news about Papillon. The singer suffered a stroke early October 2020 from which he is now recovering. Hopefully his recovery will be successful and he will be back on his feet soon!

♫ Video Clip: 2016 – A Môto sur le Cargo 5:53

DISCOGRAPHY

Martino Ngalle

Ngalle Miyenga Martin a.k.a. Martino Ngalle is one of todays most talented young Makossa crooners. Born June 29, 1982 in Mbanga in a musical family, embraced the world of music in 2000 when he returned to continue his studies in Mbanga in the third grade. He joined one of the best orchestras in Moungo called BNG (the New Generation Bao) and created a music club at Mbanga high school. Subsequently he joined the cabarets in Douala, the music school, with several participations in various competitions for “best singer”.

In 2005 he was the winner of “The Class” a competition for the best singer which was organized by Dora Decca. The competition was broadcasted in the local media and the gain that he won was the production of his first album.

Martino has since developed into an artist who can make a living from his work. He has released several albums and is not only distinguished by his vocal qualities but is also gaining more and more praise as a composer and arranger.

♫ Video Clip: 2020 – Martino Ngalle – Vero

♫ Video Clip: 2020 – Martino Ngalle – Tondo Mba

♫ Video Clip: 2014 – Martino Ngalle ft. Tony Nobody – Je sais aimer (remix)

DISCOGRAPHY

Makossa Nostalgie Podcast

Now listen to 5 episodes with over 2 and a half hours of non-stop Makossa Nostalgie on the Makossa Original podcast.

GumbeMundial

 

For those interested in African music. Inspired by the recently released album "Horizonte", from "Bandé-Gamboa", I recently started a new blog GumbeMundial, about "Gumbé", the pop music style of Guinea-Bissau.  

Of course my blogs AfricOriginal  is still "in the air".

Djene Djento

Born in 1963, Djene Djento started his career in the late Seventies as singer in Salle John’s band ‘Les Johnco.’ In the early Eighties he joined the band ‘N’Kumbe’, together with Manulo, Ngoloko Zachée and Patrick Djeky. In 1983 it was also Manulo who signed for the musical direction of Djene Djento’s first solo album Debroussailler. The album became a huge hit in Cameroon, was ‘record of the year' in 1985 and brought Djene Djento a golden record. Several hit albums followed during the Eighties, but after the LP ‘Pompé’, released in 1990 a period of silence followed. In 1999 he was back in the charts with the CD ‘8^e Commandement’ released on the JPS label. In 2018 he announced the release of a new album ‘Vivre Ensemble’.

Today, Djene Djento is no longer making the news with his musical achievements, but by criticizing fellow artists who believe that after more than 40 years it becomes time that President Paul Biya makes way for another.

♫ Videoclip : 1983 Miolo ma mbangisane (Debroussailler) 

Starts after 10 seconds

♫ Audio: 1985 Djangi moni

♫ Audio: 1987 Ndola bwanga

♫ Audio: 1999 8e commandement

DISCOGRAPHY