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Congolese rumba and soukous

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre

Congolese rumba and soukous · Cuban records of son and rumba were popular in Congo in the 1940s. Musicians in Kinshasa made their own music out of them, with interlocking guitar parts and singing in Lingala: Congolese rumba. In 1960 Le Grand Kallé wrote Indépendance Cha Cha, the song of independence, and Franco led OK Jazz for decades. In the 1980s a faster variant, soukous, became popular across Africa and in Paris.

Listening

Listening tip. In Indépendance Cha Cha, hear the Cuban rhythms, the guitars and the vocals celebrating Congo's independence.

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Genres