Makossa
Located in 2 routes
Makossa is Cameroonian dance music associated with Douala, the Duala language and a flexible bass-and-guitar groove that can lean jazz, funk, disco, soukous, zouk or pop. It is sleek but earthy: syncopated bass, bright guitar, brass or synth color and repeated vocal hooks. International listeners often know it through Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa," but the local scene is much wider and more vocal-driven.
History
Makossa developed from Cameroonian urban dance bands, local rhythms, highlife, Congolese rumba, jazz and later funk/disco. Manu Dibango's 1972 "Soul Makossa" became a global hit and one of African pop's most sampled records. Moni Bilé, Bébé Manga, Ben Decca, Eko Roosevelt, Sam Fan Thomas, Petit Pays and others shaped the Cameroonian mainstream, moving makossa from guitar bands into glossy 1980s and 1990s production.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Cameroonian music histories
- makossa reissue catalogs
- artist discographies
- streaming and archival catalog checks