Tabu Ley Rochereau

Tabu Ley Rochereau stands alongside Franco in the pantheon of African and Congolese music. After starting out in Grand Kallé's African Jazz orchestra in the 1950s, Tabu Ley Rochereau developed his own style influenced by Western pop and rhythm'n'blues. Tabu Ley Rochereau launched his own variants of Congolese rumba, notably the highly successful soum djoum. He left the Congo, which had become Zaire, under the dictator Mobutu, and did not return until the latter's fall. Tabu Ley Rochereau pursued his artistic activities while entering the political arena. One of his sons is the rapper Youssoupha. Tabu Ley Rochereau's best songs can be found on numerous compilations, including Rochereau et l'African Fiesta National 1964/1965/1966, his golden age. Father of rapper Youssoupha, Tabu Ley Rochereau died of a stroke on November 30, 2013 at the age of 73.

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