Koffi Olomide

Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (born July 13, 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and the founder of Quartier Latin International.

Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo," he is noted for his explosive high notes, deep baritone, and offbeat voice.

Agbepa is considered one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music.

His lyrics often explore themes of love, politics, technology, success, infidelity, religion, chicanery, and disillusionment.

Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of the soukous known as Tcha Tcho and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called La Sape alongside Papa Wemba.

Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba was born on July 13, 1956, in Stanleyville (present-day Kisangani), in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), to Aminata Angélique Muyonge and Charles Agbepa.

His mother named him Koffi in homage to his Friday birth.

During school breaks in the mid-1970s, Agbepa returned to Kinshasa and began composing lyrics for various artists in the Zairean music scene, earning him the sobriquet "the most famous student in Zaire" and seizing the attention of Papa Wemba, who had recently departed from Yoka Lokole and was actively engaged as a lyricist.

Agbepa recorded his debut single, "Onia," while on leave in Kinshasa.

Following the establishment of Viva La Musica, he contributed songs such as "Mère Supérieure," "Ebalé Mbongé," and "Aissa Na Zoé".

He grew up in Kinshasa's Lemba commune until his family relocated to Lingwala in 1973.

In his youth, he aspired to become a professional footballer but later pivoted towards music, drawing inspiration from Franco Luambo, Le Grand Kallé, Vicky Longomba, and Tabu Ley Rochereau.

In an interview with Afropop Worldwide, Agbepa shared that "My father told me that I couldn't be a musician, a singer if I didn't get a degree, a license."

In 1974, at 18 years old, he obtained a high school scientific baccalaureate and pursued business studies in southwestern France at the University of Bordeaux.

While on campus, he procured a six-string guitar, self-taught himself to play, and began composing.

Emerging as a ghostwriter for various artists in the Zairean music industry, he gained prominence in 1977 with the release of "Princesse ya Synza," a trio featuring Papa Wemba and King Kester Emeneya.

In mid-1977, alongside Wemba and King Kester Emeneya, he composed "Asso" and "Princesse ya Synza," which garnered him the "Best Singer-songwriter" in Zaire.

In subsequent years, he released songs like "Samba Samba," "Ekoti ya Nzube," "Elengi ya Mbonda," and "Bien Aimée Aniba," with the latter clinching him the "Best Star of Zairian Song".

As he made music during off-peak hours and principally during the holidays, straddling Zaire and France, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business economics in 1980 with his thesis "La commercialisation des matières premières minières du Zaïre, un atout pour celui-ci?".

Following his graduation, Agbepa returned to Kinshasa but could not find employment.

He then returned to Europe in search of work.

After coming back to Zaire in 1982, he established the Historia Musica ensemble alongside Debaba, though their collaboration was ephemeral due to disputes.

Agbepa subsequently toured Brussels to record his debut solo studio album, Ngounda, which was released in 1983.

Ngounda was produced by Roland Leclerc at the Veve studio and included a guest appearance by Josky Kiambukuta.

Agbepa described this experience as his "first experience in a professional studio."

Ngounda received ambivalent critiques, and Agbepa began working on his second studio album, Lady Bo, which was released in 1984 and featured King Kester Emeneya as a guest artist.

His third studio album Diva, arranged by Rigo Bamundélé, was released in 1985 and gained popularity in East Africa, West Africa, and internationally.

Diva introduced Agbepa's Tcha Tcho (also known as "Soukous Love") style of music, a slower, sensuous variant of soukous.

The style was widely emulated by many artists and was notably appealing to young women.

The West Africa Publishing Company described Agbepa's style as "an irresistible concoction".

While working on his forthcoming album Ngobila, he made appearances in the duo albums Olomidé et Yakini Kiese (Olomide and Yakini Kiese) and Olomidé et Fafa de Molokaï (Olomide and Fafa de Molokaï).

In 1986, he established and directed the Quartier Latin International, which accompanied him on stage and in producing his albums since 1992, serving as a launching pad for emerging artists, including Fally Ipupa, Jipson Butukondolo, Deo Brondo, Montana Kamenga, Bouro Mpela, Ferré Gola, Marie-Paul Kambulu, Eldorado Claude, Djuna Fa Makengele, Soleil Wanga, Laudy Demingongo Plus-Plus, Éric Tutsi, and among others.

Ngobila was released in 1986 but did not garner considerable success.

The album's eponymous lead single narrates the poignant tale of a man standing on a port quay, witnessing the departure of his beloved, uncertain if fate would reunite them.

His career experienced a resurgence in 1990 when he signed a record deal with SonoDisc.

With a nearly five-decades-long career, he is the first African artist to sold-out the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy and one of the 12 African artists whose album Haut de Gamme was featured in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Throughout his forty-year career, Agbepa has recorded 28 studio albums, including seven under the Latin Quarter banner, one in collaboration with Papa Wemba, and 18 live albums, amounting to an extensive repertoire of over 300 songs.

He has won seven Kora Awards, including an illustrious quartet during the 2002 Kora Awards for his album Effrakata, including the Best Male Artist of Central Africa, Best Video of Africa, Best Arrangement of Africa, and the Jury Special Award.

In 2013, he founded his label, Koffi Central.

On October 13, 2015, he released 13ième apôtre, a quadruple album comprising forty songs, which he proclaimed to be his final album before later resurfaced with Nyataquance (2017), Légende Millénium (2021), and ''Légende Éd.

Diamond'' (2022).