Madilu was 19 when he started his career in Kinshasa’s thriving music scene in 1969. Over the next fifteen years he sang with Orchestre Symba, Papa Noel’s Orchestre Bambula, Sam Mangwana’s Festival des Maquisards and his own Orchestre Bakuba Mayopi, but his career thus far neither revealed nor promised anything out of the ordinary (in an extraordinary milieu). It was Franco who made a star of Madilu System (as the big man had dubbed him). "Mamou (Tu Vois)," the record that introduced the new T.P.O.K. Jazz singer, was a hit in 1984. Madilu followed that up with his own composition for the band, "Pesa Position." Then came "Mario" and "Reponse de Mario" in ‘85 and perhaps the best of the Franco-Madilu duets, "La Vie des Hommes" in ’86.
Congo has bred singers with more impressive range, more force or sweeter tone than Madilu, but very few who sang with his expressiveness, his ability to vivify character with his voice. It was this quality that Franco appreciated so well. He and Madilu shared the lead vocals on many of Franco’s story-songs, Franco singing the narrative and Madilu assuming the role of the protagonist.
When Franco died in 1989, T.P.O.K. Jazz ceased making music for one year, then came together again with Madilu as one of the leaders. In the ensuing years he was a key participant in several of the band’s reunions on stage and in the studio, but at the same time he established himself as an independent artist. Of all the T.P.O.K. Jazz veterans, perhaps only Sam Mangwana had a stronger solo career than Madilu – and Madilu, unlike Sam, never lost his huge fan base in Kinshasa, even while he lived in Paris and Geneva. And yet he always remained an avid collaborator. Some of his best records were duets with peers such as Pépé Kallé, Nyboma Mwan-dido, M’bilia Bel and Josky Kiambukuta. In 2006 he joined the Congolese supergroup Kékélé for Tapale, one of the highlights of the album Kinavana, and in 2007 he reprised “Mario” in a stellar cameo with Africando. His voice was deeper and even huskier than it had been in the original recording, but if anything he rode that war-horse with even more panache than he had 22 years earlier.
Madilu System released a new album, La Bonne Humeur, the summer of 2006, and the first impression of many listeners was that it might be the finest of his career. He went to Kinshasa at the beginning of august 2007 to film videos of his new songs. He collapsed Friday the 10th of August and was taken to the University Hospital, where he died the next morning.
Nzele
Madilu System Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(When i loved u Nzele, there were no witnesses)
Namituni solo tokabwani, mikolo mibale nga nakamwa
(I ask myself if indeed we broke-up within two days.am surprised)
Nasala nioso mpo nazua yo
(I am trying my best to woo you)
Zabolo ye akokabola biso
(It is the devil's work to separate us)
(He tried to feed u with the forbiden fruit-(decieve)
Nzele olandi mabe eva asala
(Nzele like Eve, U've repeated the same mistake she did (at the garden of Eden)
Somo oh somo oh
(This is frightening, ooh very upsetting indeed.)
Vertige esali nga nzele,
(An engulfed in some kind of giddiness/dizziness my dear)
Motema eziki makila ya nzoto esopani molimo ekomi kaina
(My heart is hurt, blood dripped and Cain's spirit has taken over)
Nalingi nayeba soki tolingana
(I wud like to know if we are still in love)
Nalingi bayeba basusu basala zua
(Let's show them haters)
Nzele motema na ngai wa bolingo
(That Nzele you are my sweet-heart)
Ebongi o decider amour motindo wana, nzele eeh
(It will be much better if you loved this way, Nzele)
Batela mibeko nga nakopesa yo
(Follow the recommendations I give u)
Soki obebisi lelo bango baseka
(failure to which they-haters- will laugh at us)
Nga madilu balinga ngai mingi na quartier
(I Madilu, i am the darling in the neigbourhood)
Ntina nini basalela nga na yo likita bozoba
(How comes they meet n Grapevine about us-Idiocy)
Ooh bozoba, Ooh bozoba,
(This is stupidity,. Foolishness)
Mongali Iena, Mongali Iena, mongali ….Iena
Mongali mi nakufa na mabaya
(Mongali luk am dying coz of the wrong reasons)
Moto na moto bakutani
(some people meet)
Bazali se kobenda bolingo na makanisi
(Just cause 'stress' in love relationships)
Ye ye ye ye ye eh nga nasila
(Oh am finished!)-
The song Nzele by Madilu System is a contemplative expression of love gone sour. The artist reflects on his relationship with Nzele and how it ended seemingly abruptly without any witnesses. He questions whether they really broke up within two days, and expresses how much he still desires her. He believes that the devil is at work trying to separate them, and accuses Nzele of repeating the same mistake that Eve did in the Garden of Eden, by falling for the temptation.
He's engulfed in some kind of dizzy and frightening feeling, and his heart is hurt, bleeding with the weight of the love that he still holds for Nzele. He wants to know if they are still in love, and wants to show their haters by following his recommendations. He calls himself the darling of the neighborhood, and questions why people talk about them in the grapevine, wondering if it's all just stupidity.
The song is full of passion and emotion, and Madilu System's voice is both soothing and powerful in conveying the message of the song. The lyrics are poetic and thoughtful, reflecting the artist's depth of understanding of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
olinga nalingaki yo Nzele, batémoin bazalaki te…
When I loved you Nzele, there were no witnesses.
Namituni solo tokabwani, mikolo mibale nga nakamwa
I am asking myself if indeed we broke-up within two days. I am surprised.
Nasala nioso mpo nazua yo
I am trying my best to woo you.
Zabolo ye akokabola biso
It is the devil's work to separate us.
Ameki mpe aleisa yo mbuma,
He tried to deceive you by feeding you with the forbidden fruit.
Nzele olandi mabe eva asala
Nzele, like Eve, you have repeated the same mistake she did at the garden of Eden.
Somo oh somo oh
This is frightening, ooh very upsetting indeed.
Vertige esali nga nzele,
I am engulfed in some kind of giddiness/dizziness, my dear.
Motema eziki makila ya nzoto esopani molimo ekomi kaina
My heart is hurt, blood is dripping and Cain's spirit has taken over.
Nalingi nayeba soki tolingana
I would like to know if we are still in love.
Nalingi bayeba basusu basala zua
Let's show them haters.
Nzele motema na ngai wa bolingo
That Nzele, you are my sweetheart.
Ebongi o decider amour motindo wana, nzele eeh
It will be much better if you loved this way, Nzele.
Batela mibeko nga nakopesa yo
Follow the recommendations I give you.
Soki obebisi lelo bango baseka
Failure to do so, they - haters - will laugh at us.
Nga madilu balinga ngai mingi na quartier
I, Madilu, am the darling in the neighborhood.
Ntina nini basalela nga na yo likita bozoba
Why do they talk about us in grapevine? It is idiocy.
Ooh bozoba, Ooh bozoba,
Oh, this is stupidity and foolishness.
Mongali Iena, Mongali Iena, mongali ….Iena
Mongali, I am dying because of the wrong reasons.
Mongali mi nakufa na mabaya
Mongali, look, I am dying because of the wrong reasons.
Moto na moto bakutani
Some people meet.
Bazali se kobenda bolingo na makanisi
Just cause 'stress' in love relationships.
Ye ye ye ye ye eh nga nasila
Oh, I am finished!
Contributed by Isaiah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mimi
Who exactly did backing vocals for this song?
Steve
RigoStar Bamundele.Mature Solo.
@boazkoech1454
olinga nalingaki yo Nzele, batémoin bazalaki te…
(When i loved u Nzele, there were no witnesses)
Namituni solo tokabwani, mikolo mibale nga nakamwa
(I ask myself if indeed we broke-up within two days.am surprised)
Nasala nioso mpo nazua yo
(I am trying my best to woo you)
Zabolo ye akokabola biso
(It is the devil's work to separate us)
Ameki mpe aleisa yo mbuma,
(He tried to feed u with the forbiden fruit-(decieve)
Nzele olandi mabe eva asala
(Nzele like Eve, U've repeated the same mistake she did (at the garden of Eden)
Somo oh somo oh
(This is frightening, ooh very upsetting indeed.)
Vertige esali nga nzele,
(An engulfed in some kind of giddiness/dizziness my dear)
Motema eziki makila ya nzoto esopani molimo ekomi kaina
(My heart is hurt, blood dripped and Cain's spirit has taken over)
Nalingi nayeba soki tolingana
(I wud like to know if we are still in love)
Nalingi bayeba basusu basala zua
(Let's show them haters)
Nzele motema na ngai wa bolingo
(That Nzele you are my sweet-heart)
Ebongi o decider amour motindo wana, nzele eeh
(It will be much better if you loved this way, Nzele)
Batela mibeko nga nakopesa yo
(Follow the recommendations I give u)
Soki obebisi lelo bango baseka
(failure to which they-haters- will laugh at us)
Nga madilu balinga ngai mingi na quartier
(I Madilu, i am the darling in the neigbourhood)
Ntina nini basalela nga na yo likita bozoba
(How comes they meet n Grapevine about us-Idiocy)
Ooh bozoba, Ooh bozoba,
(This is stupidity,. Foolishness)
Mongali Iena, Mongali Iena, mongali ….Iena
Mongali mi nakufa na mabaya
(Mongali luk am dying coz of the wrong reasons)
Moto na moto bakutani
(some people meet)
Bazali se kobenda bolingo na makanisi
(Just cause 'stress' in love relationships)
Ye ye ye ye ye eh nga nasila
(Oh am finished!)-
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@euginemasindesimiyu3856
Please try to incorporate lyrics, kindly. Thank you.
@abrahamotara1907
Marilyn system...real music
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Ppp
@onyangoolony
2nd January 2024 nostalgic I miss 🇰🇪 but am loving 🇨🇦
Likes please 🙏
@osimanmabhachi5047
Makes mw cry..used to listen to this when i was in Rwanda in 2012