Papa Wemba was one of the very first musicians to join the influential Soukous band, Zaiko Langa Langa when it was created on December 24, 1969 in Kinshasa (Capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) along with such well known Congolese musicians as Nyoka Longo Jossart, Manuaku Pepe Felly, Evoloko Lay Lay, Teddy Sukamu, Zamuangana Enock, Mavuela Simeon, and others.
In a Congolese musical world dominated at the time by Franco Luambo and his remarkable band TPOK Jazz, Tabu Ley Rochereau's Afrisa, and by then-new musical groups like Les Grands Maquisards, Le Trio Madjesi, and even younger bands like Bella-Bella, Thu Zaina and Empire Bakuba, the young and talented Papa Wemba (then known as Jules Presley Shungu Wembadio), was one of the driving forces that by 1973 made Zaiko Langa Langa one of the most-performing dominant Congolese groups, featuring such popular numbers as "Chouchouna" (Papa Wemba), "Eluzam" and " Mbeya Mbeya" (Evoloko Lay Lay), "BP ya Munu" (Efonge Gina) and "Zania" (Mavuela Somo).
In December 1974, at the pinnacle of their fame (and just a month after the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa), Shungu Wembadio (Papa Wemba), along with Evoloko Lay Lay, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana (who'd joined Zaiko Langa Langa a year earlier), left Zaiko Langa Langa to establish their own musical ensemble Isifi Lokole, ISIFI being an acronym for "Institut de Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles." In July 1975, Shungu Wembadio officially adopted the soon-to-be-well-known worldwide artist name Papa Wemba, the addition of "Papa" (father) an allusion to what were in fact rather awesome family responsiblities as the first son in a family where both father and mother (Wemba's parents) had been deceased since the 1960s.
The "feux d'artifice" (fireworks) that was Isifi Lokole would only last a year, with the single "Amazone" (Papa Wemba) as its biggest commercial "hit" record. In November 1975, Papa Wemba, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana abandoned Evoloko Lay Lay and Isifi Lokole to create the group Yoka Lokole (also known as The Kinshasha All-Stars, or Lokole Isifi, or simply Isifi), along with Mbuta Mashakado, another Zaiko Langa Langa 'transfusion.' Yoka Lokole enjoyed slightly less popular success than the original Isifi Lokole, but for a time still managed to remain at the top the African pop music wave with hit songs like "Matembele Bangui", "Lisuma ya Zazu" (Papa Wemba), "Mavuela Sala Keba", and "Bana Kin" (Mavuela Somo).
Like Isifi Lokole, the electronic-instrument driven Yoka Lokole (or The Kinshasha All-Stars) would not last much longer than a year, given the merger of so many big-name talents in the band's lineup. After a year of modest success, controversies within Yoka Lokole over money and prestige (complicated by Wemba's arrest and brief incarceration in Kinshasa Central prison in December 1976 for the 'crime' of being suspected of having had physical intimacy with an influential army general's daughter) would lead Papa Wemba, then feeling diminished by peers and neglected by the public, to form his own group Viva la Musica in February 1977.
At his home in the Matonge neighborhood of Kinshasa, Papa Wemba structured Viva la Musica around young talented artists like singers Kisangani Esperant, Jadot le Cambodgien, Pepe Bipoli and Petit Aziza, guitarists Rigo Star, Syriana, and Bongo Wende. The group had nearly instantaneous success, with hit songs like "Mere Superieure," "Mabele Mokonzi," "Bokulaka," "Princesse ya Sinza," and others.
During the height of his success in 1977, Papa Wemba's family home, which had become a popular, some even said hallowed/special place for Matonge youths to gather "à la mode" (i.e., to be cool) was named the "Village Molokai," and Wemba assumed the exalted moniker "Chef Coutumier" (Chief) of the Village of Molokai. In those days people referred to Papa Wemba as the "chief from the heartland (village)" to differentiate him from Kinshasa-born musical bigshots Mavuela Somo and Mashakado. However years later Mavuela would say that their difficulties only simply amounted to trivial foolishness over money, ambition and fame between some very-young people (that at the time they all were).
Since 1977, Viva la Musica has seen both the 'defections' of musicians every two or three years and the entrée and emergence of other new talents. King Kester Emeneya (1977-1982), Koffi Olomide (1978-1979), Djuna Djanana (1978-1981), Dindo Yogo (1979-1981), Maray-Maray (1980-1984), Lidjo Kwempa (1982-2001), Reddy Amissi (1982-2001), Stino Mubi (1983-2001) are among the currently well-known Congolese musicians who have served at one time or another with Viva la Musica. An old Kinshasa anecdote says that a college student then-named Antoine Agbepa Koffi was such an impressive songwriter that one day in 1977 Papa Wemba exhorted, "Ooh! l'homme idee" (Oh! the idea-man!) thereby on-the-spot renaming the impressive young singer-songwriter Koffi 'Olomide'--and the name stuck!
After the wave of African emigration to Europe in the 1990s, Wemba maintained one group in Kinshasa (called at times "Nouvelle Ecriture," "Nouvel Ecrita," and now again "Viva la Musica") and another one in Paris ("Nouvelle Generation," "La Cour des Grands," and now "Viva Tendance"). He has also consistently maintained a very high profile in World Music with such great hits as "L'Esclave" (1986), "Le Voyageur, Maria Valencia" (1992), "Foridoles, Dixieme Commandement" (1994), "Emotion" (1995), "Pole Position" (1996), "Fula Ngenge" (1999), "Bakala dia Kuba" (2001), and "Somo Trop" (2003). Many would assign Wemba the status of African-music "living legend," as few others in history could claim (Franco Luambo, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Miriam Makeba certainly among them).
Papa Wemba is also known as an actor. In 1987, he played the male lead role in the successful Zairean (Congolese) film La Vie est Belle by Belgian director Benoit Lami and Congolese producer-director Ngangura Mweze.
Nakokite
Papa Wemba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna love you girl (love girl, love you girl)
Ay-o-oh uh-uh-uh-uh hey
I wanna love you girl, oive girl
Nakokite yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah-yeah yeah-yeah
Hmm ko kabwana na yo (yo)
Ya monéné nga na kutani n'a ngo eh
Ya monéné nga nga nayoki molungué
Tala tina ye ba benga manzenguelin ya molili
Tala tina ba bengaka ye singa ekangaka moyibi
Ye aza Mado epata silencieux
Ye azo, azo boma nga mawa tein
Nakokite yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah
Ya monéné nga na kutani n'ango eh
Ya monéné na kangami n'ango oh
Soki'a meka nganga (kende nayo)
Soki'a meka seka oh (kende nayo)
Soki'a meka denda oh (kende nayo)
Théodore puis mon carte (kende na yo)
Soki'a meka'o loba oh (kende nayo)
Soki'a meka nzemba oh (kende nayo)
Soki'a meka lamba (kende nayo)
C'est dégât c'est dedans bina se malembé
Sika awa malembé
Bina se malembé
Sika awa malembe (malembé eh)
Nakokite yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah
Magalie eh tala nga na leli'awa oh
Na'o koka te oh
Non non kotika té, kotika té
Tala nga na leli'awa oh
Kotika, kotika tsé
Tala nga na leli'awa oh
(C'est dedans, c'est dedans, c'est dégât c'est dedans)
Kotika té, kotika té
Kotika té nazo lula, nazo lula yo
Kotika té, kotika té
Tala nga na leli'awa eh (kotika té, kotika té)
Tala nga na leli'awa oh (kotika té, kotika té)
Nakokite yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah
Nakokite yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah yeah
Nakokite yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah yeah-yeah
The song Nakokite by Papa Wemba is a love song that expresses the singer's desire to love and be with his love interest. The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, is an exclamation of the singer's love interest's name, Nakokite, followed by yeah-yeahs, and he declares his wish to love her. In the first verse, the singer mentions a person known as Mado, who is described as quiet, and the singer declares that Mado will not prevent him from pursuing his love interest. The second verse includes several phrases in Lingala that suggest the singer is asking his love interest to dance with him, and he describes a chaotic scene where people are making noise and having fun. The song ends with the singer continuing to declare his love interest's name and expressing his desire to be with her.
Overall, Nakokite is a straightforward and upbeat love song with a catchy chorus that expresses the singer's desire to be with his love interest, despite any obstacles that may arise.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna love you girl (love you girl, love you girl)
The singer expresses his desire to love a girl.
Ay-o-oh uh-uh-uh-uh hey
This line is a rhythmic exclamation used to express the emotion of the song's opening lines.
I wanna love you girl, oive girl
The singer reiterates his desire to love the girl in question.
Nakokite yeah yeah
The repeated phrase 'Nakokite yeah yeah' is a refrain designed to keep the song's energy high.
Hmm ko kabwana na yo (yo)
The singer acknowledges his intention to 'belong' to the girl being addressed in the song.
Ya monené nga na kutani na ngo eh
The singer declares that he already knows this girl and they have met before.
Ya monené nga nga nayoki molungué
The singer admits that he is enamored with this girl and that she has charmed him.
Tala tina ye ba benga manzenguelin ya molili
The singer describes the way others may talk about the girl, with references to her beauty or other appealing qualities.
Tala tina ba bengaka ye singa ekangaka moyibi
The singer suggests that people may be jealous of him and the girl because of their connection, and may try to cause trouble.
Ye aza Mado epata silencieux
The song discusses a man named Mado who is described as 'quiet' or 'silent' - it is unclear what this refers to specifically.
Ye azo, azo boma nga mawa tein
The singer warns that Mado may bring him trouble or challenge him in some way, but that he is not afraid.
Ya monené nga na kutani n'ango eh
The singer reiterates that he has met this girl before and knows her well.
Ya monené na kangami n'ango oh
The singer suggests that he and the girl have a deep connection and understand each other well.
Soki'a meka nganga (kende nayo)
The singer describes his desire to be with the girl at all times, using playful language ('kende nayo') to express himself.
Soki'a meka seka oh (kende nayo)
The singer suggests that he and the girl have fun together and enjoy each other's company ('seka' means to laugh or have fun).
Soki'a meka denda oh (kende nayo)
The singer hints at more sensual activities with the girl ('denda' likely refers to sex).
Théodore puis mon carte (kende na yo)
The meaning of this phrase is unclear - it may be a reference to someone or something that is important to the singer and the girl.
Soki'a meka'o loba oh (kende nayo)
The singer suggests that he and the girl have deep conversations and share their thoughts and feelings with each other ('loba' means to speak or communicate).
Soki'a meka nzemba oh (kende nayo)
The singer implies that he and the girl get along very well ('nzemba' means to get along or have a good relationship).
Soki'a meka lamba (kende nayo)
The phrase 'soki'a meka lamba' is unclear, but it may refer to activities that the singer enjoys doing with the girl.
C'est dégât c'est dedans bina se malembé
This phrase is difficult to translate, but it may be a warning about the damage that can be caused when people get too close.
Sika awa malembé
This phrase is also difficult to translate, but it may be an expression of regret or resignation about the difficulties that come with love and relationships.
Magalie eh tala nga na leli'awa oh
The singer mentions a woman named Magalie, but it's unclear what this means in the context of the song.
Na'o koka te oh
The phrase 'na'o koka te oh' is unclear in meaning, but it is likely related to Magalie and the singer's relationship with her.
Non non kotika té, kotika té
The singer repeats this phrase to create a catchy, rhythmic effect - it does not have a specific meaning in this context.
Tala nga na leli'awa oh
The singer repeats this refrain to indicate that he is focused on the girl being addressed in the song.
Kotika, kotika tsé
The phrase 'kotika, kotika tsé' does not have a clear meaning in this context, but it may be a call to action or a warning of some kind.
(C'est dedans, c'est dedans, c'est dégât c'est dedans)
This phrase may refer back to an earlier warning about the dangers of getting too close, or it may suggest that there is damage or danger present within the singer himself.
Kotika té, kotika té
The singer repeats this phrase to create a rhythmic effect, but it does not have a clear meaning in this context.
Kotika té nazo lula, nazo lula yo
The singer suggests that he is taking action to fix something, but it's unclear what the problem is or what he is doing to solve it.
Tala nga na leli'awa eh (kotika té, kotika té)
The singer once again repeats the refrain to emphasize his focus on the girl being addressed in the song.
Contributed by Samantha V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ausitogustavo6719
Grande e imortal cantor Papa Wemba. Letras com significados educativos e construtivos. Parabéns pela conservação deste tesouro cultural africano.
@ketsiasheda7480
PAPA Wemba mon musicien préféré ❤️
@sharondede4240
BEAUTIFUL WOW
@sharondede4240
SUKAAAAAAAALLLLLIII
@sokotivenezikadecampotino6815
Énorme