With a multi-octave vocal range and a dynamic stage presence, the 190 cm (6 feet 3 inches) and 136 kg (300 pound) vocalist recorded more than three hundred songs and twenty albums during his two decade-long career. Known affectionately as "the elephant of African music" and "La Bombe Atomique", Kalle entertained audiences with his robust performances.
His musical career started with African Jazz, the band of Grand Kalle. He later become the lead singer of Lipua Lipua, where he sung alongside Nyboma Mwandido. In 1972, Kalle along with Dilu Dilumona and Papy Tex, left Lipua Lipua to form their own band named Empire Bakuba. Empire Bakuba took its name from a Congolese warrior tribe, and it pointedly incorporated rootsy rhythms from the interior, sounds that had long been sidelined by popular rumba. The band was an instant hit, and together with Zaïko Langa Langa they became Kinshasa's most popular youth band. With hits such as Pepe Kalle's Dadou and Papy Tex's Sango ya mawa, the band was a constant fixture on the charts. They also created a new dance, the kwassa kwassa.
On their tenth anniversary in 1982, the band was voted Zaïre's top group. Throughout the early 1980s, Empire Bakuba continued to tour extensively while releasing no less than four albums a year. By the mid eighties, they had a large following throughout Francophone Central and West Africa. His 1986 collaboration with Nyboma labelled Zouke-zouke was one of the years top selling albums. But it was his second collaboration with Nyboma, Moyibi (1988), which launched his popularity throughout Africa.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kalle fused elements of the fast paced version of soukous produced in Paris studios. His 1990 album, Roger Milla, a tribute to the exploits of the great Camerounian footballer, is a classic example of this arrangement.
In 1992 the band faced its first major calamity when Emoro, the band's dancing dwarf, died while on tour in Botswana. Despite this setback, Pepe Kalle's popularity continued to soar in the nineties as he released albums like Gigantafrique, Larger than life, and Cocktail. He also collaborated with other legends like Lutumba Simaro and Nyoka Longo.
Pepe Kalle died of a heart attack in November 1998.
Gerant
Pepe Kalle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con quien a venido, señorita
Si ha venido solita
Yo la puedo acompañar
Digame usted
Con quien a venido, señorita
Si ha venido solita
Pa' que no se sienta sola
Pa' que baile conmigo
Puedo ser tu amante,
Puedo ser tu amigo.
Pero yo quiero saber,
Tu que si eres niña buena
O si eres niña mala
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
Si tu eres niña buena
O tu eres niña mala
Angelito o diabla, señorita digame
Digame usted
Con quien ha venido, señorita
Si ha venido solita
Yo la puedo acompañar
Digame usted
Con quien ha venido, señorita
Si ha venido solito
Yo la puedo acompañar
Pa' que no se sienta sola
Pa' que baile conmigo
Puedo ser tu amante,
Puedo ser tu amigo
Pero yo quiero saber
Tu que si eres niña buena
O si eres niña mala
Angelito o diabla, señorita digame
Si tu eres niña buena
O tu eres niña mala
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
Digame usted, que debo yo hacer
Señorita la quiero conocer
Y llevarla a mi casa
Pa' llenarla de placer
Digame usted, que debo yo hacer
Señorita la quiero conocer
Y estar con usted hasta el amanecer
Ey! Cuentame un poco señorita,
Lo que le gusta hacer mamasita
Si tranquilita o inquieta,
Cara de santa, sonrisa de traviesa,
Con esa ropa mami te ves tan coqueta
Conejita de Playboy muñeca,
Noventa sesenta noventa,
De esa locura mami esta que revienta
Digame usted
Con quien ha venido señorita
Si ha venido solita
Yo la puedo acompañar
Pa' que no se sienta sola
Pa' que baile conmigo
Puedo ser tu amante
Puedo ser tu amigo
Pero yo quiero saber
Tu que si eres niña buena
O si eres niña mala
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
Si tu eres niña buena
O tu eres niña mala
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
The lyrics to Pepe Kalle's song "Gerant" are about a man trying to approach a woman and figure out what type of person she is. The chorus repeats the question "Angelito o diabla, señorita digame" which translates to "Little angel or devil, madam tell me" in English. The man wants to know if she is a good girl or a bad girl because he wants to know if she is worth pursuing romantically. The lyrics also express the man's desire to make the woman feel comfortable in his company, offering to be her friend or lover.
Throughout the song, Pepe Kalle uses poetic language and wordplay to describe the woman's appearance and character. He calls her a "cara de santa, sonrisa de traviesa" which means "face of a saint, smile of a mischief-maker" and tells her "con esa ropa mami te ves tan coqueta" which translates to "with those clothes mommy, you look so flirtatious". The song is set to an upbeat Congolese rumba rhythm, which is a type of dance music popular in Africa.
Overall, "Gerant" is a song that speaks to the universal experience of trying to make a romantic connection with someone new. The lyrics explore the tension between wanting to get to know someone better and not wanting to risk being hurt. The music and Pepe Kalle's vocal performance add energy and emotion to the song, making it an enduring classic of African popular music.
Line by Line Meaning
Digame usted
The singer is addressing the woman and urging her to talk to him.
Con quien a venido, señorita
The singer wants to know if the woman has come alone or with someone.
Si ha venido solita
The singer wants to confirm if the woman has come alone.
Yo la puedo acompañar
The singer is offering to accompany the woman so she doesn't feel lonely.
Pa' que no se sienta sola
The singer wants to keep the woman company so she doesn't feel lonely.
Pa' que baile conmigo
The singer wants the woman to dance with him.
Puedo ser tu amante,
The singer is suggesting he can be the woman's lover.
Puedo ser tu amigo.
The singer is suggesting he can be the woman's friend.
Pero yo quiero saber
The singer expresses curiosity and wants to know more about the woman.
Tu que si eres niña buena
The singer wonders if the woman is a good girl.
O si eres niña mala
The singer wonders if the woman is a bad girl.
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
The singer wants to know if the woman is an angel or devil.
Digame usted, que debo yo hacer
The singer is asking the woman what he should do to get to know her better.
Señorita la quiero conocer
The singer expresses a desire to get to know the woman.
Y llevarla a mi casa
The singer wants to take the woman to his house.
Pa' llenarla de placer
The singer is suggesting that he wants to please the woman physically.
Ey! Cuentame un poco señorita,
The singer is urging the woman to tell him more about herself.
Lo que le gusta hacer mamasita
The singer wants to know the woman's interests and what she likes to do.
Si tranquilita o inquieta,
The singer wants to know if the woman is calm or restless.
Cara de santa, sonrisa de traviesa,
The singer is complimenting the woman's innocent face and mischievous smile.
Con esa ropa mami te ves tan coqueta
The singer is complementing the woman's outfit and saying she looks flirty.
Conejita de Playboy muñeca,
The singer is comparing the woman to a Playboy bunny doll.
Noventa sesenta noventa,
The singer is referring to the woman's body measurements (90-60-90).
De esa locura mami esta que revienta
The singer is complimenting the woman's attractiveness and saying she is driving him crazy.
Si tu eres niña buena
The singer wants to know if the woman is a good girl.
O tu eres niña mala
The singer wants to know if the woman is a bad girl.
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
The singer wants to know if the woman is an angel or devil.
Digame usted
The singer is urging the woman to talk to him.
Con quien ha venido, señorita
The singer wants to know if the woman has come alone or with someone.
Si ha venido solita
The singer wants to confirm if the woman has come alone.
Yo la puedo acompañar
The singer is offering to accompany the woman so she doesn't feel lonely.
Pa' que no se sienta sola
The singer wants to keep the woman company so she doesn't feel lonely.
Pa' que baile conmigo
The singer wants the woman to dance with him.
Puedo ser tu amante
The singer is suggesting he can be the woman's lover.
Puedo ser tu amigo
The singer is suggesting he can be the woman's friend.
Pero yo quiero saber
The singer expresses curiosity and wants to know more about the woman.
Tu que si eres niña buena
The singer wonders if the woman is a good girl.
O si eres niña mala
The singer wonders if the woman is a bad girl.
Ángelito o diabla, señorita digame
The singer wants to know if the woman is an angel or devil.
Contributed by Nathaniel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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..........
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111111
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Ssssss
@chidoshayanowako8776
I'm from Zim and this song never gets old
@geo72740
On dit que la musique traverse les frontières, oui, mais pour ma part, ce tube Gérant de Pépé Kallé me fait vibrer, je crois que même Dieu danse avec Pépé Kallé en ce moment et pour toujours. Celui qui a mis ce morceau sur youtube, que les bénédictions de Dieu tout puissant soient sur lui.
@djakissdjakiss1426
Pépé kale reste toujour pépé bravo l'artiste
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😂😂😂😂