During his career, Tabu Ley composed up to 3,000 songs and produced 250 albums.
Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu was born in Bagata, in the then Belgian Congo. His musical career took off in 1956 when he sung with Joseph "Le Grand Kallé" Kabasele, and his band L'African Jazz. After finishing high school he joined the band as a full-time musician. Tabu Ley sang in the pan-African hit Indépendance Cha Cha which was composed by Grand Kallé for Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960, propelling Tabu Ley to instant fame. He remained with African Jazz until 1963 when he and Dr Nico Kasanda formed their own group, African Fiesta.[6] Two years later, Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico split and Tabu Ley formed African Fiesta National, also known as African Fiesta Flash. The group became one of the most successful bands in African history, recording African classics like Afrika Mokili Mobimba, and surpassing record sales of one million copies by 1970. Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana were among the many influential musicians that were part of the group. He adopted the stage name "Rochereau" after the French General Pierre Denfert-Rochereau, whose name he liked and whom he had studied in school.
In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International, Afrisa being a combination of Africa and Éditions Isa, his record label. Along with Franco Luambo's TPOK Jazz, Afrisa was now one of Africa's greatest bands. They recorded hits such as "Sorozo", "Kaful Mayay", "Aon Aon", and "Mose Konzo". They performed also at the Zaire 74 and therefore are in the documentary film Soul Power.
In the mid 1980s Tabu Ley discovered a young talented singer and dancer, M'bilia Bel, who helped popularise his band further. M'bilia Bel became the first female soukous singer to gain acclaim throughout Africa. Tabu Ley and M'bilia Bel later married and had one child together. In 1988 Tabu Ley introduced another female vocalist known as Faya Tess, and M'bilia Bel left and continued to be successful on her own. After M'bilia Bel's departure, Afrisa's influence along with that of their rivals TPOK Jazz continued to wane as fans gravitated toward the faster version of soukous.
After the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko regime in the Congo, he adopted the name "Tabu Ley" as part of Mobutu's "Zairization" of the country, but later went into exile in France in 1988.
In 1985, the Government of Kenya banned all foreign music from the National Radio service. After Tabu Ley composed the song "Twende Nairobi" ("Let's go to Nairobi"), sung by M'bilia Bel, in praise of Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, the ban was promptly lifted. In the early 1990s he briefly settled in Southern California. He began to tailor his music towards an International audience by including more English lyrics and by increasing more international dance styles such as Samba. He found success with the release of albums such as Muzina, Exil Ley, Africa worldwide and Babeti soukous. The Mobutu regime banned his 1990 album "Trop, C'est Trop" as subversive. In 1996, Tabu Ley participated in the album Gombo Salsa by the salsa music project Africando. The song "Paquita" from that album is a remake of a song that he recorded in the late 1960s with African Fiesta.
When Mobutu was deposed in 1997, Tabu Ley returned to Kinshasa and took up a position as a cabinet minister in the government of new President Laurent Kabila. Following Kabila's death, Tabu Ley then joined the appointed transitional parliament created by Joseph Kabila, until it was dissolved following the establishment of the inclusive transitional institutions. In November 2005 Tabu Ley was appointed Vice-Governor of Kinshasa, a position devolved to his party, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) by the 2002 peace agreements. He also served as provincial minister of culture. In 2008, he was said to have fathered up to 102 children, including the French rapper Youssoupha, with different women.
He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history." He was dubbed "the African Elvis" by the Los Angeles Times.
Tabu Ley Rochereau died on 30 November 2013, aged 76, at Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels, Belgium where he had been undergoing treatment for a stroke he suffered in 2008. He was buried on 9 December 2013 in the Cimetière Acropolic de la N'sele in Kinshasa, DR Congo, after receiving an official mourning ceremony at the Palais du Peuple.
Mokolo Nakokufa
Tabu Ley Rochereau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Naloti lokola ngai nakolala
Ah mama ha
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, nani akolela nga
Nakoyeba te oh
Tika namilela
Liwa ya zamba soki mpe liwa ya mboka
Liwa ya mpasi soki mpe liwa ya mayi
Oh mama uh
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngai motu ya pauvre
Nakanisa Ida mwasi oyo nabala
Nakanisa kaka bana nabota
Nasepela kaka mpasi ya mokili ezali kotikala
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí moto ya mbóngo
Nakanisa falánga míngi óyo natíkí
Nakanisa lopángo na bakaminyó
Nakanisa bána ngáí natínda na Mpótó
Mamá uh
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí moto ya kwíti
Nakanisa kopó ya masanga na ngai
Nakanisa níni kaka súka ya sánzá
Ntángo namelaka ngáí na baníngá
Ah Mamá ha
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí mwásí ya ndúmbá
Nakanisa níni káka perruque na ngá
Nakanisa níni káka na bilambá na nga
Nakolela káka African-Fiesta etíkala
Mamá
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, nani akolela nga
Nakoyeba te o
Tika namilela
Liwa ya zamba soki mpe liwa ya mboka
Liwa ya mpasi soki mpe liwa ya mayi
Oh mama
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí moto ya kwíti
Nakanisa kopó ya masanga na ngai
Nakanisa níni kaka súka ya sánzá
Ntángo namelaka ngáí na baníngá
Ah Mamá uh
Mokolo nakokufa
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí mwásí ya ndúmbá
Nakanisa níni káka perruque na ngá
Nakanisa níni káka bilambá na nga
Nakolela káka African-Fiesta etíkala
Mamá
Mokolo nakokufa
The song Mokolo Nakokufa by Tabu Ley Rochereau has a deep meaning that revolves around the inevitability of death. In the song, the singer acknowledges that he knows a different day is coming, which will mark his death. He talks about how he is already feeling the symptoms of old age, and despite his efforts to resist, he knows that he cannot escape the ultimate fate that awaits him. The chorus line "Mokolo Nakokufa" directly translates to "Tomorrow, I will die," and it repeats throughout the song's duration. The repetition of this line emphasizes the reality of death and its inescapable nature.
Furthermore, the song highlights the singer's contemplation of his life's legacy. His introspection leads him to ponder his life's purpose and whether he has fulfilled it. He speaks of his desire to leave a positive and lasting impact on the world, and he acknowledges the fact that it's up to him to determine how he'll be remembered when he's gone. In essence, Mokolo Nakokufa is not just a song about the inevitability of death, but it's a reminder for individuals to introspect and think about the legacy they want to leave behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Mokolo mosusu ngai nakanisi
Another day that I am alive
Naloti lokola ngai nakolala
I spent it sleeping like I always do
Ah mama ha
Oh my mother
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Mokolo nakokufa, nani akolela nga
When that day comes, who will remember me?
Nakoyeba te oh
I won't know
Tika namilela
So leave me be
Liwa ya zamba soki mpe liwa ya mboka
Whether it's a guitar or a drum
Liwa ya mpasi soki mpe liwa ya mayi
Whether it's a bass or a piano
Oh mama uh
Oh mother
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Mokolo nakokufa, ngai motu ya pauvre
When that day comes, I will die poor
Nakanisa Ida mwasi oyo nabala
I remember Ida, the woman I loved
Nakanisa kaka bana nabota
I remember only the children we had together
Nasepela kaka mpasi ya mokili ezali kotikala
I leave behind only the troubles of this cruel world
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí moto ya mbóngo
When that day comes, I will die a slave
Nakanisa falánga míngi óyo natíkí
I remember the heavy chains that held me
Nakanisa lopángo na bakaminyó
I remember the whip and the slave drivers
Nakanisa bána ngáí natínda na Mpótó
I remember the children I raised in the city
Mamá uh
Oh mother
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí moto ya kwíti
When that day comes, I will die alone
Nakanisa kopó ya masanga na ngai
I remember my empty room
Nakanisa níni kaka súka ya sánzá
I remember the clock that ticks
Ntángo namelaka ngáí na baníngá
The only thing that accompanies me is nostalgia
Ah Mamá ha
Oh my mother
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Mokolo nakokufa, ngáí mwásí ya ndúmbá
When that day comes, I will die a musician
Nakanisa níni káka perruque na ngá
I remember the wig I wore
Nakanisa níni káka na bilambá na nga
I remember the guitar I played
Nakolela káka African-Fiesta etíkala
I leave behind the legacy of African Fiesta
Mamá
Oh mother
Mokolo nakokufa
But one day I will die
Contributed by Jack P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@justuskiunga1025
'Mokolo Nakokufa' (the day I die). The song was and still is a philosophic discourse from several perspectives - the poor, the rich, the dissolute - the kind of song that so endeared Rochereau to his audience.
The day I di, I the pauper,
I will think of Ida, the woman I married.
I will think of the children I have fathered.
I will be happy because I'm leaving the suffering of this world,
The day I die.
The day I die, I the rich man,
I will think of all the money I have left behind.
I will think of my property and my trucks,
I will think of my children whom I have sent to Europe,
Ah, the day I die.
The day I die, I the drunkard,
I will think of my glass of wine.
What else would I think about but those times at the end of the month,
When I drank with my friends,
Ah mama, the day I die.
With Guavano's guitar mimicking Nico in the background, Rochereau displays the full range of his gifts for composition and singing.
@ConsoletteDongo-ek1wx
J'adore la musique congolaise 🎉 chanceuse d'être congolaise , qui suit cette chanson en 2024 comme moi
@oulatraore1051
J’avais un ami au lycée : Traoré Sidigué Mamadou (RIP). Il adorait tellement Rochereau et sa musique, particulièrement cette chanson Mokolo nakokufa, que si on jouait ce morceau sur sa dépouille mortelle, on verrait ses orteils bouger !
@andregallileibalangock2378
HAHAHA😁😂👍🏿c'est le Congo qui gagne mon frère🙏🏿
@gudusaru1284
Merci pour ces mots
@newtonsimba7930
Great love. May he Rest in Peace.
@mariamkonate2545
Le seigneur Rochereau a fait danser toute l'Afrique ❤❤❤
@moubarakmouby86
Cette musique me fait penser à mon papa. Repose en paix Dady
@henrioba3066
Je ne peux retenir mes larmes devant l'immense savoir-faire de ce monument qui nous a quittés. Paix à son âme !
@jaydechose8046
Cette guitare me transporte
@Narendra_Acacia
Pour moi Le seigneur Rochereau Tabu reste l’un des meilleurs musiciens congolais de tout les temps