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.
Sorozo
Tabu Ley Rochereau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ya tenue ya velours eh
Anisi marie zamba! ×2
Tango yo olekaki mabele pe
Matiti maningani maman,
Annie mon amour!
Annie eh maman zongisa nga liloba
Na lala pongi té, motema se kokanisa,
Otié nga na pasi, na solola na nani eh?
Na libala koswana elakisa nde bolingo
Ya nga na yo lelo ekomi nde toyinana, maman...
Anisi marie zamba ahh.
×2
The song Sorozo by Tabu Ley Rochereau is a beautiful expression of love sung in the Congolese language of Lingala. The lyrics convey the intense emotions that result from being in love with someone. The song begins with the lines "Ami naluli yo na position nayo, Ya tenue ya velours" which mean "I saw you in your velvet dress and it's driving me crazy." The singer is saying that he is completely enamored by the person he is singing to and that just seeing them in their elegant attire is enough to make him lose his senses. He repeats the phrase "Anisi Marie zamba" which is a term of endearment and adds to the overall romantic nature of the song.
The singer continues to express his feelings, stating "Tango yo olekaki mabele pe, Matiti maningani maman, Annie mon amour!" which means "You were still young and playful, Annie my love!" This shows that the singer has known the person he is singing to for some time and has seen them grow up. He then goes on to say "Annie eh maman zongisa nga liloba, Na lala pongi té, motema se kokanisa" which translates to "Annie, mother teaches me lessons in love, I am restless and I can't sleep, my heart is broken." These lines show the vulnerability of the singer and how much he relies on the person he is singing to for comfort and support.
Overall, Sorozo is a beautiful song that expresses the depth of love and the feelings of being completely enamored by another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Ami naluli yo na position nayo
My friend, I envy your status
Ya tenue ya velours eh
In your velvet attire
Anisi marie zamba! ×2
Oh sweet Mary, sing!
Tango yo olekaki mabele pe
During the time when you had nothing
Matiti maningani maman,
You were a poor little girl,
Annie mon amour!
Annie, my love!
Annie eh maman zongisa nga liloba
Annie, mother, tell me stories
Na lala pongi té, motema se kokanisa,
I can't sleep, my heart is restless,
Sorozo ya maman oboyi ti nakoseka.
The sorrows of mother make me cry.
Otié nga na pasi, na solola na nani eh?
When I am down, who can I talk to?
Na libala koswana elakisa nde bolingo
In my youthful foolishness, I played with love
Ya nga na yo lelo ekomi nde toyinana, maman...
The love I have with you today is nothing, mother...
Anisi marie zamba ahh. ×2
Oh sweet Mary, sing!
Contributed by Sydney E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@solangekoko9637
Rochereau est mon idole depuis ma tendre enfance. Il a valorisé le rumba, la musique de son pays, cette musique que j'apprécie Encore. Depuis la Côte d'Ivoire.aujourd'hui.
@user-vp2xi2sq7k
Sorozco cette femme rwandaise a été immortalisée par feu Rochereau en début année 80 , 1 chef- oeuvre !!!
@bruguelmampuya4895
Ça c’est vraiment la musique intelligent
@dositheepika7376
C'est ça Rochereau Tabu Ley et son Afrisa international dans ses inventions musicales en RDC durant toute sa vie. Le fils de l'homme congolais qui a fait la fierté du monde.
@delfininosuper4141
Souvenir, souvenir , rien que des beaux souvenirs..... Merci pour les belles chansons. RIP LEGEND 💖✌
@rogermoyenga5491
Avec cette voix d'or,j'adore la rumba congolaise depuis le pays des Hommes intègres!
@joddylolengi7521
Roger Moyenga Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
@claudekikoka7806
@@joddylolengi7521
Vive le Burkina Faso
@osmanrashidochanda1440
I've got nothing to say but to express my feelings of nostalgia. This is one of the hits of early '80s. May Seigniuer Ley rest in peace.
@gerardmulumba7550
Mr Gérard Mulumba -kalemba Junior
Muena mpuka, mukua ntombolo.
Que de bons souvenirs dans les 1979 à Bukavu où le Zaïre et le Rwanda vivaient en paix.