Koffi Olomide
Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (born 13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and founder of Quartier Latin International. Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo", he is noted for his explosive high notes, deep baritone, and offbeat voice. Agbepa is considered one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. His lyrics often explore themes of love, politics, technology, success, infidelity, religion, chicanery, and disillusionment. Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of soukous known as Tcha Tcho and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called La Sape, alongside Papa Wemba.
Koffi Olomidé | |
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Olomidé performing in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba |
| Born | 13 July 1956 Stanleyville, Belgian Congo (now Kisangani, DRC) |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
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Aliane Olomide
(m. 1994; div. 2022) |
Emerging as a ghostwriter for various artists in the Zairean music industry, he gained prominence in 1977 with the song "Princesse ya Synza, which featured Papa Wemba and King Kester Emeneya. In 1986, he established the group Quartier Latin International, which accompanied him onstage and on his albums since 1992, serving as a launching pad for emerging artists, including Fally Ipupa, Jipson Butukondolo, Deo Brondo, Montana Kamenga, Bouro Mpela, Ferré Gola, Marie-Paul Kambulu, Eldorado Claude, Djuna Fa Makengele, Soleil Wanga, Laudy Demingongo Plus-Plus, Éric Tutsi, among others. His career experienced a resurgence in 1990, when he signed a record deal with SonoDisc.
With a nearly five-decade-long career, he is the first African artist to sell out the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, and one of twelve African artists whose work has been featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Throughout his forty-year career, Agbepa has recorded 28 studio albums, including seven under the Latin Quarter banner, one in collaboration with Papa Wemba, as well as 18 live albums, amounting to a repertoire of over 300 songs.
He has won six Kora Awards, four of which in the 2002 edition, for his album Effrakata. In 2013, he founded his own recording label, Koffi Central. On 13 October 2015, he released 13ième apôtre, a quadruple album comprising forty songs, which he proclaimed to be his last, before later resurfacing with Nyataquance (2017), Légende Millénium (2021), and Légende Éd. Diamond (2022).