Music of Cameroon in 1990s

In the year 1990, both the makossa and bikutsi declined in popularity as a recent wave of genre entered mainstream audiences, these included Congolese powered new rumba and makossa soukous as well as more native forms such as bantowbol, northern Cameroonian nganja (which had gained some famous in the United Kingdom in the mid-80’s) and an urban street music is called bend skin.

source of picture: www.worldfolio.co.uk

Les Tetes Brulees remained the country’s most famous musical expert, who especially after accompanying the Cameroonian soccer team to the World Cup in 1990 in Italy and 1944 in the United States, a recent wave of bikutsi artists arose on the early 1990s, including Les Martiens (which is formed by Les Tetes Brulees bassists Atebass) and the sexually themed composer Katino Ateba (Ascenseur le secret de Ihomme) and Douala composer Sissi Dipoko (Bikut si Hit) as well as a resurgence of old performers such Sala Bekono. Bikutsi’s international fame continued to grow and the song Proof from Paul Simon’s rhythm of the saint released the mainstream promotion and success in 1990 and gained yet more fame from international audience. Vincent Nguini also contributed guitar preparation and performance to Simon’s rhythm of the saints and it became a powerful world music album that introduced several North American listeners to the wide range of instrumentation and genres.

In 1993 the Pedale movement was born as a reaction to the Cameroonian economic slump and the youthful artists such as Gibraltar Drakuss, Zele le Bombardier, Eboue Chaleur, Pasto, Roger Bekono, Mbarga Soukous and Saint Desire Atango returned to the hostile, earthy sound of bikutsi rooted while Henri Dikongue, whose music combined amongst others bikutsi and makossa, started to release albums that met international success. He went on and travelled to Europe and North America. The main recent way of Cameroonian famous music is a fusion of Congolese soukous and makossa a scene that has produced Petit Pays, Marcel Bwanga, Kotto Bass, Papillon and Jean Piere Essome while other famous genres are tchamassi, mangambeu and makassi.