Felix Wazekwa

Also a dancer and celebrated lyricist, gruff-voiced musician Felix Wazekwa emerged on the professional music scene in the early 1990s by contributing lyrics to albums by <a href="spotify:artist:7e14Bh8oZXNRmZxjhhTARb">Koffi Olomide</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6a4cdntqTPN10fph5A8zRQ">Papa Wemba</a> before taking center stage. His solo debut album, Tetragramme, YHWH, appeared in 1995. Known for his bright soukous and Congolese rumba rhythms as well as his deep lyrics, he had his international breakthrough with 1998's Bonjour Monsieur. By 2008, he was on his tenth album, Que Demande le Peuple. Over the next decade, he delivered four more long-players before publishing his first book, 2018's Les Petits Bonbons de la Sagesse.

Félix Wazekwa S'Grave was born in 1962 in Kinshasa, the Congo. He began playing music in the early '80s, with the band Kin-Verso. In 1985, he left for Europe to study economics in Paris, and by 1990, he was working with musicians back in the Congo as a lyricist. Wazekwa made contributions to <a href="spotify:artist:7e14Bh8oZXNRmZxjhhTARb">Koffi Olomide</a>'s 1992 LP Haut de Gamme/Koweït Rive Gauche and the next year's Noblesse Oblige before collaborating with <a href="spotify:artist:6a4cdntqTPN10fph5A8zRQ">Papa Wemba</a> on his 1994 album Foridoles as well as 1995's Pole Position. It was <a href="spotify:artist:6a4cdntqTPN10fph5A8zRQ">Wemba</a> who suggested that Wazekwa keep a song written for <a href="spotify:artist:6a4cdntqTPN10fph5A8zRQ">Wemba</a> for himself. His debut album, Tetragramme, YHWH, saw release in 1995. He followed it with Pauvres, Mais... in 1997, then had a hit throughout Africa with 1998's Bonjour Monsieur. Fourth album Sponsor arrived in 1999, as Wazekwa continued to win over fans with his thoughtful lyrics.

He formed his own backing band, Cultur'A Pays Vie, in 1999, then opened the 2000s with Signature (2001) and Yo nani? (2002). The former contained the acclaimed song "Mokuwa Bongo (L'Os du Cerveau)." The albums Et Après... and Faux Mutu Moko Boye followed in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and the next year's Mosapi Liboso continued to make stars of Cultur'A Pays Vie. Que Demande le Peuple was issued in 2008, with La Chèvre de Monsieur appearing soon after. His third album in three years, Mémoire ya Nzambe, arrived in 2010. He returned with Adamu na Eva in 2013 and I Love You in 2015 before delivering his first book. Les Petits Bonbons de la Sagesse was published by Bergame in January 2018. Wazekwa released his 15th studio album, Article 23, in 2020. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi