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The music of

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

especially among the Baoulé,

talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...

s especially among the

Nzema people The Nzema are an Akan people numbering about 328,700, of whom 262,000 live in southwestern Ghana and 66,700 live in the southeast of Côte d'Ivoire. In Ghana the Nzema area is divided into three electoral districts: Nzema East Municipal, also kno ...

and by the characteristic

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

s found in

rhythm in Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan African music is characterised by a "strong rhythmic interest" that exhibits common characteristics in all regions of this vast territory, so that Arthur Morris Jones (1889–1980) has described the many local approaches as constit ...

. Popular music genres from Ivory Coast include

zouglou Zouglou ( , ) is a dance oriented style of music originated from Ivory Coast during the mid-1990s. It started with students from a college of Gagnoa drawing on elements of other styles of music. Zouglou recounts the various social realities ex ...

and Coupé-Décalé. A few Ivorian artists who have known international success are

Magic System Magic System is an Ivory Coast, Ivorian coupé-décalé band from Abidjan. It was founded in 1996 and comprises Asalfo, Goude, Tino, and Manadja. Magic System's recordings in the Zouglou dance style have featured in the charts throughout Africa ...

Alpha Blondy Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung in hi ...

Dobet Gnahoré Dobet Gnahoré (born 17 June 1982) is a singer from Côte d'Ivoire. The daughter of percussionist Boni Gnahoré, she plays with the group Na Afriki, consisting mainly of French and Tunisian musicians, who accompany her with the guitar, sanza, th ...

Tiken Jah Fakoly Doumbia Moussa Fakoly (born June 23, 1968 in Odienné), better known by his stage name Tiken Jah Fakoly (), is an Ivorian reggae singer and songwriter. Early life Doumbia Moussa Fakoly was born on 23 June 1968 in Odienné, Kabadougou Region, n ...

Meiway Frederic Desire Ehui , best known as Meiway (born 17 March 1962 in Grand Bassam), is a singer from the Ivory Coast. He is most notable for pioneering the Zoblazo Zoblazo is a musical style from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, created in the early 19 ...

and

Christina Goh Christina Goh is a French singer, songwriter and poet. Biography The daughter of an Ivorian father and a mother from Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas ...

National music

Ivory Coast's national anthem is ''

L'Abidjanaise "" ( en, "The Song of Abidjan") is the national anthem of Ivory Coast. Adopted under law n°60–207 on 27 July 1960, its status as national anthem is enshrined in the constitution's 29th article. It takes the form of a lyric and very patriotic ...

''. French is the official language taught and spoken by Ivorians but many Ivorians have their own ethnic tribal language. There are many music genres in Ivory Coast, music from different tribes Couper Decaler, Zouglou, Pop, Arabic musics etc. Ivory Coast have different varieties of music based on the population race living there.

Traditional music

Ethnic groups of

include

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people *Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan *Central Tano languages, a language group w ...

42.1%, Voltaic or Gur speakers 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 30,000 Lebanese and 45,000 French) (2004). The immigrant community makes up over 20% of a population of over 6 million. An estimated 65 native languages are spoken in the country. Dyula acts as a trade language and is commonly spoken by Muslims. Each of the

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

s has its own

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

traditions, most showing strong vocal

(a common characteristic of

African music Given the vastness of the African continent, its music is diverse, with regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jùjú, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. The ...

Talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...

s are common among the

, who are also known for their ''

abissa Abissa is a cultural concept embracing the music, dance, and spiritual life of the Nzema people in the town of Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations ...

'' purification dance, part of the popular '' N'Guess Bon Sens'', ''

Savane Alla Savane may refer to: * Savane (album), Ali Farka Touré album * Savane (sportswear), sportswear collection owned by Perry Ellis International Perry Ellis International is an American clothing, fashion, cosmetics and beauty company that includes ...

'', '' Kolouba Nobert'', Religious music of '' Emi Tiapo'' dance music of

Popular music

Gbégbé The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

'', a Bété rhythm, has been a part of popular music since Ivory Coast's independence, popularized by

Soeurs Comöé The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

and later, Frères Djatys and Sery Simplice.

Ernesto Djédjé Ernesto Djédjé (1948–1983) was an Côte d'Ivoire, Ivorian musician from Daloa. His parents were Wolof people, Wolof and Bété people, Bété. Djédjé began playing music at fifteen when he became a guitarist with Ivoiro Star, a leading do ...

, however, is considered the father of Ivorian popular music. Using one of the folk rhythms of the Bété, as well as his teacher

Amédée Pierre The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

's '' dopé'' style, Djédjé has long been an advocate of Ivorian music, railing against the " Congolization" of the Abidjan scene. Outside of Ivory Coast, Djédjé is best known for 1977's '' Gnoantre-Ziboté'', which was a

Pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

hit, and found some success in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He plays a type of music called ''

ziglibithy Ziglibithy is a style of Ivorian popular music that developed in the 1970s. It was the first major genre of music from the Ivory Coast. The first major pioneer of the style was Ernesto Djédjé. ReferencesMusic Web Encyclopedia Ivorian sty ...

''. Since Djédjé, few Ivorian musicians have been able to achieve the same level of fame. Luckson Padaud's '' laba laba'' style, which is similar to the Bété ''ziglibithy'', has had some success, as has

Gnaore Djimi The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

's '' polihet''.

Ivorian artists in World styles

The most popular styles in Ivory Coast are imported reggae from Jamaica, hip hop from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Ndombolo from Congo, Zouk from the Caribbean and Couper Decaler ; the country has produced notable musicians of both genres, especially

who produces reggae.

is another popular Ivorian reggae musician, who has been living in exile due to his politically outspoken lyrics. Perhaps uniquely in Africa reggae is the most popular music genre in Abidjan.

Hip Hop

Hip hop has been popular in Ivory Coast since the mid-1990s, and includes a

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

-influenced style called

rap dogba The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

. Notable hip hop musicians include

All Mighty The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

, Rudy Rudiction, M.C. Claver and

Angelo Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church *Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Rom ...

. The new R&B group 2431(formerly known as Monah) is also taking over, as R&B became very famous since U.S. chart-topping

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

had a concert in Abidjan, late 2006. Other R&B stars include

Teeyah The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

and

Tour de Garde The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

. The victory of Ivorian hip hop group Kiff No Beat at the biggest hip-hop competition in Ivory Coast called Faya Flow in 2009 increased the profile of the genre there.

Jazz

Luc Sigui (born 7 April 1968 in Abidjan), is a smooth jazz guitarist & singer, Luc Sigui released first album "Jemima", 2008. From 2000 to 2004 he attended to famous guitarist course like, Eric Boell, Fred Sokolow, Denis Roux, to perform his jazz. In 2000 he was called by a famous African band of Pop Music called "Woody" to be the guitarist. In 1996, he formed with some others Ivorian Christians Musicians and singers a gospel team called Resurrection; and release 3 albums of Gospel Music. In 1991 he won the award of young budding musician of Côte d’Ivoire.Luc Sigui released with Universal, in 2008 a jazz album, called "Jemima" an album that ranks among the albums benchmarked for smooth jazz.

Zoblazo

Zoblazo Zoblazo is a musical style from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, created in the early 1990s. It is a cosmopolitan popular dance music with simple up-tempo rhythm and high tech instrumentation and contains a mixture of traditional dance rhythms from sou ...

, pioneered from 1990 by

Freddy Meiway Frederic Desire Ehui , best known as Meiway (born 17 March 1962 in Grand Bassam), is a singer from the Ivory Coast. He is most notable for pioneering the Zoblazo Zoblazo is a musical style from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, created in the early 19 ...

, the former front man to the bands Les Genitaux, Defense d'Ivoire, and

Zo Gang Zo or ZO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Kamen Rider ZO'', a 1993 Japanese tokusatsu movie * ''Zo'' (album), an album by jazz pianist Matthew Shipp Ethnography * Zo people, a group of indigenous tribe in Burma and northeast India ** Zo ...

, integrated traditional rhythms of southern Ivory Coast with electronic instruments and party lyrics. His success across the country in the mid to late 1990s spawned a string of hit Zoblazo records that has continued through 2007, even as other dance styles, like

coupé décalé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

have edged out Zoblazo. Even Meiway, through a series of guest musicians like Manu Dibango,

Jacob Desvarieux Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left t ...

Lokua Kanza Lokua Kanza (born April 1958) is a singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound. Biography Lokua Kanza was born Pascal Lokua Kanza in Bukavu in the province of Sud-Kivu, in the eastern p ...

Kojo Antwi Kojo Antwi, also known as "Mr. Music Man", is a Ghanaian Afro pop, highlife and reggae musical artist. Born Julius Kojo Antwi into a family of 13 siblings, he grew up in Darkuman a suburb of Accra. He has 22 albums to his name, with "Tom & Jerry" ...

and

Koffi Olomidé Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese Soukus singer, dancer, producer, and composer. He has had several gold records in his career. He is the founder of the Quartier Latin Internati ...

has added Cuban,

Mbalax Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...

and Ghanaian Hi-life musics. RFI Musique: Meiway Biography
, January 2007.
Review Meiway - Golgotha (800% Zoblazo)
: Africa On Your Street, BBC.co.uk.
Meiway from Ivory Coast, JJC Reviews
, May 2006: Africa On Your Street, BBC.co.uk.

Zouglou

Zouglou Zouglou ( , ) is a dance oriented style of music originated from Ivory Coast during the mid-1990s. It started with students from a college of Gagnoa drawing on elements of other styles of music. Zouglou recounts the various social realities ex ...

, a recent Ivorian popular tradition, comes from the early 1990s when university students, upset about living conditions on campus, began rallying around

Didier Bilé The music of Ivory Coast includes music genres of many ethnic communities, often characterised by vocal polyphony especially among the Baoulé, talking drums especially among the Nzema people and by the characteristic polyrhythms found in rhyth ...

. Zouglou was satirical in nature, and usually accompanied by a dance to a fictional god. The most popular artists of Zouglou are Petit Yodé & l'enfant Siro,

, Petit Denis and Espoir 2000. Many popular Ivorian zouglou artists are now living in exile due to their political support to the former president Laurent Gbagbo.

Coupé-Décalé

Coupé-Décalé was pioneered by the late Stephane Doukouré (a.k.. "Douk-Saga") during the post-2002 militaro-political crisis in Ivory Coast. It reflects the aspirations of a large section of Ivorian youth. Coupé-Décalé is a very percussive style featuring African samples, Congo beats, deep bass, and repetitive, minimalist arrangements. Lyrically, Coupé-Décalé is about happiness, expressing daily life in Ivorian society, and also gives an insight into the political situation of the country. The prominent artists of Coupé-Décalé are Arafat DJ (Yôrôbô) with its concepts coming out every time that his is asked for. His music is for the youth. And many other talented Ivorian artists. The most prominent singer in actuality is named DJ Mix 1er with its croubata dance, derived from Coupé-Décalé. Other names like David Tayorault, Afrika Representer, Kédjévara,

Chouchou Salvador Chouchou may refer to: * ''Chouchou'' (film), a 2003 comedy film by Merzak Allouache, starring Gad Elmaleh and Alain Chabat * Chayote or chouchou, an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae * ''Chouchou'', a film by Henri Desfon ...

Anderson 1er Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson Ra ...

DJ Léo A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

Bébi Philip Bebi Philip (born 1988) is an Ivorian singer, songwriter, guitarist and music producer, associated with styles such as Coupé-décalé. Phillip was born in Treichville, Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the econo ...

, Safarel,

Serge Beynaud Serge Beynaud (real name Guy Serge Beynaud Gnolou but sometimes also called Beynaud; born 19 September 1987 in Yopougon, Abidjan) is an Ivorian singer, songwriter and music producer, associated with styles such as Coupé-Décalé and Loko loko. ...

, Débordo Leekunfa, and Doliziana Débordo are recurrent.

References

*Bensignor, François and

Brooke Wentz Brooke Wentz is an American record producer and music director. She has served as a music director for ESPN. She was also the recipient of the Billboard Music Award for the best world music album in 1994, ''Global Meditation - Authentic Music from ...

. "Heart of the Industry". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East'', pp 472–476. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. *Kohlhagen, Dominik. "Frime, escroquerie et cosmopolitisme: Le succès du 'Coupé-Décalé' en Afrique et ailleurs" (Display, Fraud and Cosmopolitanism. Coupé-Décalé's success in Africa and beyond). 2006. In ''Politique Africaine'' no. 100, pp 92–105
Ivorian Reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly persona non grata in Senegal
APA Wire, 13 December 2007.
Ivorians catch bird flu dance fever By James Copnall
BBC News, Abidjan, 12 May 2006

External links

*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Ivory Coast.

Musée d'ethnographie de Genève The ' ("Geneva Ethnography Museum") is one of the most important ethnographic museums in Switzerland. History The MEG, or Geneva Museum of Ethnography, was founded on 25 September 1901, on the initiative of Professor Eugène Pittard (1867-1962), ...

. Accessed 25 November 2010.
Audio links - traditional music of Ivory Coast.
French National Library. Accessed 25 November 2010.
Discography for Ivory Coast :Afropop Worldwide(2003)

Ivorian Hip Hop

Raplloco: Ivorian Hip Hop portal

africanhiphop.com: Ivorian Hip Hop
2002.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080928064943/http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/709 The Hip Hop Generation: Ghana's Hip Life and Ivory Coast's Coupé-Decalé. Siddhartha Mitter, Afropop Worldwide
on Coupe Decale.F3K 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Cote D'ivoire