Wasis Diop

Wasis Diop (born 1950 in Dakar, Senegal) is a Senegalese musician of international renown, known for blending traditional Senegalese folk music with modern pop and jazz.

Early life

The son of a Senegalese high official and member of the Lebou ethnic group, Diop left Senegal in the 1970s to study engineering in Paris, but once there turned to music, joining a fellow Senegalese musician, Umbañ U Kset, in forming the ban
West African Cosmos
Diop left the band in 1979 to start a solo career, and over the next decade achieved some small success, particularly in partnerships with singer Marie-France Anglade of Black heritage, and jazz saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu. It was not until the early 1990s that his career began to take off, with the success of his first album, the soundtrack to the film ''Hyenes'' (which had been directed by his brother, Djibril Diop Mambety). ''Variety'' described his soundtrack to 2006's ''Daratt'' from Chad as "outstanding". His mother was Binta Diop.

More albums followed: ''No Sant'' in 1995, ''Toxu'' in 1998, and the compilation album, ''Everything Is Never Quite Enough'' in 2004.

Diop lives in Paris and writes much of his lyrics in French. Among English speaking audiences, he is probably best known for "African Dream", a single from ''No Sant'' which narrowly missed the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart, and "Everything is Never Quite Enough", which is featured on the soundtrack to the 1999 film, '' The Thomas Crown Affair''. "Defal Lu Wor," his Wolof language cover of the Talking Heads song " Once in a Lifetime", was included in a "special markets" CD, ''World is Africa'', produced by Universal Music for Starbucks."Yambo," ''World is Africa'', Universal Music, 2009

Personal life

His brother is film director Djibril Diop Mambéty. His cousin is Elhadji Yade.

Diop is the father of French actress and filmmaker Mati Diop.

Selected discography

* ''Hyènes'' (1992)
# "Ramatu the Bird"
# "Draman"
# "Mambety Blues"
# "Kaay Niu Gospel"
# "Ramatu"
# "Hyenes"
# "Yande Sabaar"
# "The Lord of the Feather"
# "Dune"
# "Linguere"
# "Colobane"
# "La Rancune"
# "Demon Tol"
# "Rendez-Vous"
# "Ramatu a Capella"
# "Ballad of the Feather"
* ''No Sant'' (1996)
# "African Dream"
# "Di Na Wo"
# "Holaal Bu Baah"
# "T.G.V."
# "Ma Na"
# "Dames Electriques"
# "N.O.P."
# "No Sant"
# "Issa Thiaw"
# "La Danse des Maures"
# "Dem Ba Ma"
# "SB-Le Voyageur"
* ''Toxu'' (1998)
# "Soweto Daal"
# "My Son"
# "Everything (...Is Never Quite Enough)"
# "Que Faut-il Faire?"
# "Toxu"
# "Once in a Lifetime"
# "Accident"
# "Raï M'Bélé"
# "After Dreaming"
# "Julia"
# "Mori"
# "Samba Le Berger"
# "Colobane - Hymne for African Unity"
* ''Everything Is Never Quite Enough'' (2003) (compilation)
# "Le Passeur"
# "Everything (...Is Never Quite Enough)"
# "Ramatu"
# "Samba le Berger"
# "African Dream"
# "Dem Ba Ma"
# "Digge (Le Gong A Sonne)"
# "Dune"
# "Soweto Daal"
# "Défaal Lu Wor (Once in a Lifetime)"
# "No Sant"
# "Kaay Niu Gospel"
# "Julia"
# "Holaal Bu Baah"
# "Raï M'Bélé"
# "Ballad of the Feather"
# "My Son"
# "Ma Na"
# "Les Gueux"
* ''Judu Bek'' (2008)
# "So La La!"
# "Gudi Diop"
# "Let It Go"
# "Kula Soxla"
# "Anna Mou"
# "L'Ange Djibril (Hallelujah)"
# "Ndiago Pop"
# "Dans L'Aréne"
# "Judu Bék"
# "Automobile Mobile"
# "Galu Nobéél"
# "Jiné Ji"
# "Tuti Sop"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diop, Wasis
1950 births
Lebou people
Living people
20th-century Senegalese male singers
People from Dakar
Wrasse Records artists
21st-century Senegalese male singers
Senegalese emigrants to France