Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu (13 November 1940 – 30 November 2013),^[1][2][3] better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a Congolese rumba singer and musician. He was the leader of Orchestre Afrisa International, as well as one of Africa's most influential vocalists and prolific songwriters. Along with guitarist Dr Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley pioneered African rumba and internationalised his music by fusing elements of Congolese folk music with Cuban, Caribbean and Latin American rumba. He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history",^[4] and is credited with composing over 3,000 songs and selling thousands of records.^[5]

After the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko's regime in 1997, Tabu Ley also pursued a political career. His musical career ran parallel to the other great Congolese rhumba bandleader and rival Franco Luambo Makiadi who ran the band TPOK Jazz throughout the 1960s, 1970s and '80s.

During his career, Tabu Ley composed up to 3,000 songs and produced 250 albums.^[6][7] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him at number 178 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.^[8]

Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu was born on 13 November 1940 in Bagata, in the then Belgian Congo.^[7][9][10] He attended the École Moyenne Saint Raphaël in Limete, where his education later helped him secure a position in the secretariat of the Athenaeum of Kalina (Athénée de Kalina). At the same time, mainly out of personal interest, he sang with a small band whose name echoed Afric'Ambiance and performed in a bar at the corner of École and Kigoma streets in the Kinshasa commune.^[11] During a period when Western films dominated Kinshasa's cinemas, such as Macoley on Kigoma Street, Siluvangi on Croix-Rouge, and Mbongo Mpasi on Ruzizi Street in the Casamar quartier of Barumbu, the popular youth style was inspired by the Bills subculture, and Tabu Ley often appeared wearing a scarf around his neck.^[11]

His musical career took off in 1956 when he sang with Joseph "Le Grand Kallé" Kabasele, and his band African Jazz.^[12][13][14] After finishing high school he joined the band as a full-time musician. Tabu Ley sang in the pan-African hit "Indépendance Cha Cha" which was composed by Grand Kallé for Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960 and propelled Tabu Ley to instant fame. He remained with African Jazz until 1963 when he and Dr Nico Kasanda formed their own group, African Fiesta.^[7] Two years later, Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico split and Tabu Ley formed African Fiesta National, also known as African Fiesta Flash. The group became one of the most successful bands in African history, recording African classics like "Afrika Mokili Mobimba", and surpassing record sales of one million copies by 1970. Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana were among the many influential musicians that were part of the group. He adopted the stage name "Rochereau" after the French General Pierre Denfert-Rochereau, whose name he liked and whom he had studied in school.^[1]

In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International, Afrisa being a combination of Africa and Éditions Isa, his record label.^[15] Along with Franco Luambo's TPOK Jazz, Afrisa was now one of Africa's greatest bands. They recorded hits such as "Sorozo", "Kaful Mayay", "Aon Aon", and "Mose Konzo". They performed also at the Zaire 74 and therefore are in the documentary film Soul Power.

In the mid 1980s Tabu Ley discovered a young talented singer and dancer, Mbilia Bel, who helped popularise his band further. M'bilia Bel became the first female soukous singer to gain acclaim throughout Africa. Tabu Ley and M'bilia Bel later married and had a daughter named Melody Tabu together. In 1988 Tabu Ley introduced another female vocalist known as Faya Tess, and M'bilia Bel left and continued to be successful on her own. After M'bilia Bel's departure, Afrisa's influence along with that of their rivals TPOK Jazz continued to wane as fans gravitated toward the faster version of soukous.

Rochereau performing at the Paris Olympia in 1970

After the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko regime in the Congo, he adopted the name "Tabu Ley" as part of Mobutu's Zairization of the country, but later went into exile in France in 1988.^[7] In 1985, the Government of the DRC banned all foreign music from the National Radio service. After Tabu Ley composed the song "Twende Nairobi" ("Let's go to Nairobi"), sung by Mbilia Bel, in praise of Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, the ban was promptly lifted. In the early 1990s he briefly settled in Southern California where he attended Moorpark College. He began to tailor his music towards an International audience by including more English lyrics and by increasing more international dance styles such as Samba. He found success with the release of albums such as Muzina, Exil Ley, Africa worldwide, Babeti soukous, and Man from Kinshasa. The Mobutu regime banned his 1990 album "Trop, C'est Trop" as subversive.^[4] In 1996, Tabu Ley participated in the album Gombo Salsa by the salsa music project Africando. The song "Paquita" from that album is a remake of a song that he recorded in the late 1960s with African Fiesta.

When Mobutu fell from power in 1997 and the AFDL under Laurent-Désiré Kabila assumed control, Tabu Ley returned to Kinshasa and was named a deputy by Kabila. Throughout his time in parliament, he appeared more engaged in public performances and songs praising Kabila than in legislative responsibilities.^[16] In 2000, he was part of the supergroup Haute Tension, alongside King Kester Emeneya, Werrason, Manda Chante, Bill Clinton Kalonji, and Adricha Tipo-Tipo, with their nine-track album Apocalypse, which was produced by Jacko Sayala through his record label Jacko Production.^[17] By the end of 2001, reports indicated that he was considering a return to music,^[16] and on 13 April 2002, Tabu Ley performed at King Kester Emeneya's concert at the Olympia.^[18][19] He was also scheduled to perform at the LCS venue in Paris on 30 November, along with his dancers, the Love-Ley, and musicians from the Dynastie band.^[20] However, the concert was canceled because the musicians and dancers were unable to get their visas, due to the widespread "Ngulu" phenomenon, where some music officials used the visa process for personal gain by sending non-musicians in place of real artists, which created an unfair system that negatively impacted legitimate musicians trying to work internationally.^[21][22] As a result, Tabu Ley and other artists found themselves trapped between the battle against visa system abuse and the obstacles that prevented them from continuing their musical careers abroad.^[22]

He participated in the fifth edition of Pan-African Music Festival (Festival Panafricain de Musique; FESPAM), which was held in Brazzaville from 9-17 July 2005.^[23][24]

When Mobutu was ousted in 1997 and the AFDL, led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, took control, Tabu Ley returned to Kinshasa and was appointed as a deputy by Kabila. However, during his time in parliament, he was more frequently seen on stage performing and singing songs in praise of Kabila than engaging in legislative work.^[16] After Kabila's death in January 2001, Tabu Ley then joined the appointed transitional parliament created by Joseph Kabila. By the end of 2001, reports indicated that he was considering a return to music, though it was suggested that he hadn't officially resigned from politics due to potential complications with party influences, especially from Philomène Omatuku Atshakawo Akatshi, the acting president of his political party, Assemblée constituante et législative – Parlement de Transition (ACL–PT).^[16] In 2002, he joined the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD),^[9] and on 15 November 2005, Tabu Ley was appointed vice-governor of Kinshasa, succeeding Laurent Batumona Nkhandi Kham.^[25][26][27] The appointment was made by presidential decree and announced on Radio Télévision nationale congolaise (RTNC) as part of a wider political reshuffle ordered by President Joseph Kabila.^[26] The Transitional Government continued until the adoption of a new constitution on 18 February 2006 and the general elections in December of that year, which officially ended with the formation of a new cabinet on 5 February 2007. He was then appointed as provincial minister for Youth and Sports and for Culture and Arts in Kinshasa.^[28][7]

Tabu Ley's political career was uneven and lacked strong institutional grounding, and many observers often viewed him as a cultural icon whose shift into politics was incomplete.^[26]

Tabu Ley Rochereau died on 30 November 2013, aged 73, at Saint-Luc hospital in Brussels, Belgium where he had been undergoing treatment for a stroke he suffered in 2008.^[2][6][9] He was buried on 9 December 2013 in the Cimetière Acropolic de la N'sele in Kinshasa, after receiving an official mourning ceremony at the Palais du Peuple.

According to reports, Tabu Ley fathered more than 65 children with different women, including Melody Tabu (his daughter with Mbilia Bel), French rapper Youssoupha, singer Mike Tabu (also known as DJ Master Mike), and composer Pegguy Tabu. Belgian rapper Shay is also among his notable relatives.^{[29][12][30][31]}

• Omona Wapi (1985, with Franco)
• Babeti Soukous (1989)
• Man from Kinshasa (1991)

Contributing artist

• The Rough Guide to Congo Gold (2008, World Music Network)
• Congo Funk! (2024, Analog Africa)

• Honorary Knight of Senegal
• Officer of the National Order, the Republic of Chad

• Gary Stewart (2000). Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. Verso. ISBN 978-1859843680.
• Tabu Ley at kenyapage.net
• Rumba on the River
• MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
• Discography at mp3.com
• Tabu Ley biography and discography Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine at World Music Central

• Tabu Ley Rochereau discography at Discogs
• Tabu Ley Rochereau at IMDb