Soul Makossa
| "Soul Makossa[1]" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Manu Dibango | ||||
| from the album "Soul Makossa LP" | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk Proto-disco Afrofunk Afrobeat |
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| Length | 4:30 (original album version) | |||
| Label | Fiesta Records (France) Atlantic Records (US) London Records (UK) |
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| Writer(s) | Manu Dibango | |||
| Producer | Manu Dibango [citation needed] |
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| Manu Dibango singles chronology | ||||
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"Soul Makossa" is a 1972 single by Cameroonian makossa saxophonist Manu Dibango. It is often cited as one of the first disco records.[2] In 1972 David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties.[3] The response was so positive that the few copies of "Soul Makossa" in New York City were quickly bought up.[3] The song was subsequently played heavily by Frankie Crocker, who DJed at WBLS, then New York's most popular black radio station.[3] Since the original was then unfindable, at least 23 groups quickly released cover versions to capitalize on the demand for the record.[3] Atlantic eventually licensed the song from the French record label Fiesta.[3] Their release of it peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart in 1973; in 1999 Dave Marsh wrote that it was "the only African record by an African" to crack the top 40.[4] At one point there were nine different versions of the song in the Billboard chart.[5] It became "a massive hit" internationally as well.[5]
"Soul Makossa" was originally recorded as a B-side for "Mouvement Ewondo," a song about Cameroon's association football team.[5]
It is probably best known for the chanted vocal refrain "ma-mako, ma-ma-sa, mako-mako-ssa", which was adapted and used in songs by many prominent artists.
Contents |
[edit] The refrain and its adaptations
The song's refrain consists of the phrase "ma-mako, ma-ma-sa, mako-mako-ssa", which is a play in the word "Makossa", Dibango's main music genre. After the popularization of the song, the phrase was adapted and used in several popular songs, including:
- Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Michael Jackson, 1982) — during the song's final bridge; altered to "mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-ku-sa"
- Pump Your Fist (Kool Moe Dee, 1989)
- Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts) (A Tribe Called Quest, 1990) — altered to "mama say yah, ma-ma ku-sa"
- Butt Naked Booty Bless (Poor Righteous Teachers, 1990)
- Mama Say (Bloodhound Gang, 1994)
- Samba Makossa (Chico Science, 1994)
- Cowboys (Fugees, 1996)
- Face Off (Jay-Z, 1997)
- Intro/Court/Clef/Intro (Wyclef Jean, 1997)
- Gettin' Jiggy wit It (Will Smith, 1998) — altered to "mama (uh), mama (uh), mama come closer"
- Startin' Something (Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, 1998)
- Hailie's Revenge (Doe Rae Me) (Eminem ft. Obie Trice and D12, 2003)
- Algo más que música (El Chojin, 2005)
- Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna, 2006)
- Brooklyn Girls (Charles Hamilton, 2008)
[edit] Track listing
[edit] US 7" single
- "Soul Makossa" — 4:30
- "Lily" 3:02
[edit] Charts
[edit] 1973
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | #35 |
| US Billboard R&B Charts[7] | #21 |
[edit] Personnel
- Arranged by Manu Dibango
- Written by Manu Dibango
- Bass by Long Manfred
- Drums by Joby Jobs
- Electric guitar by Manu Rodanet
- Percussion by Freddy Mars
- Piano by Georges Arvanitas, Patrice Galas
- Acoustic guitar by Pierre Zogo
[edit] References
- ^ "Manu Dibango discography". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Manu+Dibango.
- ^ Scaruffi, Piero. "Disco-music 1975-80". A History of Rock and Dance Music. 1. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-9765531-5-1. http://www.scaruffi.com/history/cpt34.html.
- ^ a b c d e Shapiro, Peter (2005). Turn the Beat Around: the Secret History of Disco. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc.. p. 35.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (1999). The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Da Capo Press. p. 548.
- ^ a b c Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark (2000). World Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 441.
- ^ "Billboard Pop Charts". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=MANU.
- ^ "R&B Billboard". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=MANU.
