section_path: Culture/Music
section_name: Music
paragraph_text: Music
  
  Congo has a rich musical heritage, rooted in traditional rhythms. The earliest known form of popular partnered dance music in Congo was Maringa, denoting a Kongolese dance practised within the former Kingdom of Loango, encompassing parts of the present-day Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and Cabinda. The style gained popularity in the 1920s–1930s, introducing the "bar-dancing" culture in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), incorporating unique elements like a bass drum, a bottle as a triangle, and an accordion.
  
  In the 1940s and 1950s, the influence of Cuban son bands transformed Maringa into " Congolese rumba ". Imported records by Sexteto Habanero and Trio Matamoros, often mislabeled as "rumba", played a significant role. Artists such as Antoine Kasongo, Paul Kamba, Henri Bowane, Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, Franco Luambo, Le Grand Kallé, Vicky Longomba, Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Papa Noel Nedule authentically popularized the style and made significant contributions to it in the 1940s and 1950s.
  
  The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of soukous, an urban dance music style that evolved from Congolese rumba. Soukous led to diverse offshoots, such as ekonda saccadé, reflecting the Mongo rhythmic influence, and mokonyonyon, emulating pelvic thrust dance movements from the Otetela ethnic background. The same soukous, under the guidance of " le sapeur ", Papa Wemba, have set the tone for a generation of young men always dressed up in exorbitant designer clothes. They came to be known as the fourth generation of Congolese music and mostly come from the former prominent band Wenge Musica.
  
  Political and economic challenges under Mobutu prompted a mass exodus of musicians to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Europe and Asia, expanding the spread of Congolese urban music. Notably, the quartet Ry-Co Jazz played a crucial role in globalizing Congolese music, touring West Africa, the Caribbean, and France. By the 1980s, numerous Congolese musicians were based in Europe, facilitating the global dissemination of their musical prowess. Congolese lead guitarists became a sought-after commodity, attracting bands worldwide eager to infuse a Congolese flavor into their compositions or learn the intricate art of Congolese guitar dexterity.
  
  In the late 1980s, Ndombolo emerged as a fast-paced, hip-swaying dance music, drawing inspiration from Congolese rumba and soukous. This genre gained widespread popularity in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with musicians like Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Werrason, Awilo Longomba, Quartier Latin International, Général Defao, Aurlus Mabélé, Exra Musica, Wenge Musica, Wenge Musica Maison Mére and Fally Ipupa making significant contributions to its evolution and international stage.