Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo and the Republic of Zaire, before returning to its current name the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the time of independence, the country was named the Republic of Congo-Léopoldville to distinguish it from its neighbour the Republic of the Congo-Brazzaville. With the promulgation of the Luluabourg Constitution on 1 August 1964, the country became the DRC, but was renamed to Zaire (a past name for the Congo River) on 27 October 1971 by President Mobutu Sese Seko as part of his "Authenticité" initiative. The word "Zaire" is from a Portuguese adaptation of a Kikongo word "nzere" ("river"), a
Keelay and Zaire Saafir, prominent emcees within the hip hop genre. Zaire, originating from Dayton, Ohio, now resides in Newport News, Virginia, and supplies the other half of the production work from Sole Vibe Studios East, located in Newport News as well. On the east coast, Zaire maintains a constant flow of music by collaborating with local Virginian artists, most notably emcee/songwriter Khizman of Trophy Winner Records, a native of the city of Norfolk, VA, and Newport News' own singer/songwriter Jonathan Moore. Keelay & Zaire released a free EP in January 2009 entitled 'Prelude To Drive EP' on Myx Music Label, featuring artists