Petit-Pays
| Petit-Pays | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Adolphe Claude Moundi |
| Born | 1967 (age 46–47) |
| Genres | African |
| Occupations | African singer, dancer, director |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Omega |
Petit-Pays (born Adolphe Claude Moundi in Douala, Cameroon in 1967[1]) is a Cameroonian musician. By 1996 he had sold over 50,000 cassettes. He is also known as OMEGA, Rabba Rabbi, Turbo and famously Avocat defenseur des femmes (advocate for women). He is one of the most celebrated Cameroonian musicians of the late 1980s and 1990s. His music has evolved over the years adapting to contemporary African genres. He mixes native Cameroonian makossa with soukous, zouk, and salsa, leading to the portmanteau label of makozouk for some of his music.[2] He launched his first album Haoussa in 1987, after working with makossa producers. In Haoussa, he says his father is Haoussa and mother is Douala.
He has a band, known as Petit Pays et Les Sans Visa, which has seen several band members moving on to start their own solo careers over the 1990s and 2000s (decade). It includes artists like Jojo Moussio Samy Diko, Kaissa Pakito, Samantha Fok, Guy Manu, Njohreur, Xavier Lagaf and lots of other successful Makossa musicians. It is rumored that he gave the name Sans Visa to his band because he was deported from France for not having a visa.
He is the self crowned king of Makossa. In one of his songs, "Le Jour de ma Mort" (The Day I Die) from the album Class FM and other songs, he compares himself to Fela Kuti of Nigeria, Alpha Blondy of Côte d'Ivoire, Salif Keita of Mali and Youssou N'dour of Senegal. He always gives credit to legends like Francis Bebey, Eboa Lotin and Manu Dibango. He makes music with Pro Tools
He is known for his sometimes offensive dressing, controversial album covers and lyrics. He caused a stir in the mid-1990s ('94?) when he posed naked for his album cover King of Makossa (Love Class FM).
Influences
His influences are his wife.
Notes
References
- Mbaku, John Mukum (2005). Culture and Customs of Cameroon. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
- West, Ben (2004). Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide. Guilford, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press Inc.
- Fritzgerald Enow (2007). Makossa legends. Kansas city, Missouri:
- http://crawfurd.dk/africa/petitpays.htm