Fally Ipupa

Congolese superstar Fally Ipupa is coming to RTM Stage in Rotterdam Ahoy on Saturday, 23rd November! Fally is a true multi-talent: he’s a singer, composer, dancer, guitarist, and producer. He began his career as a street musician and joined Koffi Olomide’s legendary ‘Quartier Latin’ in 1999, where he spent seven years. His first solo album ‘Droit Chemin’ became an instant mega-hit in Congo in 2006.

Collaborations with 50 Cent, Aya Nakamura, Dadju, and Tayc It didn’t take long for Fally to break through internationally. He worked with stars like 50 Cent, Aya Nakamura, Dadju, and Tayc. His music is an irresistible mix of soul, funk, rumba, hip-hop, island rhythms, and genres like soukous and ndombolo. But if you ask Fally himself, he wouldn’t call it afropop: “It’s ‘tokooos’ - international Congolese music.” The word ‘tokooos’ is derived from ‘kitoko’, Lingala for ‘beautiful’ or ‘positive’. Fally’s music is deeply rooted in the cultural identity of Kinshasa but is influenced by sounds from all over the world.

Besides his music, he’s also involved as a Unicef ambassador and through his own foundation FFI. When you talk about Congo and music today, you can’t ignore Fally Ipupa. He’s the real deal. Standing still? Forget about it!