Nguea Laroute: It is alleged by some Cameroonians,that this female
makossa artiste is related to Papillon. Some say she is his elder sister,
others say she is his cousin.  Anyway,I can't really tell how she began
in music,but I think she must have done a great deal of work behind the
scenes too. Nguea Laroute released an album which could be considered one
of her "debut"albums sometime around 1993-1994.  I forget what it was
called,but the music video for one of her main songs in this album was
popular on Cameroon television,particularly on musical programmes like
"Tube Vision",at the time when Pascal Pierre was the presenter.  Nguea
Laroute went ahead and released a combined album with the group "Makossa
Light",which also comprises of artistes like Papillon,Sam Toure, Babou
Thierry,and Ndema System.  The album was released around
September-October 1995.  She also released her second solo album around
October 1997,which was called "Fleurs",and two of her songs on this album
called "Desillusion"and "Responsabilite"were on top of the charts in
Cameroon during that period.  Then around December 1997,she released her
third solo album entitled "Responsabilite"and "Makossa Light" volume
2,with the same group of musicians.  Nguea Laroute's voice is distinct
because it is deep and occassionally sounds like the voice of a male.
She is a very good musician,and most of her songs are very good indeed.

 * Kotto Bass: His real name is Kotto Nyamsi Auger.  A seasoned
guitarist,particularly in guitar "bass", Kotto Bass was also gifted with
a formidable,angelic voice.   He had worked in the studios for so many
years,helping Cameroonian musicians by contributing in his area of
specialisation,the bass guitar. Kotto Bass's contribution alone, has
greatly improved the music and sound quality for various artistes'
albums.  He was just beginning to reap the fruits of his hardwork,when he
was poisoned by some vicious individual,as is the tradition in some of
our cruel societies characterised by jealousy.  One of his most popular
songs,was "Edith Ndol'ango". In Kotto Bass,we can see a reason for the
justification of the idea that everyone deserves an equal chance in
society. No one should be discriminated against because they have any
disability of some sort.  More often than not,it is the artistes who are
considered disabled,that tend to compose the best songs.  May his soul
rest in perfect peace.

  Ndedi Eyango : Ndedi Eyango greatly entertained Cameroonians in the
late 1980s and early 1990s, through his hit songs "You Must Calculer",
"Alima",  "Soul Botingo",and "Nkongsamba".  Encouraged by the patriotic
feeling that it was necessary to promote Cameroon music abroad, and also
in search of better conditions for his music production, Eyango moved to
Los Angeles, California,and released an album in 1997 called "Another
Part Of Me".  Although Eyango's recent efforts in the musical domain have
not been met with much success, he also remains one of Cameroon's "big"
musicians.  No one can deny the ambiance with which Eyango thrilled
Cameroonians in the late 1980s and early 1990s,during which almost every
album he used to release in succession were very good. He is a real
"Montagnard D'Afrique".

  Charlotte Mbango:  Charlotte Mbango is an excellent musician.  This
female artiste sings makossa with style, and dances it with
class,ambiance,power,dignity,and pride. On top of all that, she has a
very good voice.  One of her earliest hits was the song "Konkai
Makossa",which was released around 1988-1989.  In the video for this
song,she put her message across clearly to the viewers,probably
condemning those young women who escape from their houses at night
without the knowledge of their parents,and go to meet bad company in
night clubs.  In 1993, she released another album which did extremely
well in the market.  I can't remember what it was called,but she released
that album after quite a while.  Then in 1995-1996,she sang a duet with
Tom Yoms,a song which many Cameroonians liked and considered to be quite
emotional. It was called "Sengato",and it had a zouk rhythm.  Then in
August 1997,she released the album "Malea",which equally did quite well.

  Ben Decca:  Ben Decca sings "cool makossa". He has released so many
albums,that it is extremely difficult to recall the names of all of them.
 He is a man of dignity,and has been singing since the 1980s.  He
released another great album around August 1997.  Ben Decca is equally
one of the greatest musicians Cameroon has ever had.

  Sam Fan Thomas:  Like Ben Decca, Sam Fan Thomas is also one of
Cameroon's great musicians, and has been releasing albums since the
1980s. He sang a song during the early 1990s which was popular not only
because of the rhythm and beats,but because of the content.  In the song,
he condemned the apartheid regime in South Africa and praised Mandela for
his courage.  Then in 1993, he released "The Best Of Sam Fan
Thomas/Emotions".  He has also been involved in music production,and it
is said that he owns a studio in Douala, called "studio makassi".

  Keng Godefroy: He is one of Cameroon's rising musicians,and seen by
many as a possible successor of Sam Fan Thomas,who has been a mentor to
him over the years. He sings "makassi",and is well known for his height
as well,because he is not a very tall artiste at all.  Regardless of that
minor fact,he is a good musician and sings well. He released an album in
1993,his debut album, entitled "Mon Ami".  Then in 1997,he released
another album,and one of his songs "Letse"was a hit in Cameroon during
that period.  Keng Godefroy will undoubtedly be a role model for the
aspiring Cameroonian makassi artistes of the generation 2000.

  Guy  Lobe: Another pioneer of Cameroon music, Guy Lobe has been
releasing albums consistently since the 1980s and equally sings "cool
makossa".  With big musicians like these,it is difficult to remember the
names of each album they released.  However, in 1990, Guy Lobe released
an album entitled "Selele"; in 1993,he released another one called
"Africa",and in 1997,he released "Sonandolo",in two volumes.  He also
sang two songs for the "Afric Panache" album with Diboue Black,entitled
"Devaluation"and "Ebol'a Bobe"respectively. Aspiring makossa artistes of
the next generation ought to look at him with admiration and respect for
the record he has maintained so far.

 Geo Masso: Another artiste who sings clean and pure makossa.  Geo
Masso gained much attention through one of his hot albums he released in
1991. Then in 1993-1994, he released another album with the hit songs
"mapita"and "Eva". It is said that he just released another album.
Regardless of how old he may be, Geo Masso is filled with talent and
dances and sings fabulously.

  Nadia Ewande: Another female makossa artiste with a good voice,
Nadia Ewande was a member of Nkotti Francoi's group,"Les Black Style;"
she sang a solo song through their hit 1994-1995 album, and has since
then began singing alone.  She has worked behind the scenes with various
artistes for several years and in 1997, released another album with a
song "Timba" which did very well in the country.

  Solo Muna: Despite having been on the musical scene for a while,
Solo Muna has been doing quite well,releasing a few albums occassionally.
 In 1996,he released the song"Ambiance Tropicale",a duet which he sang
with Louis De Koum.  Still in 1996, he released a solo album "Monsieur Le
Demarreur", which did very well in the country.

  Georges Dickson:  This makossa artiste is well known for his mixture
of makossa and soukous in most of his songs.  He has sang a great deal of
songs over the years and is well known for one of his songs in which he
praises Roger Milla for what he has done for  Cameroon.  In 1996, Georges
Dickson released "Ambiance 2000",which did fairly well.

 Manu Dibango: One of the first Cameroonian musicians who has been able
to gain so much international recognition,he is greatly recognised for
the quality of his music, jazz style in particular.  Manu Dibango has
sang with so many musicians from all parts of the world,including black
American musicians. He has continued to help other musicians compose
songs behind the scenes in the studios and has released so many albums
over the years. His music has been so good that even if he were never to
release any new albums in future,his music will always continue to live
in the hearts of most of his listeners.  Manu is a "grand musicien".

 Tim and Foty:  These two musicians were among those who contributed to
the shape of Cameroon music today, makossa in particular.  In the early
1980s, they released a couple of songs under the label "Toure Jim's
Records",and were very popular among the older generation of today's
Cameroonian society. Their style was 100% original makossa or pure
makossa.

 Pierre De Moussy: Also one of the artistes who shaped the makossa
style in the 1980s, famous for his cool makossa and its emotional rhythm.
 It is said that he has recently been doing business on the side. He
released "The Best of Pierre De Moussy" around the year 1995,which was a
remake/recompilation of his greatest hits of the 1980s.

 Jeanette Ndiaye: This female makossa artiste,was also extremely
popular in the early 1980s. What used to touch people so much was not
only the way she sang,but also the fact that she had a very good voice
that made most of her songs flow right into people's hearts. She could be
considered one of the leaders of today's female makossa artistes,and for
that reason deserves the necessary recognition and respect.  It is said
that she has since settled into married life, after she released her
three great albums of the 80's. She is probably helping some of our
country's budding artistes part-time.

 *Eboa Lottin: Another Cameroonian artiste who has proven that  most of
the time,artistes considered to be physically challenged compose the best
music.  He had touched Cameroonians for so many years through his
music,and continues to do so even after his death in 1997.  May his soul
rest in perfect peace.

* Bebe Black:  I personally do not know too much about Bebe Black and
the music he used to compose, but I know he was one of the popular
makossa stars of the early 80s and part of the late 80s to the early 90s,
I think. And he was equally a very good musician.  It has been quite a
number of years since he passed away.  May his soul rest in peace.
 

  Moni Bile: Moni Bile is also one of the pioneers of Cameroon makossa.
 He has entertained Cameroonians with fantastic songs in the early
1980s,and has kept on composing songs for quite a while ever since. Moni
Bile undoubtedly deserves to be looked upon with respect by our new
generation of makossa artistes.

   Ndedy  Dibango: Was at the highest level of his popularity during
the mid 80s to early 90s. Also a great dancer, he is also known for one
of his most distinct techniques,"nodding"his head to the rhythm of his
songs.  He is also one of Cameroon's great musicians.

 Nkotti Francois: Also one of the great makossa artistes, he was most
popular during the early 80s and came back in force with a new album in
1993 and another which he composed with his group "Les Black Style" in
1994.

  Georges Seba: One of the musicians who specialised in Bikutsi
music,but who in the early 1980s, was able to appeal not only to Bikutsi
fans,but to makossa/makassi/mangambeu fans as well. In short,he was
admired by most  Cameroonians for his singing style,which consisted of
pure French mixed with Ewondo, Beti or Bulu, I'm not very sure,and a very
good voice on top of it all. Most famous for one of his songs with the
chorus: "Tout le monde bougez, bougez... tout le monde dansez,
dansez......".  This artiste ought to be looked upon with respect by the
Bikutsi artistes of the new generation.

 Atebass: This group which used to comprise of four or five musicians
who specialised in singing Bikutsi,could also be considered the pioneers
of Cameroon music.  Known for their distinct hair-styles, faces covered
with white paint and dark glasses, as well as their mastery of the guitar
and the Bikutsi dance.  The last major album the group sang together, was
one in which they glorified the immortality of the Bikutsi dance.  This
song had a video which was very popular on Cameroon television in the
early 1990s.

 Anne Marie Ndzie: This hardworking, elderly woman with a very
powerful and touching voice. She has sang a good number of songs but was
most famous for one of her songs with the lines: " Liberte...(3x) ...Dieu
tout puissant.... nous sommes libres..... merci."

  Ali Baba: Ali Baba used to sing a different kind of music. I don't
know if he used to call it "merengue"or something.  Anyway,he was one of
the hot artistes during much of the mid 1980s period in Cameroon music
and has composed a number of songs.  He is famous for his dancing
style,which used to include a certain spinning/revolving and circular
movement he used to do with his neck.  During the years 1996-1997, Ali
Baba fell seriously ill.  Thanks to God,he recovered and in mid
1996-1997,released an album which he dedicated to thanking God for his
recovery.

  Ekwe Silo: Like the late Kotto Bass,this makossa artiste had a
mastery of the guitar. His makossa was often accompanied with fantastic
"guitar bass",his voice was distinct,his videos were filled with
ambiance, and singers and dancers with good voices.  He was most popular
during the years 1987-part of 1991-1992,when he released one of his last
major albums.  Ekwe Silo does really have some fantastic songs.  I tried
to get information about most of his old albums,but they seem to be very
hard to find.

  Esa: This group Esa,used to compose fantastic makossa. They thrilled
Cameroonians with hit songs like "Eyaye",which was released in 1987-1988.
 They went forward to release another album in 1990,I can't really
remember the name. This group used to sing excellent makossa with an
emotional tone and rhythm of fantastic proportions,according to many
Cameroonians.  Unfortunately,there were rumours that the leader of this
group complained that despite all of their efforts, most Cameroonians do
not support their music enough at all.  So as a result, the group decided
to go into oblivion,into which they have remained ever since. I don't
know if this rumour is true.  However,in terms of makossa groups in
Cameroon, Esa is undoubtedly one of the best and because they were one of
the earliest organized makossa groups,they could be considered pioneers
of these groups.

  Beko  Sadey: This female makossa artiste entertained Cameroonians
through a variety of hit songs in the middle to late 1980s,with much
success.  Her songs received warm welcomes form Cameroonian listeners and
did very well in the market,and her music videos were seen to be
interesting and entertaining by many Cameroonians.
Although she does not seem to have released any other major album ever
since 1991-1992, she should be considered among the earliest Cameroonian
female artistes who were able to successfully begin solo careers in the
music business.  For that,she deserves respect and recogniton from the
new generation of female artistes who today,have been successful in solo
music careers.

 Marthe Zambo: I do not know that much about this artiste and her
music,but I know she deserves consideration in this classification for
being among some of the earliest,successful Cameroonian artistes.

  Emile Kangue: Although some people say that this artiste has been
getting into quite a great deal of trouble with the law in Cameroon for a
number of years,there is no doubt that Emile Kangue ranks among
Cameroon's top makossa musicians.  He has equally entertained
Cameroonians over the years with his music and good music videos filled
with great dancers,singers with good voices,and ambiance at 100% showbiz
style.  A huge man of excellent body build and a deep,majestic voice,he
is also one of our country's great musicians.

* Etub'anyang: Many of us grew up listening to this fantastic artistes
songs.  We were so used to hearing the radio stations playing his songs
as we rushed early in the morning to go to school, in the afternoon when
we returned home from school,and in the evenings when we spent time with
our families.  Listening to Etub'anyang sing and hearing his voice was an
important part of our lives. I can not describe the pain and sorrow I
felt when I heard about the death of this great,talented artiste.  May
his musical soul rest in perfect peace.

 Manulo: Manulo was one of the great musicians who entertained us in
the mid 80s and early 90s. A good looking, tall and slim musician during
that period, dark in complexion with a good voice,Manulo's music was
distinct in the sense that most of his songs seemed to have different
levels. Some of them would begin like "slows",then would progress into
hot rhythms as the songs went on. He has composed a number of successful
songs and one of his most explosive albums was the one with the title
"Bombe-H",which he released during the years 1990-1991.Manulo was among
the artistes who used to entertain Cameroonians back in the days when we
had more fantastic musical programs like "Tele Podium" and "V-Comme
Vedette." Manulo was also well known for his showbiz look,which usually
consisted of a guitar hung on his shoulder,and leather troussers. Since
then,he does not seem to have released any new album.

  Sammy Mafany: Sammy Mafany is not only one of the earliest musicians
from Fako Division who won national recogniton and admiration for his
music throughout the Cameroon territory,but one of the pioneers of our
country's present musicians of Southwest origin.  He released an album in
the early 1980s which did very well in the musical market in Cameroon.
The album contained such hits songs as "Wejani" and "Na Keka"(the
translation in the Bakweri language which means :I'm struggling).  He
proceeded to release another album around 1994-1995,the title which I
can't really remember.  Although he does not seem to have released any
other album since then,he probably must be helping other artistes behind
the scenes and may release a surpising,comeback album in future.

 * Francis Dom: Francis Dom was one of the most hardworking artistes
of Northwest origin,and one of the foremost to win national recognition
and admiration for this hardwork by Cameroonians. He also released a
great deal of albums,among one of his many hits was the song "Fai Mbuh".
Unfortunately again,the cold hands of death continue to take away our
most talented artistes from us,and this great artiste was among them. But
his music will continue to live,because he was unique in his own way,just
like other Cameroonian artistes who have departed from us. It would be
hard to fill the vacuums left by their absences in the musical scene.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.

  Toto Guillaume: One of the great and earliest leaders of the
Cameroon music industry,he thrilled us with fantastic songs during the
1980s and a little bit of the early 1990s. Although since then he does
not seem to have released any major album,he has remained very active
behind the scenes,helping today's artistes in their compositions through
his mastery of the guitar.

 Eko Roosevelt: One of the real calm Cameroonian musicians,also among
those who greatly entertained us in the early 80s and part of the early
90s.  Although he has been absent from the musical scene for quite a
while now,he continues to help and work with other artistes behind the
scenes.

 Tokoto Ashanti: Personally,I do not know much about his music. But I
know he was one of the hot Cameroonian artistes of the 1980s,who equally
helped shape the musical scene in Cameroon today.

   Joe Mboule: He was also one of the great makossa artistes of the
early 80s and part of the early 90s,who along with Guy Lobe, Sam Fan
Thomas, Dina Bell, Toto Guillaume, Manulo, Eko Roosevelt, Moni Bile,Sammy
Mafany and the rest,helped to build up our musical scene.

 Grace Decca: Sister of the popular Cameroonian musician,Ben Decca. She
has sang a number of duets with her brother as well as some individual
songs which did very well.  One of her most remarkable successes was her
1993 album,"Doi La Mulema",which was number one on the charts for several
months when it came out. Since then,Grace Decca had been quite silent on
the musical scene until New Year's Eve 1995,when she sang on stage in a
musical television program. She has come back in full force with a new
album,"Appeles Moi Princesse"(1998).

 Douleur: This makossa artiste has been silent in the musical scene for
a while. He is one of the musicians who has been entertaining
Cameroonians over the years. Made a comeback album,"Charter Au
Mali"(1997).

 Charlie Nelle: Having been absent from the musical scene for quite a
while,released a comeback album in 1997 with a hit song "Na Si Tolone
Ndolo",which dominated Cameroon television's clip box,dedicated to
Cameroon music videos.

 Bella Njoh: Released a powerful comeback album in 1997 entitled"Ca
Fait Mal L'amour". It did very well.

  Sammy Mafany: Does not seem to have released any new album since the
mid 1980s and 1994.

  Les Tetes Brulees-Group specializing in Bikutsi music.

  Gilly Doumbe: One of our numerous talented artistes whom I
personally admire greatly,Gilly Doumbe strengthened the ambiance in
makossa through his hit songs of the early 1990s like"Things Like
This"and "Makossa Syndrum",adding a new rhythm and style to makossa and
making use of his great talent at playing the guitar. His music video for
"Things Like This"was one of the hottest videos on Cameroon television in
1990-1991 and had amazing dancers who added steam to the performance.
Added to that,was Gilly Doumbe's great voice. In 1993,he released an
album called"My Feeling",which comprised of the hit songs "Virgule"and
"Soussou". This album did very well in Cameroon.  Although he has been
helping artistes greatly behind the scenes in terms of many aspects such
as chorus-singing,mixing,and guitar specialisation,he does not seem to
have released any new album since then.

 Alfred Tonga: Seems to have been absent since his late 1980s album
with the hit song,"Fire".

  Toucouleur: Toucouleur had been absent from the scene for a very
long time,but made a surprising comeback with his 1994-1995 album called
"Le Ministre". He does not seem to have released a new album since then.

 Rrumtah: This group of the then young four or five children,impressed
many Cameroonians with their talent. One of the most notorious people in
their group was the only boy,who specialised in singing in a distinct
voice,like Jacob Desvarieux of the group" Kassav".  If I am not
mistaken,they released a new album either in 1991 or early 1992,but have
remained quite silent ever since.

 "Tonton" Edgar: Was most famous for his song "vantardise",if I'm not
mistaken;a song which he released in the late 1980s. The music video for
this song was popular on Cameroon television during that period. One of
the most remarkable scenes in the video was the one in which he gets
pushed to the ground by a tall,dark,and huge girl with braids;the girl
later on proceeds to order two very huge men to carry Edgar up and throw
him out of the house within which they were supposedly having a family
meeting or reunion.  Has he released another album since then? Maybe he
has,but I do not know personally. But even if he has,Edgar has been quiet
silent for a very long time.

 Lokamba:  I do not know how many albums this group has released,but
they were most famous for one of their good songs which they sang during
the period of the ghost-town operations in Cameroon,with the patriotic
aim of reuniting all Cameroonians. A popular chorus of the song was: "Le
tribalisme....dehors! L'anarchie....dehors...dehors!"

 Njume Loko: A fantastic and talented dancer/singer,Njume Loko was
received with much applause and enthusiasm as another major artiste from
the southwest after Sammy Mafany. He released two major albums which did
very well,particularly in almost the entire Southwest province.  But
since then,he does not seem to have released another album yet.

 Elchic Echondong: One of the major artistes of Northwest origin after
the late *Francis Dom,he thrilled Cameroonians with his hit song
"Amumba'a"; I think he released another album after that,but since
then,he seems to have been quiet for a while now.

 Maurice Njoume: This great artiste was well known for his hit song
"Maimuna",which he released in the early 1990s and which did very well in
Cameroon.  I heard that some jealous individuals attempted to take away
his life by poisoning him.  I do not think he has released any new album
since then,I'm not really sure about that. However,I hope that everything
is alright with him.

 Gerafric:  This young musician at the time was most famous for a song
he released in the early 1990s called "Let's make a baby".  I am not sure
if he has released any album since then.

 Chaps:  This Cameroonian musician was famous for singing
"slow-style"songs with an extremely distinct voice fashioned in the same
way as the then young gentleman in the group"Rrumtah".

 Pierre Didy Tchakounte: This great musician entertained us greatly
with his perfect "mangambeu"songs. He released a number of successful
albums,and one of his most famous songs was the one with the chorus:"Tout
est congelee... les voitures congelees... meme la viande,congelee...".

  Rachel Mimbo: This light-skinned,Cameroonian female artiste had her
breakthrough in her possibly debut album called"La Nation",which was
basically sang to "soukous"rhythm. In this album were the hit songs "Sole
Niyo"and "La Nation".  Later on,Rachel Mimbo went forward and sang a song
for the "planning familiale/family planning"commercial for Cameroon
television,famous for the chorus"Planning familiale...c'est bon pour
maman....planning familiale....c'est bon pour l'enfant..".  Then she also
sang a song of encouragement for the Indomitable Lions which was often
presented on television before the Lions'world cup matches. I do not know
if she has released any new album since then,or if she has,I have not
heard of it yet.

 Epee et Koum: Epee et Koum had been absent for quite a while since
the release of their 1993 album which caused a misunderstanding between
them and Papillon. However,they released a comeback album in 1996 called
"Maa'tche",which did very well.

 Yolande Ambiana: It has been quite a while since I got news on this
former Cameroon television personality,who had turned to music.

 Ottou Marcellin: Known for his songs that pierce people right into
their hearts and get into the centre of their emotions,it has been quite
a while since this great singer released a new album. One may probably be
on the way.

 Gibraltar Drakus: This excellent artiste was a master at singing and
dancing Bikutsi and playing the guitar. It has been very long now,since
he released any new work on the musical scene.

 Atango Atango: This group of young artistes specialising in Bikutsi
music,were at the height of their popularity during the years1991-1993.
They were famous for their showbiz look: completely shaven
heads,sunglasses,and the tendency to wear their clothes(ties,
shirts,troussers,and so on) on the opposite sides. They were most famous
for their 1993 hit song with the chorus:"O mon cacao...je suis ton
meilleur cafe..."(something like that,if I'm not mistaken).

Romeo Dika: Married to Chantal Ayissi,this young makossa star is rising
rapidly. A good dancer and singer,he has composed a whole range of songs
which have done very well in Cameroon and these are often a mixture of
pure makossa and slows. One of his music videos from his 1997 album was
very popular on television during that period.

 Les Immigres: A new makossa group,they began in 1997 with an explosive
album with two major hit songs:"Bana Ba Makossa"and "Ponda". The music
video for"Bana Ba Makossa"was just fantastic and filled with all the
ambiance you can imagine and quite a good representation of the touristic
richness of Cameroon.

 Rosy Bush

Chantal Ayissi

 Sergio et Njohreur: Although these two good makossa musicians have now
separated from each other,they released an album which did extremely well
in Cameroon and which was called"Le Mari D'autrui". The music video for
one of their songs,(it takes the same name as the title of their album:Le
Mari D'autrui) was one of the most popular videos on Cameroon television
for most of the year 1996-1997. The video was characterised by high
quality dancing,animation and enough "zingue".

 Evelle Kool: One of the most outstanding discoveries of 1997 in the
Cameroon music world,Evelle Kool is already being considered by some as a
possible successor to Sammy Mafany. He released his first album
called"Tombea"under "Mbella Etoga Productions". Two of his
songs,"Nanyongo"and"Tombea"went on to be immediate successes. From Buea
to Tiko to Limbe to Kumba,Evelle Kool was king of the charts and went
ahead to gain a significant amount of success in the Littoral and Centre
provinces through this album.

 Sammy Diko: Another young guy who as it is alleged,withdrew from
Petit Pay's group"Les Sans Visas". Sammy Diko released his first solo
album in July-August 1997. However,his method of singing has been
described by most Cameroonians as a mere imitation of Petit Pays,with
emphasis on the same voice,rhythm,and method of dance. Although his album
did fairly well,it was received luke-warmly by a good number of
Cameroonians who had the above mentioned impression of him.

 Les Sans Frontieres: Another hot makossa group that probably had its
debut in 1997. Their 1997 album was very successful,and was a mixture of
soukous and makossa. Like the group"Les Immigres",this group is equally
one of the most promising and rapidly rising makossa groups of the
generation 2000.

 Sosthene Parol:Sings Makossa. He released two huge hits. His most
known song "fait moi mal" did very well in Cameroon during the period
95-96.

 Alfred Lef: Alfred Lef was also one of the most important revelations
of the year 1997. Strangely, Alfred Lef sounds and sings exactly like
Petit Pays,and one of his songs"Ndolo Bekwadi"did extremely well on the
charts and was accompanied by a fantastic music video for television.

 Ekani Anatole Duro: One of the Bikutsi artistes who like Chantal
Ayissi,has been making a partial transition to singing "zouk-style songs
to zouk rhythms and beats" in Ewondo or Bulu as the case may be,and mixed
with French.
He released an album in 1997,and one of the songs"Les policiers vont se
facher" did very well on the charts as a result of the fantastic
combination I just described above.

 Njoh Ndeley: Another artiste from Fako Division,who coincidentally
released a successful album in 1997 at virtually the same time as Evelle
Kool. Two of his songs did very well in Cameroon during that period,one
of them was called"Ono Didi".

  Alain Bekins: I do not know when he actually started out in the
music business,but in 1997,he released an album and one of his songs
called"Diba di mba",did very well in Cameroon during that period. He
sings makossa.

 Zele Le Bombardier:  Zele le bombardier,does not seem to have
released any album since 1996. This young artiste introduced a new,classy
style of dancing Bikutsi called "Pedale".

 Charlotte Alogo: Sings Bikutsi.

 Pasto: Sings Bikutsi

 Agne Bagnia : A supposedly new, female makossa artiste who it is
alleged emerged on to the scene in Cameroon last summer. It is reported
that she is a good singer,and is rapidly rising to stardom. I would have
to do more research on this artiste.

 Louis De Koum: His hit song "interpellation"(1997) gained him many
fans in Cameroon during that period,and his music video for that song was
among the top 10 in Cameroon during that period. Louis De Koum had
already sang in a duet with Solo Muna for the song"Ambiance
Tropicale",(1996)a hit during that period.

 Pepe Kingue: Another relatively new makossa artiste I guess,who
released an album in 1996 that did well in Cameroon during that period,
dominating in night-clubs,bars,and many other places. He is also one of
the rising stars.

 Frank Bell: He is not that new to the Cameroon musical scene,but the
album he released in 1997 showed that he was still in form,and did very
well. Two of his songs called"Mutoped'a Mudi"and "olumba olumba"were hits
on Cameroon radio and television.

Liza  T.:  In 1993,this young female makossa musician was very hot and
one of her songs in that album,"Associe"was a hit in Cameroon during that
period,including one of her other songs,the name which I can't really
recall.  She made a music video for the song which did extremely well on
Cameroon television and radio.  Liza T.released this album under the
label"EMI".  Since then,she does not seem to have done much on the
musical scene.

Djene  Djento: Also one of the hot makossa stars of the 1980s, Djeny
Djento seems to have been quiet for a while now.

Valto N: This artiste introduced a new kind of music in 1996 when he
released his lbum with the hit song"Ndameno",which did very well on
Cameroon television and radio. Valto N.composes music that seems to be a
blend of makossa love, zouk and Zairean style music and traditional
Cameroon music. He  appears to have been absent since then.

Eboue Chaleur: Another great Bikutsi artiste who seems to have been
absent from the scene for a while now.

Sissy Dipoko:  This female singer with a great voice, who has worked
behind the scenes singing choruses for other Cameroonian artistes like
Guy Lobe, Dina Bell, Gilly Doumbe and others,does not seem to have
released any new album since her succesful album of 1991-1992,"Munam"..

Long live our rich culture, God bless our present and future artistes
and watch over the souls of those that have departed from us.

Written and Composed by  Ambe Johnson