Makossa grew out of a mixture of traditional Cameroonian rhythms, Congolese soukous, and influences from American jazz and funk. The word 'makossa' roughly means 'I dance' in the Douala language. The music is energetic, rhythmic and joyful - built around bass guitar, brass instruments (especially the saxophone), and fast, catchy rhythms that make it almost impossible to stand still.
Manu Dibango - whose full name was Emmanuel N'Djoké Dibango - was born in Douala in 1933 and became one of the most celebrated musicians in African history. His saxophone playing blended jazz, funk and African traditional rhythms in a way no one had heard before. 'Soul Makossa' was so successful that it was sampled (used as a musical building block) by Michael Jackson in 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' in 1983, and again by Rihanna in 'Don't Stop the Music' in 2007. Dibango received royalties from both.
Makossa became enormously popular not just in Cameroon but across West Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe. It helped put Cameroon on the world music map. Nightclubs in Paris, which has a large Cameroonian community, played makossa records throughout the 1970s and 1980s, helping spread the sound internationally.
Today makossa continues to evolve. Younger Cameroonian artists blend it with Afrobeats, hip-hop and electronic music, keeping the sound fresh for new generations. The basic makossa groove - that irresistible combination of bouncy bass and saxophone melody - remains instantly recognisable and is considered part of Cameroon's national cultural identity.