Makossaduala / french
Lyric note
“Mama-ko, mama-sa, ma-ko ma-ko-ssa”
The iconic Duala-language chant that became one of the most-sampled phrases in recorded music. Lyrics by S.M. Eno Belinga, Cameroonian poet and musicologist. The repetition is rhythmic, not narrative — it's a vocal percussion line built to ride the saxophone groove. Michael Jackson lifted it in 1982 for "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" on Thriller, and Rihanna interpolated it again in 2007 on "Don't Stop the Music."
Soul Makossa
Manu Dibango
6 notesCommunity decoded