Ekambi Brillant: the makossa-funk voice that conquered the world

Listening to Ekambi Brillant sing “Minya ma bobe” on a Douala stage is hearing makossa — this Cameroonian genre born in the 1950s in Douala, which fuses traditional Bantu rhythms with electric guitar, brass and percussion — take on a new dimension, between American funk and African elegance. With his sparkling cowboy look and his inimitable crooner style, Ekambi Ekambi Louis Brillant, known as “Mot’a Muenya” (the distinguished man in the Douala language), revolutionized Cameroonian music by introducing the piano, violin and funk, paving the way for an entire generation.

In brief

Key dates

Origins and discovery of makossa

Born into a well-off family, son of a major merchant and cultural promoter, Ekambi Brillant spent his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Djébalè¹. This Douala suburb, land of fishermen, offered him his first music lesson: the songs of the canoeists returning from the sea, those voices that carried the history of a people on the water. His grandmother raised him until the age of seven, and it was in the church choir that he took his first public steps.

In 1971, at twenty-three, he dropped out of school and joined the group Les Crack’s, which performed at the nightclub Le Domino in Douala². His repertoire mixed French variety, English rock and rhythm and blues — a blend that made him a musician apart from that time. He then entered the ORTF competition, whose jury was chaired by Manu Dibango and Francis Bebey. He won the competition and signed his first 45 rpm single, Jonguèlè la Ndolo, which sold 20,000 copies.

Revelation, diamond and legacy

Arriving in France in January 1972 with the support of Cameroonian bassist Jean Dikoto Mandengue, Ekambi Brillant signed with Philips-Phonogram and followed up with a second success, selling 25,000 copies³. In 1975, he broke his contract and met Slim Pezin, a renowned arranger who had worked with Johnny Hallyday and Claude François⁴. Together, they released Africa Oumba, containing the track “Elongui” — a piece that became a global hit, covered by Demis Roussos and Manu Dibango, and that propelled the album to a diamond record with four million copies sold⁵.

Returning to Cameroon in 1976, he founded his orchestra Les Ebis (Ekambi Brillant Show) and brought it to France⁶. He discovered and produced Valéry Lobé, Aladji Touré, Cella Stella and Angélique Kidjo, becoming the mentor of an entire generation of African artists. His career spanned decades: with nearly twenty albums, the United States where he created the Maloko Boys with Vincent Nguini, a return to Cameroon in 2000 to host the “Super Ekambi Brillant Show” on national television, and in 2007 a major exhibition in Yaoundé to celebrate thirty-six years of career⁷.

Major works

Legacy

Ekambi Brillant died on 12 December 2022 at Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, at seventy-four years old, following a long illness. Many personalities in Cameroon paid tribute to what they call the “father of makossa-funk”. Maurice Kamto, leader of the CRM party, stated: “Our country loses a naturally gifted, rigorous, demanding and professional artist.”

His foundation, launched in 2020 with guitarist Toto Guillaume during the “La Saga de Géants” saga, aims to restore Cameroonian music in all its glory. An initiative that echoes his final words on music: “A song is like a book, the hat, the head, the chorus, the bridge to breathe, the conclusion: you need time to write good lyrics.” His star, as its name indicates, continues to shine.

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