Wawali Bonane was born in Banningville, now known as Bandundu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), where he absorbed the sounds and rhythms of the Bandundu region. His professional music career began early, as he dropped out of school in 1966 with his friend and partner Pepe Kalle to form their first band, Les Monkoy. Bonane's musical focus became soukous, a hybrid genre that blends Cuban rhumba and Antillean music with a distinctive Congolese flavor, a style that emerged in the 1950s.
A significant step in his career came in 1974 when superstar Tabu Ley Rochereau invited him to join his renowned band, Afrisa International. Following his time with Afrisa International, Wawali Bonane eventually made his way to Seattle with his longtime partner Steve Mgondo, where they established their band Yoka Nzenze. Bonane's music, including his work with Yoka Nzenze, was featured on the 2000 Smithsonian Folkways album Safarini, which showcased the work of African immigrant artists, and included his songs "Tcheni Tcheni," "Wumba Wumba," and "Kusanga Ema." He has also continued to honor the legacy of his mentor Tabu Ley Rochereau, for example, by collaborating on the 2023 album L'incarnation de Tabu Ley.