It is truly strange how rumba fans shy away from admitting that Madilu Systeme's 1993 album, Sans Commentaire, is one of the greatest musical albums to ever grace the world of music. It's really weird.

The composition, the arrangement, the instrumentation, the singing—everything is so on point. The transition from the 1980s TPOK's Madilu into the 1990s soukous Madilu is one of the most remarkable transitions in music.

Just listen to “Autoroute” from start to end. Back in my days in Chad, a guy we lived with in the camp said that nobody transitioned to the climax better than Madilu. Madilu is the only artist whose music speaks to your body, mind, and soul. These are the words of Silas Nyanchwani, a Kenyan author and music enthusiast. His sentiments capture the near-cult following that Madilu Systeme enjoys in Kenya and possibly other East African countries.

On August 11, 2025, Nairobi and many other towns in Africa and beyond will be holding events to mark the 18th death anniversary of this legendary Congolese musician. Madilu became part of Franco's storied band, OK Jazz, in 1980 after several stints with other bands.

As noted by Nyanchwani, one of Madilu's most remarkable feats was his ability to reinvent himself after the demise of Franco. This didn't just mean regaining a footing in music but also adopting the more popular soukous subgenre of rumba, away from the odemba that OK Jazz had specialized in.

Soukous, which was popularized by Paris-based Congolese musicians, didn't just come with a change of beat but a tradition as well, as most of the recordings were done by hired session musicians as opposed to existing bands, as was the norm. This created a rare flexibility where a few top talents would grace every big name’s recordings, something that would have been impossible before.

For example, in the traditional arrangement, for Madilu to have worked with Nyboma, Caien Madoka, Dally Kimoko, Rigo Star, and others, he would have first had to incorporate them into his band. That was the only way he could get them to grace his recording. This transition was the most outstanding factor that enabled Madilu to reinvent himself and shine even more after OK Jazz. Had he stuck to Franco’s odemba, he would have had only a tiny fraction of the attention he enjoyed.

Shady Shihusa of Jabulani Radio echoes Nyanchwani’s sentiments on Madilu’s greatness but offers a differing opinion on the explanation for his success after OK Jazz. According to him, Madilu in the 1980s came to be identified as OK Jazz’s most popular singer, a fact he says can't be disputed, based on how fans demanded Madilu sing in concerts.

When Franco died, Shady, who hosts the popular show Rumba Overdose, says that although fans were aggrieved by Franco’s demise, they simply transferred the fanatic following they had for him to Madilu, thus boosting his popularity. He goes on to say that apart from Franco, Madilu is the second most requested musician.

The musical history of Madilu traces back to the early 1970s. Faugus Izeidi was a guitarist with the African Fiesta National of Tabu Ley. In 1971, he had differences with his boss and quit to create his own band, which went by the name African Fiesta Populaire.

Faugus, who is the younger brother of the legendary African Jazz musician Roger Izeidi, told this writer that when he established his band, he began recruiting musicians, and among the most sought-after vocalists at the time was a young Madilu. Born on May 28, 1950, Madilu was only 21 years old at the time, a young man oozing talent for music and a burning ambition to succeed. He had previously had stints with two other bands, Symba and Bamboula of Noel. Faugus drove to his home to fetch Madilu, not for auditions but to take up a position in the new band.

He didn’t last long in this assignment and quit in 1973 to join Bakuba Mayopi. Mayopi derived its name from the acronyms of its three founders: Madilu, Yosa, and Pires. The band didn’t last long. Upon its disbandment, Madilu carried the name Pamba Pamba, which had been the most successful of his songs with Mayopi. This group also had superstar Soki Vangu, formerly of Bella Bella.

This group existed between 1976 and 1978 when Madilu was recruited by Tabu Ley into Afrisa, by that time one of the biggest bands in the country. With a litany of singers, Madilu never got a chance to shine at Afrisa. He was relegated to performing peripheral functions. At one time, when Tabu Ley was traveling with his team to Europe, Madilu was left behind.

He had woken up early and made himself available at the airport for his maiden journey to Europe, but all his excitement came to naught when it became apparent that his name had been intentionally left out of the traveling team. He watched in disbelief as the plane carrying his compatriots lifted into the morning skies of Ndjili Airport.

This episode has often been cited by pundits as proof that Tabu Ley didn’t value Madilu much as an asset to his band. In 1980, Franco came calling, and that marked Madilu’s grand march to the top, an apex he remained perched upon until his demise.

Franco brought in Madilu when his band also had a long list of dependable singers. However, Madilu was to become an asset for the future. In the 1980s, Franco’s music was literally in transition from odemba, not necessarily to soukous, but to a variation of odemba that leaned towards soukous.

Madilu proved himself a master of this. The other singers at OK Jazz, Aimé, Josky, Ntesa, and others, were more inclined to odemba. Madilu made a major breakthrough with the song “Non,” a Franco composition recorded in 1983. The song endeared Madilu to the fans of OK Jazz. He became the darling of the masses at all concerts. He did many recordings with OK Jazz, which all turned out to be popular, among them his own compositions Pesa Ngai Position Nayo and Boma Ngai, Ngai Naboma Yo. Others were Franco compositions such as Makambo Eza Bureau, Famous, Mario, and many others.

In the tussle for control of OK Jazz after Franco’s death, only Madilu was on the side of the family, as the other musicians pulled in a different direction, a development that culminated in the creation of Bana OK, led by Simaro. Madilu then launched his solo career, set up a base in Geneva, Switzerland, and married a Swiss woman. He released several albums that did remarkably well in the market. He became a star both in Europe and back home in Africa. He died of heart complications in Kinshasa on August 11, 2007.

Among the events planned for this year’s anniversary in Kenya are Jabulani Radio-sponsored events in Nakuru and Nairobi, where branded merchandise is already on sale as part of the early celebrations. Jabulani Radio has also lined up a series of shows in the programs Rumba Overdose and Rumba Fiesta, to celebrate this fallen icon. Indeed, this music icon is truly revered and missed.

By Jerome Ogola

Jabulani Radio

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Advertise here: Marketing@jabulaniradio.com

• Event: 18th Anniversary Tribute to Madilu System

• Date: Saturday, August 16, 2025

• Time: From 6 PM until late

• Venue: HomePoint Lounge, Donholm, Nairobi, Kenya

• Hosts: Captain Shaddy Shihusa (from Rhumba Overdose) and Jabulani Radio

• DJs: DJ Shaffy & DJ Queen B (these DJs are regularly featured in Rhumba Overdose events)

• Dress Code: White Madilu System T-shirts are highly encouraged to show unity and tribute.

• Admission: 1000 Kenyan Shillings (Ksh) for those in Madilu System merchandise. Some earlier promotions also mentioned early bird tickets at 350/- and regular tickets at 500/- and VIP options for 1500/-. It's best to check with the contact numbers for the most current pricing.

• Goal: To celebrate 18 years of Madilu System's musical legacy, create a night of "pure Madilu Magic," and experience a "rhumba resurrection" with classic Congolese grooves, dance, and nostalgia.