History of Soukous: '90s

The wild popularity and influence soukous acquired throughout ‘80s Africa and France established it as a genre as the ‘90s dawned. Just as it branched into a mix of kwassa kwassa, fast-tempo zouk, Congolese rumba and hot-blooded ndombolo style, icons of the genre like Papa Wemba and Koffi Olomide kept alive the sound's essential blend of Congolese folk, Latin American beats and Caribbean rhythms.