Coupe Decale Music Video

Updated December 31, 2012 7:49 AM

Coupe Decale is a type of popular dance music originating from Cote d'Ivoire and the Ivorian diaspora in Paris, France.

Drawing heavily from Zouglou and Congolese rhythms, Coupe Decale is a very percussive style featuring African samples, deep bass, and repetitive, minimalist arrangements

While Coupe Decale is known as Cote d'Ivoire's definitive pop music, it actually began in Paris, created by a group of Ivorian DJs at the Atlantis, an African nightclub in northeast Paris. These Djs, known as the 'Jet Set' became popular for their flamboyant style, often showing up at the club with large amounts of cash which they would hand out to audiences on the dance floor. Their aesthetic defined the early sounds of Coupe Decale, apparent in the genre's name. In Nouchi (Ivorian slang) Couper means to cheat and decaler means to run away, so Coupe Decale basically means to cheat somebody and run away. The 'somebody' cheated is generally interpreted to mean France or the West/Europe, finding parallels to the idea of "The Man" in American culture. Especially in the beginning, the songs often celebrated those who had used guile to 'make it' abroad.

The genre's first hit, "Sagacite" was pioneered by the late Stephane Doukoure (a.k.a. "Douk-Saga"), a member of the 'Jet Set', during the post-2002 militaro-political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire. The hit became a success in African clubs in Paris and spread quickly among djs in Cote D'Ivoire. According to Siddhartha Mitter of Afropop,

"Coupe Decale has become very popular at a time of conflict; in fact, Ivorian music has really for the first time taken over dance floors all over Africa at exactly the same time that Ivory Coast, the country, has been going through this protracted political and military crisis, with debilitating social and economic effects".

Although arising from this time of political turmoil, Coupe Decale lyrically addresses topics such as relationships, earning money and maintaining a good mood or 'bon ambiance'. Much of its lyrics refer to specific dance moves, often referencing current events such as the avian flu dance or Guantanamo (with hand movements imitating hands raised in chains). These global themes could have helped to make Coupe Decale so deeply popular across a politically divided Cote d'Ivoire and spread its influence so far across Africa and the diaspora. Increasingly non-Ivorian artists, particularly in the Congo, are beginning to play and incorporate the musical style. Notably among these artists are Congolese Djouna "Big One" Mumbafu and French/Malian rapper Mokobe with "Bisous" feat. Dj Lewis and "On Est Enseble" feat. Molare.

Coupe Decale Music Video

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