Fredy Massamba
Author-songwriter-songwriter, singer and percussionist; Afro-soul, soul, hip-hop, funk, Congolese rumba and African polyphonies
Biographie
Fredy Massamba was born on 4 October 1971 in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo. He discovered Congolese rumba on radio, began singing and playing percussion in a choir at 14 years old, and then joined the Brazza Drums in 1991, of which he was presented as one of the founding members. He left the Congo during the war in 1997. In solo, he published "Ethnophony" in 2010, " Makasi" in 2013, and then "Trancestral" in 2023, an album that revisited the ancestral repertoire of the Kongo kingdom. His music mixes soul, hip-hop, funk, Congolese rumba and African polyphonies.
He has collaborated or shared the scene with Zap Mama, Didier Awadi, Manou Gallo, Lokua Kanza, Salif Keita, Mory Kanté and Ray Lema.
Distinctions and benchmarks
2010: album "Ethnophony" · 2012: named at the Kora Awards, in the category Best Men's Artist in Central Africa · 2013: album "Makasi" · 2014: Best World Music Artist at the Sabam Awards, Belgium · 2020: award in tribute to his career at the Afro Artistic Awards · 2023: album "Trancestal"
On the Poster — Festivals
- 2026 — Afropolitain Nomade Festival — Montreal: Artistic Director of the Festival — and of his creative residence at the McCord Stewart Museum (February 2026) — See the festival entry