Pépé Kallé

Soukous, Musical Artist

1951 – 1998

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Who was Pépé Kallé?

Pépé Kallé, sometimes written as Pepe Kalle was a soukous singer, musician and bandleader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pépé Kallé was born Kabasele Yampanya in Kinshasa in the Belgian Congo, but later assumed his pseudonym in hommage to his mentor, Le Grand Kallé.

With a multi-octave vocal range and a dynamic stage presence, the 190 cm and 136 kg vocalist recorded more than three hundred songs and twenty albums during his two decade-long career. Known affectionately as "the elephant of African music" and "La Bombe Atomique," Kallé entertained audiences with his robust performances.

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Born
Nov 30, 1951
Kinshasa
Also known as
  • Pepe Kalle
  • Kallé, Pépé
Profession
Died
Nov 28, 1998

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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