Tokooos is the fourth studio album by Congolese singer-songwriter Fally Ipupa. It was released on 7 July 2017 by Elektra France and distributed by Warner Music France. It consists of 18 tracks, which feature guest appearances from Wizkid, Aya Nakamura, Booba, MHD, Naza, KeBlack, Shay, and R. Kelly.
After establishing himself as one of the leading continental artists in Africa with his first three albums (Droit Chemin, Arsenal de Belles Melodies, and Power "Kosa Leka"), all produced by David Monsoh, Ipupa sought to expand his career toward the French and generally Western music markets. In 2013, he signed with Julien Creuzard at AZ, a subsidiary of Universal Music, before following Creuzard in 2016 to the newly created Elektra France label. Musically, Tokooos incorporates urban and contemporary sounds with the foundations of Congolese rumba. It introduced Ipupa's tokooos music, a stylistic fusion of Congolese rumba, ndombolo, contemporary R&B, hip-hop, Afropop, and zouk.
Tokooos received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Ipupa's attempt to modernize Congolese rumba while keeping its roots. The album was nonetheless criticized for its limited use of Lingala and its departure from traditional Congolese rumba, although it still performed well commercially. Tokooos entered France's SNEP Top Albums chart at number 28, giving Ipupa his first appearance on the French album charts. The album later reached number 21 on Belgium's Ultratop Wallonia chart and number 110 on the Ultratop Flanders chart. In France, it stayed in the Top Albums 200 for 23 weeks and was certified gold by the SNEP, making Ipupa the first Kinshasa-based artist and the first solo performer from Central Africa to receive the certification. Tokooos also became his first album to receive a platinum certification from the Centre National de la Musique. Africa Music & Charts gave the album a sextuple diamond certification, making it the most certified album by a solo artist.
Background In April 2013, just a few days after releasing his third album, Power "Kosa Leka", Ipupa signed a deal with the AZ label of the major Universal Music Group. The three-album deal focused on creating music with more urban sounds and some elements of Congolese rumba. His first three albums, Droit Chemin, Arsenal de Belles Melodies, and Power "Kosa Leka", primarily blended Congolese rumba and ndombolo with contemporary R&B, hip hop, and pop.
Before devoting himself to the realization of his third urban album, Ipupa takes care of putting forward his own label F'Victeam, which also operated as a backing band. On 5 May 2014, he released "Original" to promote the label. He then produced and directed F'Victeam's debut studio album, Libre Parcours, a double album of twenty-three tracks where twenty members will have the chance to compose and, at times, perform a track. Ipupa also appeared as a guest artist on seven tracks. The album was released on 10 March 2015.
Composition and production In mid-2013, Ipupa revealed that his forthcoming international album would be titled Neti Na Film, an aphorism translating to "Like in a movie", which encapsulates his new catchphrase. In October 2015, he announced a collaboration with Nigerian singer Wizkid. In May 2016, music executive Julien Creuzard left AZ to launch Elektra France. Ipupa then signed with the new label. Alexis Putterflam, the label's managing director, said Elektra France wanted to introduce Ipupa to a larger international audience. According to Putterflam, Ipupa also wanted to reach a wider audience and trusted the team to respect his music, his home country, and the true meaning of his art.
On 13 June 2017, the project's name, cover art, and track list were unveiled, revealing that the album would be titled Tokooos and would consists of eighteen tracks. Ipupa told Le Monde that the team recorded thirty tracks, though fewer than two-thirds made the final cut. According to Nkumu Isaac Katalay Diallo, writing for Afropop Worldwide, the term tokooos is derived from the Lingala word kitoko, meaning "something good" or "a good vibe". Ipupa adapted the root -toko into tokos, a term he coined that ultimately became the foundation of his new artistic identity and musical philosophy, known as tokooos music. Tokooos music is therefore conceived as "good music" that emphasizes positivity and accessibility, and blends Congolese musical roots with a mainstream, urban, and highly open approach. Ipupa explained that the aim was to reach listeners beyond the usual Congolese rumba audience and introduce his music to a wider audience, viewing Tokooos as a potential breakthrough into the European, particularly Afro-francophone music scene. In interviews with a France-based BET Buzz affiliate and Paris Match, he stated wanted the album to act like "a bridge between Kinshasa and Paris" to "win over the French market". Ipupa said he designed Tokooos to be open-minded and collaborative, composed of shorter tracks without mabanga, while still preserving the authenticity of Congolese guitar within more urban soundscapes.
Tokooos was officially released on 7 July 2017, a date Ipupa picked because of its symbolic repetition of the number seven (07/07/17), which are often traditionally linked to ideas of perfection and completeness, something that strongly resonated with his fandom. It deviated from his previous work, as it embraces an urban fusion of Congolese rumba, contemporary R&B, French hip-hop, and ndombolo, and was developed in collaboration with French and Belgian composers and producers, including Junior Alaprod, Le Motif, Christian Dessart, and Julio Masidi. With the exception of Power "Kosa Leka", which features only artists of African descent, the album includes collaborations with French, African, and American artists, including French rappers Booba (featured on "Kiname") and MHD (on "Na Lingui Yé"), Wizkid (on "Yakuza"), the duo KeBlack & Naza (on "Mannequin"), singers Shay (on "Guerrier") and Aya Nakamura (on "Bad Boy"), and R. Kelly (on "Nidja").
Singles and promotion
Singles The lead single, "Kiname" (a contraction of Kinshasa and Paname, the latter being an etymologically unclear reference to the city of Paris), premiered on 7 December, after being teased earlier on 23 November when Booba shared a brief preview of the instrumental on Instagram. Ipupa revealed the song's release date on 4 December 2016, three days in advance. As noted by Les Inrockuptibles, the song's music video blends ndombolo rhythms with French hip-hop, and shows the difference between Ipupa's upbeat, party-driven visuals and Booba's more serious street-oriented style. Wendy Mukoko of CELSA Sorbonne University accentuated that the video draws heavily on hip-hop culture through its visual codes, thematic content, and sonic palette, particularly the use of electronic instruments such as drum machines and vocoders. These features are interwoven with markers of Congolese rumba, including the prominence of electric guitar melodies, the centrality of dance, especially hip-oriented movements, and the partial use of Lingala. This fusion model appears across other tracks and made "Kiname" reach 10th place for best-selling singles in its first week, No. 1 on Topsify's Rap R&B playlist, and No. 1 on French iTunes within 24 hours. The "Kiname dance challenge" also gained traction on social media and was endorsed by celebrities, including Nigerian singer Davido, Cameroonian rapper Stanley Enow, and footballers Djibril Cissé and Alex Song. The song was certified gold by SNEP on 16 May 2017.
"Eloko Oyo" revisits "Visa Bomengo", a song popularized by the late fellow Mongo singer Mabelé Elissi, and is built on a traditional Mongo rhythm incorporating sebene alongside a contemporary international production. Its video foregrounds Congolese landscapes, heritage, and traditional clothing. Before being adapted in a studio version, the song already existed as a traditional Mongo piece. Ipupa faced accusations of plagiarism by Elissi's musicians, although these were denied by the late singer's widow, who stated that she had officially given Fally permission to re-record the song. "Eloko Oyo" quickly garnered over ten million YouTube views in a month. On 16 June, coinciding with the start of pre-orders for Tokooos, Ipupa unexpectedly released the ndombolo-infused Congolese rumba "Bad Boy", which featured Malian-French singer Aya Nakamura. The song samples a guitar riff performed by Simaro Lutumba in his 1982 hit "Faute ya Commerçant" with TPOK Jazz,Franco Et Sam Mangwana Avec Le T.P. O.K. Jazz. 1982, Discogs. and the video depicts Nakamura as a young woman distancing herself from a self-destructive "bad boy". It was certified gold on 3 November and platinum on 29 February 2024 by SNEP.
"Jeudi soir", which blends Congolese rumba with contemporary R&B, switches between French and Lingala and depicts the lifestyle of a party-oriented man. Released only as an audio track, it was criticized for departing from Congolese rumba. "Na Lingui Yé" sees Ipupa and MHD celebrate a woman's beauty over a fusion of contemporary R&B and Congolese rumba in Lingala and French, marking their second collaboration after Ipupa's appearance on MHD's eponymous debut album on the track "Ma vie". "Mannequin", featuring KeBlack and Naza, narrates a declaration of love and is accompanied by a Paris-set fashion-show video in which models parade in colorful, modest outfits while the artists sing and dance; cameo appearances by late DJ Arafat and Sidiki Diabaté appear, with commentators noting that KeBlack and Naza lean more toward Congolese rumba rhythms than conventional French rap flows. The mid-tempo R&B–infused Congolese rumba "Nidja", performed in English, French, and Lingala, explores interpersonal relationships and features R. Kelly, whose vocal delivery consists primarily of background vocal ad-libs echoing Ipupa's lines.
In the ndombolo "Tout le monde danse", Ipupa mainly sings in French, with brief passages in Lingala, supported by F'Victeam's backing vocals. The video was partly filmed at Fiesta Club in Kinshasa, where dancers from Dance's Warriors appear. Other parts were filmed at parties in Paris, including scenes at Daylight Studio, where Ipupa is seen dancing with others. The ndombolo-infused "Posa" is mainly sung in Lingala and talks about love and trying to win someone's heart. The video shows Ipupa sharing his feelings with his partner and ends with a dance scene. The romantic Congolese rumba "Juste une danse" also has a video centered on love and dancing. It shows Ipupa dancing with a woman and showing affection for her. The song gained widespread attention in Cameroon after being covered by Petit Fally, a young Cameroonian boy with a mental disability, whose performance in his village went viral and prompted emotional reactions from Cameroonian celebrities such as Samuel Eto'o, Maahlox le Vibeur, and YouTuber Steve Fah.
Tokooos also introduced new titles that Ipupa used to describe himself, including "King Arthur". In "Champ", which is stylistically reminiscent of his 2014 hit "Original", he portrays his competitors as inferior while introducing himself as the "King Hustler". Following his trip to Las Vegas for the Mayweather–McGregor boxing match, Ipupa, who was already known as the "Golden Child of Congo" and "Trois Fois Hustler", added another title by calling himself "The Greatest". On other songs, such as "Esengo", he talks about hard work, while "Boulé" was described by Ipupa as being like a national anthem. In "Guerrier", which features Shay and was initially titled "Bantou", Ipupa focuses on his culture and background. He told Booska-P that the song was meant to show his pride in being a Bantu king.
Promotion