African villagers performing their own version of James Brown’s hit: “Sex Machine.” — What a pleasant surprise!

The set — probably, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), judging by the language(s) used in the Singing: Kiswahili, Lingala [A "Lingua Franca" in the DRC], and of course “mangled” English.

James Brown’s influence stretches far and wide — He has been described as: “The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business,” “Soul Brother Number One,” “the Godfather of Soul,” and “the Minister of New New Super Heavy Funk.” James Maycock of PBS says:

“James Brown is unquestionably one of the most charismatic musical icons of the 20th century. An irrepressible performer, ruthless but highly proficient bandleader, awesome dancer, and, unquestionably, the man who flipped soul music on its head to create funk, Brown became a huge black cultural symbol in the 1960s and ’70s. He’s certainly altered the course of black popular music more than once, with his innovations flowing into the careers of Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Public Enemy, Prince, and a multitude of others — including my humble brothers performing in the video below.

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Part of the chorus — “Nakupenda Sana Bibi Yangu,” translates from Kiswahili to English as: “I love you so much my ‘wife’,” where “Bibi” is Kiswahili for Wife. In a traditional African setting, Bibi can also mean girlfriend, and/or “concubine.”

The Congolese are a “musical people” — music readily flows in their veins the same way — “long-distance running” flows in the veins of the Kenyan and Ethiopian people of East Africa.

Kinshasa, DRC Congo’s capital, has been one of the great centers of musical innovation in Africa, producing crop after crop of excellent soloists and harmonists.

Despite constant turmoil and debilitating poverty in the DRC, the Congolese have never wavered musically. Their enthusiasm is steady and unfaltering.

To me, they are the “finest of best” musicians in black Africa.

Here is the original “Sex Machine” — Performed “live” by the “Godfather of Soul” — James Brown

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BONUS - “Sina Makosa” Performed by “Les Wanyika” — An East African “Kiswahili Rumba” Classic

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5. AfricaSounds.com — contains excellent coverage of Congolese music — Congo Kinshasa Updates - By Martin Sinnock.

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