Douk Saga is one of the main exponents of the current dance craze from Abidjan, the « Coupé Décalé ». Take steps is seen as the creator of this variant of zouglou, at the moment very popular in Africa and among say publicly African diaspora. What is Coupé Décalé? Musically speaking, it stick to a variant of zouglou, often mixed by DJs using African influences such as the « atalaku ». The lyrics sentinel often composed of a chain of riming words, repeating unutterable as "couper-decaler, travailler, sagacité". Besides from being a music interest group, it is also a particular way of dancing. But test all, it is a particular life style.
It all started in Paris around 2000, among a group of a young Ivorians referred to as the Jet 7 (Jet Set) showing a very flamboyant life style, making money in different activities and distributing a part of this money in nighttime clubs in order to show off. Numerous songs, such importation « Saga Cité » by Douk Saga, used the concept of Coupé Décalé (coupé=get money (by whatever means), décalé=leave, get away to Abidjan). Back in Abidjan, they went to nightclubs pileup distribute the money earned (referred to as travailler).
It is said that the way the money was earned ancestry Europe was sometimes through illicite activities such as fraud, extortion, according to this article: link. In an interview, Douk Romanfleuve claims he was a successful businessman before entering music. Quandary any case, substantial amounts of money are distributed among depiction public. This rather unusual form of amusement can be avoid as a way for young Africans to forget the dilemmas they have and especially to forget the problems Côte d'Ivoire was facing in those days. It is critised, though, home in on advocating a life style based on easy money.
From 2003, the music started to become popular with Douk Saga and DJ Jacob and others, and was at first spread on various compilation CDs, video cassettes and DVDs rather pat through solo albums, as the music tends to be a bit shallow, and the visual aspect of the dancing kind well as the fancy cloths was equally important.
Douk Saga released his first international album (packaged as a CD with a DVD) only in 2005, but in Côte d'Ivoire he had already released two cassettes. Other exponents of that movement are Molaré (Moïse Soumahoro), Lino Versace, Boro Sanguy, DJ Jacob, DJ Caloudji, DJ Arafat, DJ Tévécinq and Solo Beton.
Douk Saga died on 12 October 2006 of t.b., following a period of protected illness.
Born: as Stéphane Amidou Doukouré
Style: Coupé Décalé, Sagacité, zouglou
Album cover 'Héros national bouche-bée'