Bikutsi is a type of music that comes from Cameroon. It came from the traditional music of the Beti and Ewondo people, who live near the city of Yaoundé. It became popular in the middle of the 20th century across West Africa. It is mainly used for dancing.

Etymology

The word "bikutsi" means "beat the earth" or "let's beat the earth." The word is made up of three parts: "bi" means "many" or "plural," "kut" means "to beat," and "chi" means "earth." The name describes a dance that involves stomping the feet on the ground.

Description

Bikutsi is known for a strong 8-beat rhythm that follows a 3+3 pattern with a strong "two" feel. It is sometimes played in 8 and usually has a tempo based on quarter notes. It is performed at many Beti gatherings, such as parties, funerals, and weddings.

Beti gatherings are divided into two main parts:

• Ekang phase: This is when people talk about imaginary, mythological, and spiritual topics.
• Bikutsi phase: This is when people discuss real-life issues.

A double-sided harp with a calabash amplifier, called the mvet, is used during these events by Beti storytellers. These storytellers are believed to use the mvet as a tool from God to teach others. The Ekang phase is highly musical and often lasts all night. It includes poetic recitations, clapping, and dancing, with breaks for improvised and sometimes humorous performances on the balafon (a type of xylophone). These breaks mark the transition to the Bikutsi phase, which is less structured than Ekang. During Bikutsi, women dance and sing along with the balafon, and the lyrics often focus on relationships, sexuality, and the lives of famous people. Female choruses are an important part of Bikutsi, and their energetic dancing and loud singing are key features of the style. Traditional Bikutsi songs were often ironic, and many modern Bikutsi songs still use this style.

In its modern form, Bikutsi is very popular and is considered one of the most well-known musical styles in the country, along with makossa.

History

Popular bikutsi music began in the 1940s with a recording by Anne-Marie Nzié. About twenty years later, electric keyboards and guitars were added to the music. The most famous performer of this time was Messi Me Nkonda Martin, who led the band Los Camaroes and was called "the father of modern bikutsi music." To make the electric guitar sound like a traditional instrument called the balafon, Messi tied cotton cords between the guitar strings. This change did not greatly alter the music itself but changed how people saw bikutsi. Other popular bands during this time included Les Vétérans.

International attention started in 1987 with the band Les Têtes Brûlées, created by Jean Marie Ahanda. The band’s guitarist, Zanzibar, used a piece of foam rubber to press against his guitar strings, creating a sound similar to the balafon. (The balafon is a musical instrument like a marimba that is used in African folk music.) More recent performers include Jimmy Mvondo Mvelé and Mbarga Soukous.

Today, bikutsi performed by artists such as Lady Ponce, K-Tino, Racine Sagath, and Natascha Bizo is sometimes controversial. Some people criticize the music for its lyrics and dance style, which they say have sexual themes. Bikutsi is similar to mapouka music from Côte d'Ivoire, which is also seen as inappropriate by some Africans. However, unlike mapouka, modern bikutsi is often performed by women who use it to express themselves in a society where men have traditionally dominated music.

K-Tino, who calls herself "femme du peuple" (woman of the people), believes her music helps women in Cameroon gain freedom and independence.

Other current artists include Patou Bass and Ovasho Bens, who promote a dance and philosophy called "zig zag." His first album includes traditional Cameroonian rhythms, as well as music styles from the West Indies called zouk and a style from Jamaica called reggae.

Bikutsi music has also influenced Western musicians, such as Paul Simon, who used it in his 1990 album The Rhythm of the Saints.