I have seen internet sources which claim that Michael passed off the enigmatic chant at end of the song as Swahili for you a vegetable… It’s a song about media and people who spread malicious and gossip for no reason just to start something and regadless of what you do still they will find something to hate or take advantage. The song was originally written for Michael’s sister La Toya Jackson about her strenuous relationship with her in-laws and is also said to have been about his brother’s wives. It does not store any personal data.The song was written, composed and co-produced by Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Here is how Dibango describes coming up with the song in his autobiography, Three Kilos of Coffee: The song’s origins were hardly auspicious: Dibango originally wrote the song as the B-side to “Mouvement Ewondo,” a praise song or “hymn” for the Cameroonian football team on the occasion of the 1972 Tropics Cup, held in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé. Makossa is a style of music originating in Cameroon 4 in the 1950s and 60s… The scat lyrics are a play on the Duala word makossa and the object of the song’s tribute. “Soul Makossa” is a funky jam with the lyrics “mama-ko, mama-ssa, makomako-ssa” repeated over and over again throughout the song. Where does the song Soul Makossa come from? But it’s based off of a refrain from the song “Soul Makossa” 4 released in 1972 by a groovy-ass saxophonist from Cameroon named Manu Dibango. 3 But what does it all mean? Well, it doesn’t mean anything. The official lyrics, according to album liner notes are “ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa”. Where did the song mamase Mamasa mamakusa come from? The original song was named after the Cameroonian dance style “makossa” and the text is just a rhythmic playing of the word: Ma-mako, ma-ma-ssa, mako-makossa. The lyric comes from Dibango’s Soul Makossa via Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’. Where did the phrase’mama se mama sa’come from? Ghanaian immigrants brought highlife music with them, leading to a new form of the genre that included both African and German styles. When British immigration laws changed in the 1970s, the bulk of Ghanaian emigration redirected towards Germany. Who did Soul Makossa?įiesta Records (France) Atlantic Records (US) London Records (UK/Canada) BorderBlaster (Europe) Its “Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa” hook - which means “I dance” in the Duala language - was sampled by pop stars including Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Released in 1972, “Soul Makossa” became an international hit. The earliest form of highlife was performed primarily by brass bands along the Ghanaian coast. Highlife, type of West African popular music and dance that originated in Ghana in the late 19th century, later spread to western Nigeria, and flourished in both countries in the 1950s. Makossa roughly means “dance” in the Douala language of Cameroon, and the phrase is believed to have come from the brain of Manu Dibango, who released the song ‘Soul Makossa’ in 1973 featuring that familiar chant, which basically just plays with the word makossa rather than having any actual meaning.Įthnogenesis: Ambasse bey assiko essewe bolobo Exogenesis: highlife Congolese rumba merengue Christian hymns funk disco The final minute of Jackson’s 1983 hit “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” contains the repeated phrase “Ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa.” What does that mean? Most of it means nothing, but the end references an African musical genre. What does Mama say mama sa mama coo sa mean?

6 Where does the song Soul Makossa come from?.5 Where did the song mamase Mamasa mamakusa come from?.1 What does Mama say mama sa mama coo sa mean?.

Mama say mama sa mamakusa