{"id":129633,"date":"2025-02-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/biama-enfant-terrible-coupe-decale\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T13:28:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:28:44","slug":"biama-enfant-terrible-coupe-decale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/biama-enfant-terrible-coupe-decale\/","title":{"rendered":"Biama and coup\u00e9-d\u00e9cal\u00e9\u2019s new young villains\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Abidjan’s Nouveau Quartier de Yopougon, the most densely populated district in Ivory Coast\u2019s economic heartland, young people beat boredom with music and dance. Here, the clatter of cargo loaders mixes with the sounds of coup\u00e9-d\u00e9cal\u00e9 blasted from maquis (Ivory Coast\u2019s famous open-air bars and clubs). It\u2019s the soundtrack of a neighborhood that is trying, with difficulty, to modernize. Where they\u2019re ahead of the curve; teenagers with their noses in their smartphones, checking out the latest dance challenges on social networks. Last June, it was the challenge to \u201cLa la la<\/a>\u201d by Zadi The King that captured everyone\u2019s attention, and laid out the format for biama\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The metaphysics of a hit<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One minute of frenetic choreography has racked up over 250,000 views on TikTok in just three weeks. The seventeen-year-old artist’s goal? To test the popularity of a potential hit before deciding to release it. This is the third song stamped \u201cbiama\u201d, a sub-genre of coup\u00e9-d\u00e9cal\u00e9, that Zadi the King has released using this strategy, which consists of publishing 30 to 60 seconds of a song, accompanied by the choreography of a \u201cdance challenge\u201d. For \u201cPythagore 2 golaba\u201d, released in autumn 2023, the strategy was successful, racking up over 200,000 views on TikTok the week of its release. His second hit, \u201cBossu<\/a>\u201d, was released a month later, surpassing one million views on TikTok the month of the release and now has nearly four times more on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n