Kery James Communes With Douala Public

The rapper honoured Cameroon by hosting his first ever concert on African soil last weekend.

The about four-hour lateness in the start of French rapper Kerry James' concert in Douala could not dissuade the crowd. As early as midday last Monday February 10, they started streaming into the Bonanjo Party House premises to purchase their entry tickets. The event dubbed "Flash Mob' Special Cameroon" aimed at offering the best entertainment to the youth population as part of the National Youth Day festivities.

Though a premier on African soil, of which Cameroon was host, the musical concert was more of a déjà-vu. Sentence by sentence, the public responded from the beginning of each song, right up to the end. It was a moment of perfect fellowship between the artiste and his audience, as the latter personalised the singing of the choruses.

On set, Kerry James was backed in his performance by two other rappers, Eddy Coronna and GCB. When his drum player, Pierre Belleville, removed his tee-shirt immediately on stage, many believed it was because of Douala's hot climate. However, his task (which is rare among rap musicians) was to accompany the sounds played by Disc Joker, Deejay Mosko. Which task was accomplished successfully, to the delight of the jumpy audience. With all 11 members of his team present, the evening gained its liveliness as the show went on.

Visiting songs from his rich repertoire, Kerry James did not only fulfil the delight of the youth, but from time to time, stopped to give out some words of advice and encouragement. As concerns the question of identity for instance, he proudly declared: "I am black and proud", "Proudly African". In some of his song titles like "Le combat continue III", "Dernier MC", "Banlieusards", "A l'horizon", and "Contre nous" amongst others.

It was quite surprising how the crowd gave back the wordings of his songs collectively, which encouraged the musician to sing more of them. Shouts of "Kerry, you're the best", choruses of the artiste's name "Kerry, Kerry, Kerry..." and clothes on which his name and hit track titles were written, flew in the air. The apotheosis was reached when he invited on stage Cameroonian rappers: Krotal, Boudor and Valsero for a replay of his famous "94 c'est le Barça" song; after which he had put on a football indomitable lions' jersey.

It would be noted that rather than beginning with the local rappers, Kerry James mounted the rostrum from the start, since he had to board the plane immediately after, en route to France.