Guided Tour: “Control” By Fally Ipupa – Part 1 of 3

Control

In Congolese music Control (this song) is a what you call a “générique”. I will write it “generic” to ease my text corrector’s anxiety. The main purpose of a generique is to set up a dancing mood for the album. That’s a long-standing practice in Congolese rumba albums. Besides setting up the mood and prepping the audience, generics where also a place for the band, or the main album artists to praise themselves. A self-affirmation that is almost a norm in Congolese music. You do not wait for people to say you are the best, you shout it out loud yourself. That reminds me of some hip-hop and rap musicians. More recently, generics also became the ideal place to bash your presumed competitors.

Control does the same. Fally takes jabs at some of them while the rest of us are dancing, or just rhythmically shaking our head. Rhythmically is just an assumption, of course.

Although this is not a review, I wanted to mention that Fally took an innovative risk with Control. There are not as many “vocal animations” as in traditional generics. To the great annoyance of some fans expressing themselves on social media, Fally only sings for a third of the song.

Some Translations:

That’s it. Generics are not the place for deeper philosophies anyway. Please check on Canne à Sucre (sugar cane) on the next page when you are done dancing.

Next Page: Canne à Sucre