Le Roi Ziglibithien – Ernesto Djédjé, 1977

🇨🇮 🎤 🎶 🔥 🕺 In 1977, Le Roi Ziglibithien marked Ernesto Djédjé’s second album. The Ivorian singer had already gained national acclaim with the track Ziboté from his debut release the previous year. Djédjé had long sought to modernise Ivorian music. After beginning his career with Les Antilopes in the 1960s and collaborating with Amédée Pierre as part of Ivoiro-Star, he emigrated to France, where he met Manu Dibango, who helped him record his first rhythm’n blues-inspired single. Upon returning to Côte d’Ivoire, he discovered Fela Kuti’s afrobeat and ultimately blended these influences—alongside disco, Latin, and funk—to create ziglibithy, an instant success. The album opens with a tribute to Houphouët-Boigny, followed by the irresistible anthem Ziglibithiens, and then Loué Digbeu, infused with Congolese rumba rhythms. The second side maintains the same vibrancy. Though the album lacks formal credits, it likely featured Diabo Steck on drums and Bamba Yang on keyboards and guitar—including a standout chorus on Azonade. Ernesto Djédjé continued to release hits until his sudden and premature death in 1983, which sent shockwaves through Côte d’Ivoire. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his passing fuelled speculation for years.