Say "Mama say mama sa mama makusa" to almost any music lover & they'll most likely recognize it as the nonsensical phrase from Michael Jackson's Wanna be Startin' Somethin' (from Thriller, 1982). Either that, or they'll think you're really drunk.
But, let's get etymological: do you know where the phrase came from??
(Hand up, Hand up) I Do! I Do!
Today's Tuesday Music Pick honors Manu Dibango, the Cameroonian funk/ Afro-beat saxophonist who coined the phrase in his 1972 song Soul Makossa, ("Makossa" means "dance" in Duala, the Cameroonian language - thanks, Wikipedia).
So put on your dancing shoes & check out this live video (below) of Manu performing Soul Makossa. Then afterwards download his in-f*cking-credible 1973 release, Africadelic.
