Ange Didier Houon (26 January 1986 – 12 August 2019), known professionally as DJ Arafat, Arafat Muana and various other stage names, was an Ivorian DJ and singer who made music in the Coupé-Décalé genre.[1] "Jonathan", "202", "Dosabado", "Kpangor", "Zoropoto" and "Enfant Beni" were some of his major hits. He was popular in French-speaking countries in Africa. He was awarded the "Best Artist of the Year" at the Coupé-Decalé Awards in the year 2016 and 2017. He died in a motorcycle accident on 12 August 2019.[2]
DJ Arafat
Arafat in 2016
Background information
Birth name
Ange Didier Houon
Also known as
Arafat DJ 3500 voltes Arafat Muana Yorobo 5500 voltes Apache 8500 voltes Sao Tao le dictateur Commandant Zabra Zeus d'Afrique Termistocle Influenmento Ave César Beerus Sama Daishikan
DJ Arafat along with Debordo Likufa at a stage show in Abidjan
DJ Arafat and his mother
Arafat was born as Ange Didier Houon on 26 January 1986.[3] He was the son of Tina Glamour [fr], a popular singer, and the deceased musician and sound engineer Pierre Houon.[4][3] He has an older brother well known as DJ TV3. Ange Didier started his music career in the early 2000s as a DJ when he was only 14 years old in Yopougon, a night-life district in Abidjan.[3] He left for France to improve his career and even overstayed his visa. In 2005, he spent a month in detention as an undocumented migrant.[5]
He was considered one of the most popular African artists in Francophone countries around the world.[3] He became a star of his genre around 2009.[5]
He released 11 music albums primarily in the popular "Coupé-Décalé" dance music style,[3] in his career that spanned fifteen years.[5] BBC described him as the "king" of Coupé-Décalé, which means "cut and run", in Ivorian slang it means "to cheat someone and run away" and it began in the early 2000s during Ivory Coast's civil war.[7] The music incorporates fast percussion, deep bass and hip-hop-style vocals. Arafat became the symbol of the flashy well-dressed lifestyle which is associated with the music. His song Dosabado is one of his most popular hits. He liked motorcycles and also featured them in his recent hit 'Moto Moto' released in May 2019.[7] He had multiple motorcycle accidents, one of which in 2009, was serious.[5] Arafat's motorcycle accident in 2019 was fatal.[5]
Arafat later became popular in the Europe and the United States when some of the sports personalities popularized the dance steps of coupé-décalé genre.[3] "Dosabado", "Kpangor", "Zoropoto", "Enfant Beni" and "Moto, Moto" were some of his major hits.[8]
Death
On 12 August 2019, Arafat died in Abidjan Hospital after a motorcycle accident in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[9] His motorcycle was said to have collided with a car in the Angre neighborhood on Sunday, 11 August 2019. He was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Abidjan for a skull fracture before eventually dying at around 8:00a.m. UTC on 12 August 2019.[7][10][11]
After the news of his death spread, on 12 August 2019, around 1,000 of his fans assembled in Cocody suburb near the hospital where he died, and mourned his death chanting "Arafat cannot die". After his burial, some fans exhumed his grave after a rumor sufficed that his body was given to cult members.[3] Police struggled to manage the crowd gathered in the area.[12] A crowd of his fans also gathered around his house singing some of his hits.[8] Maurice Kouakou Bandaman, the Ivorian Culture Minister, condoled his death and a tribute was held in his honour.[3]
^. WorldStage. MTV. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
^Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat dies in road crash Al Jazeera, 12 Aug 2019
^ abcdefgh"Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat dies in road crash". aljazeera.com. from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^. Bongo Exclusive. Archived from the original on 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
^ abcde"DJ Arafat, une vie à tombeau ouvert". Les Inrocks (in French). from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^"Le chanteur ivoirien DJ Arafat décède après un accident de la route à Abidjan". france24.com (in French). 2019-08-12. from the original on 2019-08-12. Interrogé en décembre 2014 par France 24 sur l'origine de son surnom, emprunté à l'ancien président de l'Autorité palestinienne Yasser Arafat, le chanteur expliquait : "J'ai grandi avec des amis libanais qui m'ont attribué ce nom parce qu'ils trouvaient que j'étais un peu trop 'hardcore'".
^ abcdef"Top African star dies in motorbike crash, aged 35". BBC News. 2019-08-12. from the original on 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
^ abcdefghi"Tributes after top West African singer DJ Arafat dies in crash". The Citizen. from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^Samuel Gebre and Bukola Adebayo. "DJ Arafat, Ivorian music star, killed in motorbike crash at age 33". CNN. from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^"Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat killed in road crash". France 24. 2019-08-12. from the original on 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
^AfricaNews (2019-08-12). "Famed Ivorian musician, DJ Arafat, dies in motor accident in Abidjan, president Ouattara show his regret on his official Facebook page and many other celebrities around the world". Africanews. from the original on 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
^"Cantante marfileño DJ Arafat, estrella del "coupé décalé", muere en accidente". RFI. 12 August 2019. from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^ abc"Diamond Platnumz, Shatta Wale, Beyonce win big; see full list of winners". Pulse.com.gh. from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
External links
Official website
January 30, 2023
arafat, ange, didier, houon, january, 1986, august, 2019, known, professionally, arafat, muana, various, other, stage, names, ivorian, singer, made, music, coupé, décalé, genre, jonathan, dosabado, kpangor, zoropoto, enfant, beni, were, some, major, hits, popu. Ange Didier Houon 26 January 1986 12 August 2019 known professionally as DJ Arafat Arafat Muana and various other stage names was an Ivorian DJ and singer who made music in the Coupe Decale genre 1 Jonathan 202 Dosabado Kpangor Zoropoto and Enfant Beni were some of his major hits He was popular in French speaking countries in Africa He was awarded the Best Artist of the Year at the Coupe Decale Awards in the year 2016 and 2017 He died in a motorcycle accident on 12 August 2019 2 DJ ArafatArafat in 2016Background informationBirth nameAnge Didier HouonAlso known asArafat DJ 3500 voltesArafat MuanaYorobo 5500 voltesApache 8500 voltesSao Tao le dictateurCommandant ZabraZeus d AfriqueTermistocle Influenmento Ave CesarBeerus Sama DaishikanBorn 1986 01 26 26 January 1986Yopougon Ivory CoastDied12 August 2019 2019 08 12 aged 33 Abidjan Ivory CoastGenresCoupe DecaleWebsitewww wbr djarafat wbr net Contents 1 Life and career 2 Death 3 Awards 3 1 WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards 4 Selected discography 4 1 Singles 5 Tours 6 References 7 External linksLife and career Edit DJ Arafat along with Debordo Likufa at a stage show in Abidjan DJ Arafat and his mother Arafat was born as Ange Didier Houon on 26 January 1986 3 He was the son of Tina Glamour fr a popular singer and the deceased musician and sound engineer Pierre Houon 4 3 He has an older brother well known as DJ TV3 Ange Didier started his music career in the early 2000s as a DJ when he was only 14 years old in Yopougon a night life district in Abidjan 3 He left for France to improve his career and even overstayed his visa In 2005 he spent a month in detention as an undocumented migrant 5 The stage name Arafat refers to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat he stated that Lebanese friends in the Ivory Coast gave him the nickname because he was hardcore 6 He was considered one of the most popular African artists in Francophone countries around the world 3 He became a star of his genre around 2009 5 He released 11 music albums primarily in the popular Coupe Decale dance music style 3 in his career that spanned fifteen years 5 BBC described him as the king of Coupe Decale which means cut and run in Ivorian slang it means to cheat someone and run away and it began in the early 2000s during Ivory Coast s civil war 7 The music incorporates fast percussion deep bass and hip hop style vocals Arafat became the symbol of the flashy well dressed lifestyle which is associated with the music His song Dosabado is one of his most popular hits He liked motorcycles and also featured them in his recent hit Moto Moto released in May 2019 7 He had multiple motorcycle accidents one of which in 2009 was serious 5 Arafat s motorcycle accident in 2019 was fatal 5 Arafat later became popular in the Europe and the United States when some of the sports personalities popularized the dance steps of coupe decale genre 3 Dosabado Kpangor Zoropoto Enfant Beni and Moto Moto were some of his major hits 8 Death EditOn 12 August 2019 Arafat died in Abidjan Hospital after a motorcycle accident in Abidjan Ivory Coast 9 His motorcycle was said to have collided with a car in the Angre neighborhood on Sunday 11 August 2019 He was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Abidjan for a skull fracture before eventually dying at around 8 00 a m UTC on 12 August 2019 7 10 11 After the news of his death spread on 12 August 2019 around 1 000 of his fans assembled in Cocody suburb near the hospital where he died and mourned his death chanting Arafat cannot die After his burial some fans exhumed his grave after a rumor sufficed that his body was given to cult members 3 Police struggled to manage the crowd gathered in the area 12 A crowd of his fans also gathered around his house singing some of his hits 8 Maurice Kouakou Bandaman the Ivorian Culture Minister condoled his death and a tribute was held in his honour 3 Awards EditHe was awarded the Best Artist of the Year at the Coupe Decale Awards in 2016 and 2017 7 He also won two WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards in 2016 13 WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards Edit Year Nominee work Award Result2016 Maplorly Best West African Video Won 13 Concert a Korhogo Best African Performance Won 13 Selected discography EditMain article DJ Arafat discography Singles Edit Kpangor 8 Zropoto 8 Boudha 8 Djessimidjeka 8 Agbangnan 8 2017 Enfant beni 8 2018 Dosabado 8 2019 Moto Moto 7 2019 Kong 7 Tours EditName Dates Countries visited AlbumReconciliation July to August 2010 Cameroon Mali Ivory Coast Gladiator amp Roi du KpangorMoto Moto Tour August 2019 Ivory Coast RenaissanceReferences Edit Nigerians top nominees for MTV Africa music awards with Zain 2010 WorldStage MTV Archived from the original on 18 July 2011 Retrieved 1 November 2010 Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat dies in road crash Al Jazeera 12 Aug 2019 a b c d e f g h Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat dies in road crash aljazeera com Archived from the original on 12 August 2019 Retrieved 13 August 2019 DJ Arafat Bongo Exclusive Bongo Exclusive Archived from the original on 2018 05 02 Retrieved 2018 05 02 a b c d e DJ Arafat une vie a tombeau ouvert Les Inrocks in French Archived from the original on 13 August 2019 Retrieved 13 August 2019 Le chanteur ivoirien DJ Arafat decede apres un accident de la route a Abidjan france24 com in French 2019 08 12 Archived from the original on 2019 08 12 Interroge en decembre 2014 par France 24 sur l origine de son surnom emprunte a l ancien president de l Autorite palestinienne Yasser Arafat le chanteur expliquait J ai grandi avec des amis libanais qui m ont attribue ce nom parce qu ils trouvaient que j etais un peu trop hardcore a b c d e f Top African star dies in motorbike crash aged 35 BBC News 2019 08 12 Archived from the original on 2019 08 12 Retrieved 2019 08 12 a b c d e f g h i Tributes after top West African singer DJ Arafat dies in crash The Citizen Archived from the original on 13 August 2019 Retrieved 13 August 2019 Samuel Gebre and Bukola Adebayo DJ Arafat Ivorian music star killed in motorbike crash at age 33 CNN Archived from the original on 13 August 2019 Retrieved 13 August 2019 Ivory Coast music star DJ Arafat killed in road crash France 24 2019 08 12 Archived from the original on 2019 08 12 Retrieved 2019 08 12 AfricaNews 2019 08 12 Famed Ivorian musician DJ Arafat dies in motor accident in Abidjan president Ouattara show his regret on his official Facebook page and many other celebrities around the world Africanews Archived from the original on 2019 08 12 Retrieved 2019 08 12 Cantante marfileno DJ Arafat estrella del coupe decale muere en accidente RFI 12 August 2019 Archived from the original on 13 August 2019 Retrieved 13 August 2019 a b c Diamond Platnumz Shatta Wale Beyonce win big see full list of winners Pulse com gh Archived from the original on 17 August 2017 Retrieved 12 August 2019 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title DJ Arafat amp oldid 1093670944, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
