Innocent Didace Balume[2][3][4] (born 5 May 1997), known professionally asInnoss'B, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, rapper, percussionist, dancer, and philanthropist. Often referred to as the "Jeune Leader",[5][6] he is renowned for pioneering the AfroCongo music genre, an eclectic fusion ofCongolese rumba, indigenousfolklore, andndombolo.[7][8]
Innoss'B was born into a musical family in war-ravagedGoma,North Kivu. At the age of six, he began his music career as a member of the family group Maisha Soul.[4][9] The group gained recognition after winning the 2007 Revelation Award at the Goma Tourism Fair.[4][3] He later ventured out as a solo artist after winning theAkon-sponsored 2010 Vodacom Superstar contest, which led to his collaboration with Akon on the international song "Up and Away".[10][11][12] On 17 July 2013, he released his debut studio album,Innocent Vol.1.[13][14] In October 2015, Innoss'B made a name for himself inKinshasa with his collaborations withWerrason on a hit single "Eloko" and later withKoffi Olomidé on "Elengi" in October 2016.[15][16] On 29 June 2017, he released his five-trackmaxi-single,Plus.[17][18][19] The lead track, "Ozo Beta Mabe", became an instant hit in Africa with over one million views onYouTube in just five months, making Innoss'B one of the most successful young Congolese and African artists.[20][21][22][23]
TheBBC tipped him as one of the African stars with the potential for global success in 2020, praising his unique style that has him "dancing to the beat of his drum" and bringing a "modern and youthful sound" to Congolese music.[24][4] That year, Innoss'B became the first Congolese musician to reach more than 100 million views onYouTube for his "Yo Pe" remix, featuringTanzanian singerDiamond Platnumz.[25][26][27] On 26 December 2021, Innoss'B released his second studio album,Mortal 06.[28][29] On 29 March 2024, Innoss'B released his five-trackExtended Play (EP)Calcul.[30][31]
Innocent Didace Balume was born on 5 May 1997, inGoma,North Kivu, Zaire.[4][32][33] His father was a dancer, and his mother was a cantor at church. He is the youngest of six children and has three brothers.[34][26] Raised in Mikeno neighborhood, colloquially known as Birere, withinGoma commune, Innocent spent considerable time at his paternal grandmother's residence, where he developed interest forMichael Jackson's music.[33][3][4]
In 2002, Innocent, his brothers, and nearly 300,000 others were evacuated following theNyiragongo volcanic eruption. To raise awareness, the brothers formed a band called Maisha Soul while living in arefugee camp.[35][32] The family band included Prince Agakhan Balume, Eric Fonkodji Balume, Achille Djibril Balume, and Innocent Didace Balume.[36] They received training at Yolé!Africa, a youth cultural center founded by filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo.[37] Maisha Soul collaborated with several artists, includingPascal Lokua Kanza. Maisha Soul's "Another Way," debuted in 2005, won the Revelation 2007 Award at the Goma Tourism Fair.[38][32][39][36]
In 2009, Innocent participated in a provincial singing competition organized by theInternational Committee of the Red Cross and secured third place among over 20 selected groups.[40] The following year, at just 13 years old, he won the Vodacom Superstar contest, co-hosted byVodacom in partnership withAkon, Akonic Entertainment, and Nickie Davis.[39] He achieved the feat with a performance ofMichael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel."[4] His victory earned him $25,000, and allocated a portion of his prize money to his former school inGoma.[4][10] The win also provided a platform to launch his music career, and he later collaborated with Akon on the song "Up and Away".[41][42][43]
While still with Maisha Soul, he released his solo single, "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy," through the band's label, Maisha Soul Records, in March 2012, which quickly became a smash hit and peaked atop the Africa Hit chart onTrace TV.[44] He later participated in Lexxus Legal's self-titled album,Lexxus, on the track "Dors Pas Tard".[45] In December 2012, he touredWashington with Maisha Soul and their manager, Lady Nadia, where they appeared on various TV programs and radio stations, including Bakolo States, owned by Gary Iwele, andVoice of America.[46]
In January 2013, Maisha Soul kicked off a tour inLos Angeles, where they participated in the Cinema for Peace Humanitarian Awards, hosted by Congolese-Cypriot philanthropist and model Noëlla Coursaris Musunka and organized by theCinema for Peace Foundation atthe Beverly Hills Hotel.[47][3][39] During their performances, Maisha Soul conveyed the plight of theongoing Kivu conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[46][39][48][3] After returning toGoma on 28 January, Maisha Soul officially announced the release of theirSwahiliKeep Smilingmixtape, recorded during their stay in the US.Keep Smiling was subsequently released on 29 January,[40][49] and on 10 February, Innocent debuted another solo track, "Neti Na Uh",[50] before setting out on another US tour with Maisha Soul.[51][3] On 10 July, he disclosed toRadio Okapi their nationwide tour, which included visits to numerous major cities.[52] He represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo at theGlobal Philanthropy Forum inSan Francisco and was later honored with the Special Jury Trophy at the Ndule Pan-African Awards inKinshasa.[39][3]
During an exclusive interview on Radio Kivu1 in early 2013, Innocent unveiled plans for his debut solo studio album,Innocent Vol.1. The album, containing eight singles including his previous smash hit "Up and Away", was released on 17 July by Maisha Soul Records.[13][14]Innocent Vol.1 was mainly performed inLingala to expand his audience in Kinshasa, although some critics viewed this as an arbitrary deviation from his earlier Swahili-based work endemic to theeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[53]
On 5 May 2014, Innocent was invited by the Master Peace Foundation toHolland'sLiberation Day for two consecutive concerts. He performed on stage withDutch singerRoel Van Velzen at Park de Wezenlanden inZwolle.[54][55] In October of that year, Innocent ended his contract deal with Lady Nadia, citing incompetence and unprofessionalism. Innocent revealed that during her three-year managerial tenure, Maisha Soul only produced one music video, "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy," which was only made possible through external support and not Lady Nadia's leadership.[56]
In February 2015, he released the single "Pola", which introduced his AfroCongo musical style.[8] The song was produced by Eric Fonkodji Balume, known professionally as Djizzo, and directed by Achille Djibril Balume, who goes by the name Ach'B.[8][57] Innocent teamed up withWerrason on the hit song "Eloko", which premiered in October 2015. The music video, recorded in Kinshasa, showcased a guest appearance by comedian Fiston Sai Sai.[54] In February 2016, he took to the stage at theAmani Festival in front of thirty thousand people in Goma.[58][54] In May 2016, he was featured in the track "First Lady" alongside X-Maleya, theCameroonianmakossa group.[15] In October of that year, he debuted another single "Elengi", featuringKoffi Olomide. Sung in French, Lingala, and English, the song explores themes of love and prosperity, blending AfroCongo with variousAfropop influences.[15][59]
In March 2017, Innocent announced to Télé50 that his forthcoming five-track maxi single,Plus, was nearing its conclusive stages of production and slated for debut on 29 June.[17][60] Issued by Maisha Soul Records, the maxi-single fusedCongolese rumba withndombolo and was supported by singles "Top Model", "Ozo Beta Mabe", "Lelo Lelo", "Mur", and "Mon Boulot".[61][17] While working onplus, he also made a guest appearance on Anita Mwarabu's single "Bolingo Mabe".[62] The music video for "Top Model", which premiered on 2 November, featured his fiancéeRebo Tchulo.[63][64] It was followed by "Ozo Beta Mabe" on 1 February 2018, which showed Innocent dancing with his classmates in a school uniform in Kinshasa. The titular phrase "Ozo Beta Mabe," acolloquialism loosely translating as "you do harm," is a commentary on universal negative behavior.[65] "Ozo Beta Mabe" garnered significant popularity in the DRC and across Africa and was viewed more than a million times onYouTube.[20] "Lelo Lelo", infused with Congolese rumba and Afrocongo, features subtle hints of ndombolo that complement rather than overpower the sound.[66][67] The song helped establish his name locally and was listed amongMusic In Africa's "Top 5 best rumba songs in 2018".[67]
2019–2020: "Yo Pe", "Yo Pe Remix", "Olandi", "Best", and other ventures
On 11 August, Innocent debuted his single "Yo Pe" through Maisha Soul Records andBelieve Music, which gained significant popularity in Africa with over one million views on YouTube in two weeks and sparked controversy due to the image of a goat wearing a crown.[68][69][70] "Yo Pe" challenges moral quandaries such as indolence, dependency, solicitation, effortless gains, and parasitism.[71] The song's music video was blocked on 10 September, due toYouTube copyright constraints, as it used content protected by theIndian-based company Spice Digital South Africa, which claims rights to its creations. The company later reassured that its teams were doing everything to resolve the issue.[72] "Yo Pe" was named "Song of the Year" by Congolese entertainment websiteMbote.[71]
On 7 September, Innocent unveiled aremix of "Yo Pe", which featured Tanzanian singerDiamond Platnumz.[73][74] It was directed byDirector Kenny under Zoom Extra.[75] In the video, Innocent repeats the lyrics of the original version while Diamond Platnumz interjects withSwahili refrains.[73] The remix amassed 150 million views within a year, becoming the first song inEast Africa andCentral Africa to achieve this feat so quickly.[75][76][77] The song's success catapulted Innocent's visibility, and went on to perform across major European cities, includingLuxembourg,Lyon,Essen,Brussels,Pau,Lille,Madrid,Gothenburg,London,Strasbourg, andBerlin.[78] He also performed at several festivals, including the Starboy Fest with theNigerian singerWizkid, the Kinshasa Showbuzz concert, and theAfro Nation festival inGhana in December of that year.[79][80][71] The remix sparked the "Yope dance challenge" on varioussocial media platforms and influenced Diamond Platnumz to incorporate dance sequences from it into his subsequent release, "Baba Lao."[81] In June 2020, the song earned Innocent a nomination forBest New International Act at theBET Awards.[82][83][39][4][53]
On 28 July 2020, Innocent issued his AfroCongo-infused single "Olandi", which he described as a tribute to those who initially criticize and oppose him but ultimately end up imitating his style and enjoying his music, thus validating the titular epithet "Olandi" (interpreted as "You Copy").[84][85] "Olandi" was directed by Ach'B and produced by Maisha Soul, with distribution bythe Orchard, a subsidiary ofSony Music, on behalf of the Parisian label Privaty Prod.[84][86] Within six months of its debut, "Olandi" garnered 26 million views on YouTube, making Innocent one of the Congolese artists who have contributed to the development of 21st-centuryCongolese music with his "AfroCongo" style.[87] "Olandi" peaked at number-one on theTrace Africa weekly television countdown African Hit 30.[88] Reviewing for Music in Africa, Jean de Dieu Boukanga described "Olandi" as "joyful and catchy" and praised its "pleasant choreographies".[84]
Innocent published his rap-influenced single "Best", featuring French rapperDamso, on 15 October 2020.[89] The music video, shot in Kinshasa, was directed by Ach'B, produced by Maisha Soul, and distributed by Privaty Prod. It featured appearances by Congolese musiciansGaz Fabilouss, Rebo Tchulo, and Gracia Lizarbo.[89][90] "Best" quickly became a hit, amassing two million views on YouTube within a week and receiving over 550,000 streams onSpotify.[91][92]
Innocent continued to release a series of successful singles, including "MEME" on 6 March 2021, which accumulated six million views on YouTube in two months.[94][95][39][96] On 17 July, he released "NO NO," featuring Rebo Tchulo,[97] which amassed one million views on YouTube within three days and ranked second place onBBC Radio 1Xtra, after Diamond Platnumz, marking him as the first Congolese solo artist to achieve this feat.[98][99]
Innoss'B (right) with a fan at theSwedish ambassador's residence inKinshasa.
On 9 December 2021, Innocent announced that his forthcoming second studio album,Mortel-06, was almost finished. The record, which includes 15 tracks, was released on 26 December through Maisha Soul Records and is a fusion of Congolese rumba, hip-hop, and Afro-trap.[28][29][100] It quickly landed in the top five of Congolese online music platforms.[28] Nearly three weeks after its debut,Mortel-06 reached the top spot onBoomplay's Weekly Top Albums, ahead ofTayc'sFleur Froide andNinho'sJefe.[101] The popular single "Sukali" reached one million views in just two months.[102] To promote the album, Innocent touredAbidjan, where he appeared on television to presentMortel-06, and later held a series of concerts in Kinshasa.[103]
In July 2022, Innocent made his debut tour toTogo with a performance at the Hôtel La Concorde inLomé.[104] He later embarked on several concerts in major US cities includingNew York,Chicago,Washington DC,Atlanta,Denver, andDallas as part of his American tour.[104] On 31 December, Innocent unveiled his Afrocongo-style single "Maboko Milayi" featuringAwilo Longomba, which earned two million views on YouTube within 13 days.[105][106][107] He then released another single titled "Kiss" featuring Tanzanian singerZuchu on 18 February 2023.[108][109] Innocent later premiered ateaser for his "AfroCongo Planet Live" in May 2023[110] and was later featured in Zuchu's hit single remix of "Nani" on 6 June, which exceeded two million views on YouTube within 10 days.[111][112] On 7 July, Innocent issued "Flex" featuring French rapperKaaris, which earned one million views on YouTube within four days of its debut.[113][114]
On 6 November, Innocent featured inYemi Alade's sixth studio album,Rebel Queen, on the track "Lipeka", which was a fusion of ndombolo, sung in Lingala and English, and garnered considerable attention on digital streaming platforms.[115][116] On 21 November, Innocent published another single, "Mpiaka," which blendsAmapiano and AfroCongo style.[117][118] Within 24 hours of its release, "Mpiaka" gained substantial traction onTikTok, amassing over 10,000 videos featuring the hashtag #Mpiaka, making the song one of the viral contents of the day on the app.[119]
On 29 March 2024, Innocent released his five-track EPCalcul with singles such as "Number One", "Sete", "Bango Kaka Te", "Bilan Zéro", and "Chantier".[30][31] Published by Maisha Soul Records, the EP features a predominant blend of Congolese rumba, AfroCongo, and Afrobeat and includes a guest appearance by Nigerian singerReekado Banks.[31][120] The song "Sete" gained massive popularity, with over a million views in just 13 days.[121] The hashtag #Sete became popular across various social media platforms and was even embraced by celebrities such as Herman Amisi and Migue Niema.[122] On 27 July, he performed at Belgium'sEsperanzah! festival, held from 26–28 July atL'Abbaye de Floreffe.[123] Hisamapiano-inspired single "Amapiupiu" was released on 19 September.[124] Two days later, he joined Yemi Alade onstage atZénith de Paris and later performed at the 7th Rencontres Musicales Africaines (REMA) inOuagadougou, Burkina Faso, held from 17–18 October.[125][126] He also collaborated on Ivorian singer Apoutchou National's "Envoyez Nouveau", which premiered on 18 October,[127][128][129] and Awilo Longomba's "Mbongo Na Ngai Moko" on 15 November.[130]
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