Ivory Coast’s DJ Arafat, a well-known singer in French-speaking Africa, has died following a traffic accident, state broadcaster RTI is reporting.
He was admitted to hospital in the main city, Abidjan, with a fractured skull after his motorcycle collided with a car on Sunday, Jeune Afrique says.
The 33-year-old died early on Monday.
He has been referred to as the ‘king’ of coupé-décalé dance music and one of his biggest hit songs, Dosabado, has over five million views on YouTube.
The singer was also known for his love of motorcycles and featured them in his most recent hit, Moto Moto, that was released in May, which has more than four million YouTube views.
Ivory Coast Culture Minister Maurice Kouakou Bandaman has expressed his condolences in a short and said tribute artists organized to honor the musician.
Fellow artists have also been sharing their condolences, including Nigerian star Davido and fellow Ivorian rapper Kaaris and even footballer Didier Drogba.
In 2016 and 2017 DJ Arafat was named artiste of the year at the Coupé-Decalé Awards.
DJ Arafat, whose artist name was Ange Didier Huon, was named the best artist of the year at the Coupé-Decalé Awards in 2016 and 2017.
Coupé-decalé (meaning ‘cut and run’) was born in temphasized000s during Ivory Coast’s civil war and emphasized that young people still wanted to have fun despite the conflict, reports the BBC’symbolize Diarra from Abidjan.
DJ Arafat came to symbolize the flashy well-dressed lifestyle associated with th, music, which features fast percussion, deep bass, and hip-hop-style vocals.
