Mourning for West African top singer DJ Arafat after crash

DJ Arafat, an Ivorian singer with a large fan base in French-speaking Africa, has died following a road accident in Abidjan, sparking a wave of tributes for the award-winning star of the “coupe-decale” dance genre. “Death of artist DJ Arafat … today at 8 a.m. following a road accident overnight,” Ivory Coast state broadcaster RTI announced on Monday. Hundreds of fans gathered on Monday, crying and chanting “Arafat cannot die” outside the hospital in Abidjan’s Cocody suburb where the 33-year-old singer died, AFP reporters on the scene reported. According to news and images circulating on social media, he was riding a motorbike on Sunday evening when he crashed into a car. The singer was taken to hospital with serious injuries, where he later died. Born in Abidjan in 1986, DJ Arafat – whose real name was Ange Didier Huon – had a huge audience in the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa. He released 11 albums, mostly “coupe-decale” – a dance music form that combines fast percussion, choppy rhythms and hip-hop-like vocals. “We are all in shock,” Ickx Fontaine, an Ivorian producer and hip-hop specialist, told AFP. “He was a real singer… he breathed new life into the coupe-decale.” Ivorian soccer star Didier Drogba, a former Chelsea and international player, posted a picture of DJ Arafat holding a heart symbol on his Twitter account. According to Ivorian news site Alerte-Info, hundreds of fans crowded outside the star’s house singing some of his hits. “It hurts me so much, I can’t believe it,” one of his fans, Estelle Oulaye, told AFP. Ivorian Culture Minister Maurice Kouakou Bandaman expressed his condolences and said there would be a memorial service in the musician’s honour. The fast-paced music, which often uses electronic sounds, originated in Ivorian nightclubs in 2003 and quickly spread across Africa. DJ Arafat’s fame spread to Europe and the United States, thanks in part to sports stars who popularised some of the genre’s dance moves. DJ Arafat was named “Best Artist of the Year” at the 2016 and 2017 Ivorian Coupe-Decale Awards. His hits included “Kpangor”, “Zoropoto”, “Enfant Beni” and his latest single, “Moto, Moto”. Music executives said the singer was known for his love of motorbikes. He was born into the music world. His mother was a well-known singer and his father a well-known sound engineer, a music executive said. He started out as a DJ in the clubs of Rue Princesse in Yopougon, one of Abidjan’s nightlife districts. “He was a legend of Ivorian music. He gave concerts all over Africa,” said Ozone, a hip-hop producer and television presenter. “He had a natural charisma. He will remain a force for Ivorian and African music.” DJ Arafat had millions of fans in French-speaking West and Central Africa Fans cried and chanted outside the hospital where Ivorian singer DJ Arafat died after a road accident DJ Arafat was named “Best Artist of the Year” at the 2016 and 2017 Ivorian Coupe-Decale Awards