11 Facts About Ndombe Opetum

Ndombe Opetum, popularly known as Pepe Ndombe, was an Odemba recording artist, composer, and vocalist, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ndombe Opetum was once a member of the seminal soukous band TPOK Jazz which dominated the Congolese music scene from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Ndombe Opetum was the lead vocalist for Afrisa International, prior to joining TPOK Jazz, in the mid-1970s, after Sam Mangwana had left the band.

Ndombe Opetum came over to TPOK Jazz with horn player Empopo Loway, and he stayed with the band until it split up in December 1993, four years after the death of founder Francois Luambo Makiadi.

Ndombe Opetum is credited with composing the following songs for the band, among others:.

Ndombe Opetum was a founding member of the band Bana OK in January 1994 and was a member of the band up until his death in May 2012.

Pepe Ndombe Opetum was born in Bandundu Province in what was then known as the Belgian Congo in 1944.

Ndombe Opetum was married and was the father of nine children.

Ndombe Opetum's fifth offspring is a son, born in Kinshasa on 3 March 1974, who is a professional vocalist in the DRC.

The young Ndombe calls himself Baby Ndombe or Baby Black, and has performed to large audiences in Africa, Europe, and North America, targeting primarily the African Diaspora.

Pepe Ndombe Opetum died of cardiac arrest on May 24,2012, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.