Ivory Coast’s DJ Arafat, a well-known singer in French-speaking Africa, has died following a traffic accident.
He was admitted to hospital in the main city, Abidjan, with a fractured skull after his motorcycle collided with a car on Sunday.
The 33-year-old died early on Monday.
For those of you who are not familiar with this legendary musician — here are some interesting facts about him
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. DJ Arafat, whose real name was Ange Didier Huon, was named best artist of the year at the Coupé-Decalé Awards in 2016 and 2017
4. DJ Arafat came to symbolise the flashy well-dressed lifestyle associated with the music, which features fast percussion, deep bass and hip-hop-style vocals.
5. He was the son of Tina Glamour, also an artist, and the deceased musician Houon Pierre.
6. He was considered one of the most popular African artists in Francophone countries around the world
7. DJ Arafat is one of the first musician in Ivory Coast to obtain 1 million YouTube views in less than a day. He achieved this feat on his song, ‘Moto Moto’.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.
