Papa Wemba has been one of the world's most popular Congolese artists for many years. Internationally, he is one of the inventors of modern Afro-pop, an important sector of this borderless World Music. And in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire), he is sometimes presented as a kind of living god, an untouchable icon on whom the pride of a people is focused. With a career spanning almost fifty years, he is considered one of the legends of Congolese and African music. He may not be the creator of Congolese rumba, but he is a pillar of the genre, and one of the artists who propelled it to international prominence. He was also involved in the beginnings of soukous. Rumba remains his reference despite other styles such as rock, ndombolo and world music.