Rikki Ililonga - Special Request - Full Album, (English, Bemba - 1998?)

Please comment, like and subscribe. Rikki Ililonga on a little known album. This obscure album has songs that were never released on media elsewhere so far as I can tell. Details below. Note that the first track is a little distorted. It is an old tape and sitting for a while probably didn't help. This album is a limited private release by Rikki Ililonga. The exact history of the album is hard to pin down, but anecdotally, it was produced by Ililonga in the late 90's. This date is based on the hotmail address on the tape insert and anecdotal evidence. In this case, the tape was professionally printed with an unknown number of copies and an uncertain distribution. I'm almost certain it was never actually sold so I have no idea how common it is. Certainly, a couple of the songs seem to be available nowhere else. It does seem that some of the songs are older ones that Ililonga threw together onto a kind of mix tape. This speculation is supported the fact that some of the music can be directly credited to prior albums. The songs, Munzi Wa Kangwana and Ulemu are on his album Sunshine Love. Musamuseke appears on his album Zambia. The other songs don't seem to be on any documented albums, but Ililonga's discography is not complete. The song Green Fever is said to have been an Ililonga hit in the late 80's, as yet undocumented. I'm told that Katataka was the name of an unreleased album. The album is eclectic, with various songs in both English and what I think is probably Bemba. The styles range wildly from song to song. There is Munzi Wa Kangwanda and Musamuseke that are in the unique rock style Ililonga and Mosi Oa Tunya produced in the late 1970's; pop songs Green Fever and Glory, the country infused Ulemu, the rumba/latin flavored Malita, the Rumba/Kalindula styled Katataka and The CIA, the more rock flavored Musiyo and the reggae/rock Depends on U (with a cool guitar solo no less). More than a few songs have instrumentation and stylistic notes that are very reminiscent of Zambian rumba infused Kalindula of the late 80's and early 90's. Illilonga's subject matter ranges from song to song and he isn't afraid to delve into international politics. The CIA is strongly critical of US interventionism in Africa in the 60's thru 80's, naming numerous African leaders supposedly assassinated by the CIA. That one shows Ililonga's long time Pan African sentiments. Then there is Malita in which he sings about a girlfriend who is promiscuous and how he worries she'll end up dead because of it, alluding to the AIDS epidemic. Of course, being Rikki, he also has a song, Depends on U, where he sings about a girl he wants and how if she picks him, she won't (Ahem) regret it. I can't speak to the songs in Bemba. This is a professionally produced album. Perhaps this was Ililonga's version of a greatest hits album. Rikki Ililonga - Special Request 00:00 Munzi Wa Kangwanda (From: Sunshine Love) 02:40 Green Fever 09:45 Glory 15:38 Ulemu (From: Sunshine Love) 17:29 Malita 22:50 Katataka 28:57 Musiyo 34:05 Depends on U 39:20 The C.I.A. 45:30 Musamuseke (From: Zambia) DISCLAIMER: All music uploaded to this channel is shared with the intention of preserving rare out of print recordings and making them available to audiences who might otherwise never have an opportunity to experience the artists and their performances. Links to reissues will be provided when available. I do not claim copyright on any of this music. Copyrights belong to their respective owners. This channel is not and will never be monetized. If you art the artist or represent the artist and would like this recording removed, please reach out via the comments or contacts listed on my main page. #zambia #zambianmusic #zamrock #bemba #rockmusic #oldmusic #greenfever #rikkiililonga