Pepe Kalle was a soukous musician, bandleader, and vocalist. Born Kabasele Yampanya in Kinshasa (then Léopoldville) in the Belgian Congo, he adopted the alias "Pepe Kalle" as a tribute to his mentor, Le Grand Kallé. Throughout his two-decade-long career, a vocalist with a vocal range spanning multiple octaves and a commanding stage presence recorded over three hundred compositions and twenty albums. Kallé, affectionately referred to as "the elephant of African music" and "La Bombe Atomique," delighted audiences with his powerful performances.