Rj Kanierra

Joé Ngoie Mwema (born 9 August 1984), known professionally as RJ Kanierra, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, rapper, and dancer. He is regarded as one of the most significant figures in 21st-century Katangese music. His music is a blend of Congolese rhythm and harmony with rap, a synthesis he calls "Rotatam style".

Born and raised in Kolwezi, Ngoie began his recording career in the late 1990s and later released his debut studio album, Les treize lois de la jungle, in 2006. In March 2011, he issued his second studio album, 99.

Ngoie gained widespread recognition and mainstream attention following the release of his 2023 single "Tia", which quickly amassed over two million views within two weeks on YouTube and peaked atop the Congo's most-viewed YouTube videos, garnering 805,000 views in October of that year. It also sparked the "Tia dance challenge", a trend that quickly gained momentum on social media and was embraced by various personalities.

Early life and career

1984–2021: Early life, music debut, and releases Kolwezi, the city where Ngoie grew up, lies in the Lualaba Province. Joé Ngoie Mwema was born on 9 August 1984, in Kolwezi situated within the Katanga Province (now Lualaba Province), in what was then Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

On 10 October 2020, Ngoie debuted the single "Vula Vwala" (alternately known as Longola Lata), which peaked at number-one in Lubumbashi music charts and received praise from Barbara Kanam, Lokua Kanza and Alesh. In early February 2021, he launched fellow Congolese singer Eric Flash under his label Shutuka Musique and debuted the single "Baby Sugar" on 6 February 2021. The tour commenced on 2 April in Dar es Salaam and concluded on 16 July 2023, at the Afrodisiac Festival in Brussels. It encompassed performances in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, France, and Belgium. The song tells the story of a worker who went unpaid for several months and decided to go into debt so that the state would come and pay him. "Tia" quickly garnered over two million views within two weeks and reached the top of Congo's most-viewed YouTube videos with 805,000 views in October of that year. and also spawned the "Tia dance challenge" trend on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, which was embraced by celebrities such as fellow Congolese professional boxer Martin Bakole and comedian Herman Amisi. Fellow Congolese singer Majoos lauded its "sweeter" melodies. Saint Hervé M'Buy of Ouragan described the song as "urban music juggles with different artistic assets such as irony, humor, satire, and sometimes derision to fully furnish his work." He then appeared at the Sana Weekend of the Foyer Culturel de Goma on 20 July 2024. On 9 August, Ngoie issued the Swahili- and Lingala-language single "Lela", which was produced by ML Beatz through Shutuka Musique and accompanied by a music video co-directed by Mr Tcheck, also known as Sky Star, and Derek Simba.

Discography Released: 20062008"Aina Lawa" Single Released: 2008201199 Album Released: 20112013622 Album Released: 20132016-243 Album Released: 2016201999×9 Album Released: 2019202213 Album Released: 13 August 2022 Label: Shutuka Musique2020"Vula Vwala" Single Released 10 October 2020 Label: Shutuka Musique2023"Tia" Single Released 22 September 2023 Label: Shutuka Musique2024"Lela" Single Released: 9 August 2024 Label: Shutuka Musique Producer: ML Beatz

Awards and nominations