King Mensah
King Mensah (born August 12, 1971) known as "The Golden Voice of Togo", is one of the most popular musical acts from Togo, West Africa. Though based in Lomé, he regularly records and promotes his albums in Paris, and has embarked on several world tours since 2005. Singing in Mina, Ewe, and French, King Mensah's sound fuses elements of traditional Ewe music (Agbadza and Akpessé), and Kabye dance-drum music, with funk, reggae and West African Afropop. King Mensah's lyrical themes are steeped in religion and hopeful encouragement for the orphaned, oppressed and downtrodden.
History
King Mensah was born Ayaovi Papavi Mensah to a father from Togo and a mother from Benin. Mensah began performing with a 'ballet' of traditional Togolese folkloric music at age 9. In his formative years, he was a member of the band 'Les Dauphins de la Capitale'. He acted with Ki-Yi M’Bock Theatre in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in the early 1990s, then traveled to Europe, Japan, French Guiana, France and Benin as an actor and singer. In 2005, Mensah founded a philanthropic organization called "Foundation King Mensah" in Togo dedicated to the protection and education of orphans, including an orphanage in Agbodrafo, 25 km east of Lomé.
Podcasts:
King Mensah
ALBUMS
- Mensah, Mensah released:
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by Sesame Street
King Minus
by: Sesame StreetHere comes King Minus
All listen and hear
How whatever he touches will
Poof, disappear
Just a touch of his finger
Brings forth this reaction
He makes things go away
It's like magic subtraction
One day while out riding he glanced up above
At a maid in a castle and his heart filled with love
But outside awaited the terrible fate
There were four awful dragons guarding the gate
One tried to fry him and chortled with glee
But King Minus touched him and then there were three
(four take away one leaves three)
Another fierce dragon leaped into view
King Minus touched him and then there were two
(three take away one leaves two)
Along came another jumping high as the sun
The King took him away and then there was one
(two take away one leaves one)
The last dragon thought that to hide would be best
For he saw what had happened to all of the rest
So into the forest he started to run
But King Minus found him...
...and then there were none
(one take away one leaves none)
Then he ran into the castle and out on the roof
But when he touched the fair maiden
Alas, she too, went poof.