Manu Dibango (1933–2020) was a legendary Cameroonian saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, best known for blending jazz, funk, and traditional African music. His global breakthrough came with the 1972 hit “Soul Makossa”, a funky, sax-driven track that became a major influence in pop, disco, and hip-hop. The refrain “ma-mako, ma-ma-sa, mako-mako-sa” from that song was famously sampled or echoed by artists like Michael Jackson (“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”) and Rihanna (“Don’t Stop the Music”).