Baloji's fiercely cogent mix of rap and hip-hop with Congolese sounds from classic rumba to soukous to Congotronics is the soundtrack to his personal quest for identity. Taken at the age of 4 by his father to Belgium from 1982 Zaire, he grew up increasingly alienated and rootless until discovering hip-hop, and his gift for rapping. He became part of platinum-selling posse, Starflam Collective, but quit in 2004. Four years later, a letter from his estranged mother in DR Congo sparked a coruscating reply in his first album, Hotel Impala. A return to his birthplace evinced the blistering poetry of Kinshasa Succursale - recorded in Kinshasa with Konono #1, Zaiko Langa Langa and others. His journey back to the future continues with his live band, Orchestre de la Katuba, featuring Congolese guitar legend Dizzy Mandjeku.