Badi, whose real name is Badibanga Ndeka, is a Belgian-Congolese artist, rapper, author and curator based in Brussels. He blends hip-hop, Congolese rumba and electronic music to explore themes of identity, the diaspora and memory.
Whether through a rap track, a book, an exhibition or a writing workshop, the artist seeks to tell his story of growing up amidst multiple cultures, divided between two cities: Kinshasa and Brussels. He aims to pass on the stories that have shaped him.
Badi began making music at the age of fourteen, playing in various bands before pursuing a solo career. He released several albums before publishing his first book, Lisapo de Matonge, in March 2026. Badi is currently working on the installation of Café Rumba, an exhibition dedicated to Congolese rumba, which will be on display in Paris this coming December.
How did you get into music?
Quite simply because I loved it! I was also influenced by my family: my uncle was a saxophonist with OK Jazz, and he introduced me to Congolese rumba at a very early age. Then I discovered hip-hop thanks to Benny B, followed by American rap from the late 1980s. Very quickly, I started writing my own lyrics. I was a rather reserved child, and rap became a space where I could finally express myself.
How does your dual Congolese and Belgian cultural background influence your art?
This dual heritage is at the heart of everything I do. I like to say that I’m 100 per cent Belgian and 100 per cent Congolese.
I was born and brought up in Brussels, a deeply multicultural city where I grew up alongside different communities. At home, it was Kinshasa: Lingala, Tshiluba, the music, the food, the church.
Today, this dual identity fuels my music as well as my books, my writing workshops and my exhibitions. I started out with rap. Hip-hop didn’t just teach me how to make music: it taught me how to become an artist. Rap taught me about lyrics, graffiti taught me how to see, DJing and musical storytelling, and dance taught me how to connect with my body and the stage.
Slam poetry came later. I remember performing two gigs in the same weekend: a traditional rap gig and, the following day, a slam poetry gig accompanied solely by percussion. I discovered a different way of listening. People were paying more attention to the words. From that moment on, I realised I wanted to explore this other form of expression.
How did you make the transition from singing to writing?
It all started with the lyrics. Slam made me realise that what linked rap and literature was writing. Rosa Gasquet then suggested I write with Les Midis de la poésie. That’s how Lisapo de Matonge came about. The work was inspired by the people who inspire me most: my family, my loved ones, and the people I meet. I love reading, watching films, discovering other cultures, but above all listening to other people’s stories. I see myself first and foremost as a storyteller and a conveyor of stories.
How do you blend your American and Congolese influences?
My father encouraged me to read from a very early age. The books by Alex Haley, Malcolm X and James Baldwin had a profound impact on me.
At the same time, I discovered great Congolese authors such as Jean Bofane. I’ve shaped my identity between these two worlds, and my writing was born out of this convergence.
They are storytellers. They’ve transformed individual experiences into universal narratives. They’ve taught me the power of words. I’d also add Maya Angelou, who has deeply inspired me.
What is Lisapo de Matonge about?
My guiding thread has always been the relationship between Belgium and the Congo. There is a Matonge in Kinshasa and a Matonge in Brussels. My book recounts the encounter between these two places through the stories of those who live there. Ultimately, it is the story of an identity being forged between Kinshasa and Brussels. Matonge is a hybrid place. It’s an artists’ quarter, a place of memory, transmission and creation. It’s a symbol of the meeting between Brussels and Kinshasa.
Why do the themes of exile, parentage and roots recur so often?
Because they run through my own history. Leaving the Congo had a profound impact on my parents.
Parentage also runs through my book via the figure of my father and the questions I ask myself today as a father. I believe we all have roots and wings: we leave one place to fly off to another: ‘ Life after death, a journey through time and space… ’ This sentence speaks of exile. Leaving one’s country is like dying a little. You leave your family, your familiar surroundings, sometimes without knowing whether you’ll ever see your loved ones again.
Exile also means entering into a different relationship with time, space and the world. “ I’m not going to play the part of the immigrant who feels out of place… ”: by which I mean that I refuse the roles society projects onto us. Whether I’m in a suit or a tracksuit , some people will always have a preconceived image. I prefer simply to be myself. “ I’m walking towards the unattainable… Undocumented migrants don’t die, we multiply ”, which also means that I prefer to look at the journey rather than the destination.
The most beautiful things often arise from the journey itself. The second part of the production is a tribute to my parents, who lived in Belgium for fifteen years without papers and who, despite everything, built a family. Nothing can reduce a life to an administrative status.
What do you take away from your time at the African Book Fair at UNESCO this spring?
Writing is a solitary act. Meeting readers breathed new life into the book. The UNESCO Book Fair was an epic experience for me: showcasing my work, meeting others, and discussing with men and women from different cultures – it was an extraordinary opportunity for me as an artist…
From that moment on, my work no longer belonged to me. I’m preparing Café Rumba , an exhibition dedicated to Congolese rumba, which will be held in Paris in December 2026.
New musical projects are also on the horizon. I aim to continue telling and passing on stories through different media.
The post Badi, a storyteller bridging Kinshasa and Brussels appeared first on New African Magazine .
Badi, a storyteller bridging Kinshasa and Brussels
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