Until Les Têtes Brulées arrived on the scene, Cameroon was known primarily for one craze: makossa, the pop rhythms straight out of Douala made big by artists like Manu Dibango. The 1980s saw a significant shift, as the rival style of bikutsi found play on the newly created government radio and TV - largely thanks to bikutsi supporter and president Paul Biya - and won fans across Cameroon. The biggest stars to bring global attention to the bikutsi craze were Les Tetes Brulees, literally the "burnt heads," or blown minds.

Les Tetes Brulees was formed in 1986 by singer Jean-Marie Ahanda (once a critic at the Cameroon Tribune)and guitarist Theodore Epeme, also known as Zanzibar. Zanzibar was noted for threading foam rubber through the base of his guitar strings to give them a muted sound. This became standard practice for subsequent bikutsi guitarists. The band certainly left an impression: they were known for their wild looking stage shows, including dramatic white makeup, huge sneakers and day-glo colors. But bikutsi is a genre of intensity if nothing else, and Let Tetes Brulees' sound was hardly an exception, though their popularity with the President may have also contributed to such reactions. But Les Têtes Brulées continued to play and to become one of the most recognizable faces of Cameroon on the international music scene.

Their stage shows were largely to thank for this; their distinct image set them apart and made them naturals to play festivals in the US and Europe. The band also got big at a time that Cameroonian television was first coming into homes, and more people could see their distinct look and music videos. Les Têtes Brulées became even better known when they signed on to appear in two films which earned them recognition, though sadly, Zanzibar committed suicide, shortly after the films were released, in 1989. Les Têtes Brulées solidified their place in history by releasing the first full-length bikutsi CD, their debut album Hot Heads (Shanachie, 1990). The group went on to release Bikutsi Rock (Shanachie, 1992), and, with the addition of a keyboard player, continued to record and tour through the 1990s, releasing their Best Of album Bikutsi Fever (Africa Fete, 2000) to usher in the 21st century.

Contributed by: Essie Lash