Like some of the most intoxicating dance crazes of the past, Coupé Decalé started on the dance floor - the dance floors of Paris, to be exact, among youth from the Ivory Coast living there. Ivory Coast's capital city of Abidjan is now home to the trend, whose name refers to making money in Europe and coming back to Abidjan to share the wealth. The way this money was earned could be disputed, but whether or not it's a "danse d'escrocs," ("hustler's dance"), it's a lot of fun and huge among the youth of Ivory Coast and beyond.

Coupé Decalé is a fairly recent trend: it first gained popularity in 2003, and has since taken nightclubs by storm in several parts of Africa and the Diaspora. Young people have remained the biggest fans of Coupé Decalé, and whether because of its sometimes promiscuous or questionable lyrics, or because of the dance associated with it, the style can be considered quite controversial. But coupé decalé DJs, such as "the creator of Coupé Decalé" Douk Saga, insist that listeners have a good time, in the nightclub or at home. Hard not to do when the chanting of "Coupé! Decalé! Coupé! Decalé!" is so catchy, and when the craze is only getting hotter across western Africa and Europe!