Ricardo Lemvo is a DR Congolese

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 singer of Angolan descent, based in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. His music combines Cuban salsa

Salsa music

Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...

 with African rumba and soukous

Soukous

Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...

.

Lemvo grew up in Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

, Congo and moved to the United States at age 15 to continue his education. He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles

California State University, Los Angeles

California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...

 with a bachelor's degree in political science.

In 1990, he formed the band Makina Loca. Their first album, Tata Masamba, was released in 1996. Lemvo & Makina Loca appeared in the 1998 movie Dance With Me

Dance with Me (film)

Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:...

.

His family is from M'banza-Kongo

M'banza-Kongo

M'banza-Kongo , is the capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. M'banza Kongo was founded some time before the arrival of the Portuguese and was the capital of the dynasty ruling at that time...

, in northern Angola.

Discography

• 1996 - Tata Masamba
• 1998 - Mambo Yo Yo (Putumayo World Music
  Putumayo World Music
  Putumayo World Music is a New York City based record label, now specialising in compilations of music from various nations, regions or musical styles which may be classified as world music.-Etymology:...
  
  )
• 2000 - São Salvador (Putumayo World Music)
• 2003 - Ay Valeria!
• 2007 - Isabela
• 2009 - Retrospectiva