You know the sound. It’s that hypnotic, rhythmic stutter that anchors Michael Jackson’s "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." It feels like magic. But the mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa song history is actually a wild, decades-long game of musical telephone that spans from the streets of Cameroon to a high-stakes legal battle in a New York courtroom. Honestly, most people think Michael just made it up in the studio. He didn't.
It started with a man named Manu Dibango.
Back in 1972, Dibango, a Cameroonian saxophonist and songwriter, released a song called "Soul Makossa." It was originally a B-side. Can you imagine? One of the most influential rhythmic foundations of the last fifty years was almost a throwaway track. The song was written to celebrate the Cameroon national football team's participation in the African Cup of Nations. The word "Makossa" actually means "(I) dance" in Duala, a Narrow Bantu language spoken in Cameroon. When Dibango chanted "Soul Makossa," he was essentially calling out a new genre of music—a fusion of jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian dance rhythms.
Where the mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa song actually came from
The chant isn't just gibberish. In the original "Soul Makossa," Dibango sings, "Mama-ko, mama-sa, maka-mako-ssa." It’s a rhythmic play on the word Makossa. It was meant to be percussive, using the human voice as a drum kit.
The song became an underground hit in New York City. David Mancuso, the legendary DJ and founder of The Loft, found a copy in a Brooklyn import shop and started spinning it. The crowd went nuts. Soon, WBLS was playing it on heavy rotation. It was a massive crossover success, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was unprecedented for an African record in the early 70s.
Then came 1982. Michael Jackson was recording Thriller.
He needed an anthem to open the album. Something frantic. Something that felt like the nervous energy of the city. He wrote "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," but for the climax, he lifted that "Soul Makossa" chant almost note-for-note. He changed the syllables slightly to the version we know today: mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa.
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The Legal Drama You Probably Didn't Know About
Here’s the thing: Michael didn't ask first.
Manu Dibango eventually found out. He wasn't happy. It wasn't just about the money; it was about the credit for a rhythm that defined his career and his culture. He sued Jackson. They eventually settled out of court for about a million French francs, which was a significant sum back then. Part of the deal was that Jackson would stop claiming he wrote that specific part of the song.
But then it happened again.
In 2007, Rihanna released "Don't Stop the Music." The song heavily samples the mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa song segment from Michael Jackson’s version. Rihanna’s team actually got permission from Michael Jackson to use the sample. They forgot one thing. They didn't ask Manu Dibango.
Dibango sued both of them in 2009. He argued that because Jackson’s use of the chant was unauthorized (even though they settled), Jackson didn't have the legal right to give Rihanna permission to use it. A French court ultimately rejected the claim because Dibango had already settled with Jackson years prior, which essentially surrendered his right to block further use of that specific derivative version. It was a mess. Pure chaos.
Why this chant is a "musical virus"
Musicologists call this kind of thing a "hook." But this is more than a hook. It's a "riff" that has transcended individual songs. It appears in Kanye West's "Lost in the World." It’s been referenced by Jay-Z, Eminem, and Missy Elliott.
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Why? Because it hits a primal frequency.
The "ma-ma-ko-ssa" rhythm follows a very specific syncopation that creates a "push-pull" feeling in the brain. It makes you want to move before you even realize you're listening to music. When Michael Jackson adapted it, he stripped away some of the jazzier elements of the original and made it more "pop-locked." He sharpened the consonants. Ma-ma-say. The "S" sound creates a sibilance that cuts through a club mix better than Dibango’s softer "ma-ma-ko."
The chant has basically become shorthand for "this is a party." It doesn't matter if you're in a club in Tokyo or a wedding in London. When that line drops, the energy changes.
Common Misconceptions About the Lyrics
Let’s clear some things up. You'll see "lyrics" websites claiming it means all sorts of deep, philosophical things in African dialects.
- Myth 1: It’s a prayer. No, it’s not.
- Myth 2: It’s Michael Jackson saying "Mama say, Mama saw, Mama can I cosign?" This is a classic "mondegreen"—a misheard lyric.
- Myth 3: It’s purely nonsensical. It’s actually "scatting" based on a real word (Makossa).
The truth is that it’s phonetic. It’s about the sound. In the context of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," the lyrics are actually quite paranoid and dark. Michael is singing about people spreading rumors and "trying to get to you." The chant at the end acts as a release of all that tension. It’s a tribal exorcism of the stress he describes in the verses.
The Cultural Impact of the Makossa Rhythm
Manu Dibango passed away in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. He was a giant of African music. While the legal battles were famous, he often spoke about how proud he was that a piece of Cameroonian culture had conquered the entire world.
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He once said in an interview that he felt like a father seeing his child travel to places he could never go.
The mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa song isn't just a Michael Jackson line. It’s a bridge. It bridged the gap between the post-colonial jazz scenes of West Africa and the burgeoning disco and pop scenes of the West. Without "Soul Makossa," the landscape of Thriller would look very different. Maybe the whole world of pop would sound a bit more boring.
If you want to truly appreciate the history, you need to listen to the records in order.
- Listen to Manu Dibango’s "Soul Makossa" (1972). Notice the space. The saxophone. The raw, analog grit of the recording.
- Switch to Michael Jackson’s "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (1982). Feel the intensity. The layers of synthesizers. The way the chant is used as a climax.
- Listen to Rihanna’s "Don't Stop the Music" (2007). See how it becomes a techno-fueled anthem.
It’s the same DNA. Three different generations.
Actionable Takeaway for Music Lovers and Creators
If you're a songwriter or a producer, there's a massive lesson here: Rhythm is universal, but credit is mandatory. The "Makossa" incident is the primary reason why clearance departments at record labels are so incredibly strict today. If you're going to use a "vocal riff," even if it sounds like "gibberish," you have to trace its origins. The "Mama-ko-ssa" legacy taught the industry that a few syllables can be worth millions of dollars and decades of litigation.
For the casual listener, the next time this song comes on at a party, tell your friends about Manu Dibango. Tell them about the Duala language. Tell them that the most famous line in pop history was actually a tribute to a Cameroonian soccer team. It makes the music hit a little harder when you know the soul behind the sound.
Next time you're browsing Spotify or Apple Music, look up the "Afro-funk" playlists from the early 70s. You'll find that Dibango wasn't the only one doing this. The era was a goldmine of rhythms that are still being sampled today. Digging into the roots of the mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-ko-ssa song is basically a gateway drug to some of the best music ever recorded. Don't just stick to the radio hits. Go back to the source.