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Coupé-décalé music  is a type of popular dance music originating in Côte d’Ivoire/ Ivory Coast that Ivorians started using after the rise of ndombolo. Drawing heavily from zouglou and ndombolo with African influences, coupé-décalé is a very percussive style, featuring African samples, deep bass, and repetitive minimalist arrangements.

While coupé-décalé is known as Côte d’Ivoire’s definitive pop music, it actually began in Paris, created by a group of Ivorian DJs at the Atlantis, an African nightclub in northeast Paris.These DJs, known as the ‘Jet Set’, became popular for their flamboyant style, often showing up at the club with large amounts of cash which they would hand out to audiences on the dance floor. Their aesthetic defined the early sounds of coupé décalé, apparent in the genre’s name. In Nouchi (Ivorian slang), coupé means “to cheat” and décalé means to “run away”, so coupé-décalé basically means to cheat somebody and run away.

The genre’s first hit, “Sagacité” was pioneered by the late Stephane Doukouré a.k.a. Douk Saga, a member of the ‘Jet Set’, during the post-2002 militaro-political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire.”[Coupé-décalé ] has become very popular at a time of conflict; in fact, the country, has been going through this protracted political and military crisis, with debilitating social and economic effects”.These global themes could have helped to make coupé-décalé so deeply popular across a politically divided Côte d’Ivoire and spread its influence so far across Africa and the diaspora. there has been a growing interest in coupé décalé.

In 2008, Georges Dyoula distinguished 3 waves in the development of coupé-décalé: 1st wave, ~2002–2004: The appearance, success and domination of the JetSet, DJ Allan, DJ Arafat, DJ Jacob, DJ Serpent Noir, DJ Christy-B, DJ Arsenal, Don Mike le Guru, Bloco, Erickson le Zulu, DJ String, DJ Ressource, Shégal Mokonzi, Mama Ministre, Youlés Inter, DJ Jeff, Ayano.2nd wave, 2005–2006: This period is essentially led by «la danse de la Moto» and dances relating to football (Konami, Drogbacité, Kolocité). The appearance, success and domination of Boulevard DJ, DJ Bombastik, DJ Rodrigue, Shanaka Yakusa, Danny Blue DJ, DJ Gaoussou, Oxxy Norgy, Roland Le Binguiss, Douk Saga, Christina DJ, Le Molare, Solo Béton, Erickson le Zulu, DJ Zidane, Ligue DJ, DJ Disconty.

3rd wave – 2006–2010: The 3rd wave includes the most new artists and new derivative styles of dance. This wave is also associated with a ‘Congolization’ of rhythms, lyrics and artists. The appearance, success and domination of DJ Lewis, DJ Bonano, DJ Roi Lion, Francky Dicaprio, Flamzy DJ, Joscar DJ, DJ Mix , Elloh DJ, DJ Phéno, Mustapha Al Kabila, Mareshal DJ, Harmony, Maty Dollar, Linda de Lindsay, Ronaldo R9, DJ TV3, Debordeaux DJ, Erickson le Zulu, Dollar-R, Miki Dollar, TPJ New Version, Jean-jacques Kouamé, Abou Nidal.

The prominent artists of coupé-décalé are Douk-Saga (Doukouré) with its Jet Set, DJ Brico, DJ Arsenal, Papa Ministre with his famous tune “Coupé-Décalé Chinois”, David Tayorault, Afrika Reprezenta, and many other talented Ivorian artists.