Pépélé – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Fally Ipupa, Guy2Bezbar
• Album: XX

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rhythmic world of 'Pépélé' to master the melodic nuances of Lingala and French! This track is a perfect gateway to learning African urban slang and rhythmic phrasing through its infectious Afro-fusion beat.

[English]

Paris

how's it going

[music]

how's it going

[music]

[music]

we are here, youth

[music]

angry, my baby, Galeries Lafayette

[music] Panama, it's not Coco who

is walking, we invite you to join the

convoy

it's always [music]

that we see

[singing]

good my [music] good attitude

she [singing]

when you dream [music] of a king

the crown is worn by an eagle warrior

[music] supremeo

[singing]

[music]

It's always

[music]

little rascal

[music]

The artist's life, the gunman's life.

[music]

That's the bare minimum. I have the style

in me, [music]

that's the bare minimum. Burgundy Cullinan,

that's the bare minimum. [music]

I raise my fist in the air, I set the

trend and the hour.

[music]

[music]

[singing]

[music]

[music]

always to see

the warriors always on the attack

little shopping, no one honors you

[music]

the artist's life, the gunman's life. How

is it [music]

going?

How is it going?

[French]

Paris

ça va

[musique]

ça va

[musique]

[musique]

on est là jeunesse

[musique]

fâché bébé à moi galerie la faette

[musique] Panama c'est pas Coco qui

marche à on t'invite à rejoindre le

convoit

c'est toujours [musique]

qu'on voit

[chant]

bien mon [musique] bien attitude

elle [chant]

quand tu rêves [musique] d'un roi

la couronne est portée par aigle warrior

[musique] suprêmeo

[chant]

[musique]

C'est toujours

[musique]

petit chingon

[musique]

La vie d'artiste, la vie de flingueur.

[musique]

C'est le mini minimum. J'ai le style en

moi, [musique]

c'est le mini minimum. Culinan Bordeaux,

c'est le mini minimum. [musique]

Je lève mon poigne en l'air, je lance la

tendance et l'ure.

[musique]

[musique]

[chant]

[musique]

[musique]

toujours qu' voir

les war toujours d'attaque

petit shopping personne t'honoré

[musique]

la vie d'artiste la vie de flingueur Ça

va [musique]

?

Ça va ?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
jeunesse ʒø.nɛs A2	noun - youth
fâché fa.ʃe A2	adjective - angry
galerie ɡa.lə.ʁi A2	noun - gallery
convoi kɔ̃.vwa B2	noun - convoy
attitude a.ti.tyd A2	noun - attitude
couronne ku.ʁɔn B1	noun - crown
artiste aʁ.tist A1	noun - artist
flingueur flɛ̃.ɡœʁ C2	noun - gunslinger / shooter
minimum mi.ni.mɔm A2	noun - minimum
style stil A1	noun - style
tendance tɑ̃.dɑ̃s B1	noun - trend
shopping ʃɔ.piŋ A1	noun - shopping

Key Grammar Structures

• On t'invite à rejoindre le convoi

  ➔ Impersonal pronoun 'On'

  ➔ In this context, "on" is used to refer to a collective group or as an informal substitute for 'nous' (we).

• Quand tu rêves d'un roi

  ➔ Temporal clause with 'Quand'

  ➔ The conjunction "quand" introduces a condition or time frame regarding the action of dreaming.

• La couronne est portée par aigle

  ➔ Passive voice (Présent)

  ➔ The subject "la couronne" undergoes the action performed by "aigle". Structure: "être" + past participle.

• Je lève mon poing en l'air

  ➔ Reflexive/Possessive use

  ➔ The use of the possessive adjective "mon" (my) clearly indicates ownership of the body part ("poing").

• Personne t'honoré

  ➔ Negative construction with 'Personne'

  ➔ In colloquial French, the "ne" of "personne ne" is often omitted for stylistic rhythm.

• Je lance la tendance

  ➔ Direct Object Complement (COD)

  ➔ The noun "la tendance" functions as the direct object of the verb "lancer".

• Les wars toujours d'attaque

  ➔ Nominal phrase (Ellipsis of 'être')

  ➔ The verb "sont" is implied to maintain the flow of the song, typical in rap lyrics.

• Ça va ?

  ➔ Interrogative phrase

  ➔ Common conversational French used here to engage the audience, functioning as an inquiry about state of being.