RIP DJ Arafat — Ivory Coast Singer Dead At 33

Photo: Instagram
How Did DJ Arafat Die? New Details On The Death Of The Singer At 33

DJ Arafat is a popular musician based in the Ivory Coast. The singer was born on January 26, 1986 with the name Ange Didier Houon. He started out as a DJ in Yopougon, a night life district in Abidjan. His own songs began growing in popularity in the early 2000's which lead him to a 15 year long career in the music industry. However on Monday, August 12 he was pronounced dead at the age of 33. This has everyone wondering, how did DJ Arafat die?

1. DJ Arafat loved Motorcycles

DJ Arafat was an avid lover of motorcycles. He has a song called "Moto Moto," which is dedicated to motorcycles. His Instagram account is full of posts dedicated to motorcycles. One post came just hours before his death, showing him doing tricks and riding in the dark. People have suggested that he was unfamiliar with the bike he was using. They point out the way he was looking at the controls of the bike indicate that he was still learning the ins and outs of this new ride.

2. Crash and Death

Of the night of the crash, Sunday August 11th, DJ Arafat was riding on his bike. At some point in the late that same evening, his bike collided with a car. He was rushed to the hospital. His time of death was pronounced at 8 am on August 12, 2019. His official cause of death was listed as a fractured skull.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dj Arafat (@djarafat) on Aug 11, 2019 at 12:18pm PDT

3. His Music and Musical style

DJ Arafat was raised around music. Both of his parents were involved in the music business. His father, Pierre Houon, was a sound engineer while his mother, Tina Glamor, was a singer. Both were relatively well known. It is no surprise that music came so naturally to Arafat. He released 11 albums in his lifetime. He primarily made a specific dance style of music called coupé-décalé. This is described as "combining choppy rhythms with hip-hop-style vocals." He is known as the King of coupé-décalé. Arafat was awarded Best Artist of the year at the Coupé-Decalé Awards in 2016 and 2017. 

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4. Starting out

When he was first starting out, DJ Arafat moved to Abidjan, which is the largest city in Côte d'Ivoire. He began working as a DJ in a nightlife district of the city called Yopougon. Unfortunately for Arafat, he overstayed his visa while working there. He was eventually caught and spent a full month in detention as an undocumented migrant in 2005.

5. Videos

There are many videos of the crash circulating the internet. There is a disturbing video someone posted to Instagram of him riding his bike and getting hit by the car. There is also a very graphic video of DJ Arafat laying on the ground after the crash with a pool blood around his head. Perhaps the biggest invasion of privacy is the video someone posted of DJ Arafat's wife getting the news of his death. She is crying and running in the street. It is unbelievably heartbreaking to watch.

6. Condolences

Many people have sent their condolences to the late artist. The Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara, took to Facebook to express his condolences for the late artist. He said: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the premature passing of Houon Ange Didier ‘DJ Arafat’ Youth Icon and ambassador for Ivorian music and culture. I extend my sincere condolences to his mother, his children, his biological and artistic families as well as to all his fans. My prayers are with them during this painful ordeal."

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Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who writes about love, relationships, self-care, spirituality and astrology.