Papa Wemba's and his colleagues' contribution to the evolution of Congolese rumba in the 1970s was manifold, when the genre came to favor percussion instruments over wind instruments, as well as a quicker tempo, blending more strongly local trends with rumba's Cuban origins.
Uchangiaji wa Papa Wemba pamoja na washirika wake wa mageuzi ya ki-Kongo katika miaka ya 1970 ulikuwa mwingi, wakati mitindo hiyo ilipopendelea vifaa vya kunasa upepo kwa kutumia ala za muziki, pamoja na herepo ya haraka zaidi, ikichanganya mielekeo ya kwetu yenye nguvu zaidi na asili ya rumba ya Cuba.