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.
Mchango wa Papa Wemba na wenzake kwenye mageuzi ya rumba lenye mahadhi ya ki-Kongo kwenye miaka ya 1970 ulikuwa mkubwa, wakati ambao mahadhi ya muziki huo yalianza kutumia vyombo vya kisasa badala ya vile vya asili, pamoja na kuongezwa mapigo ya haraka, yanayochanganywa na miondoko ya wenyeji wa Kongo ikienda sambamba na rumba asili ya Kuba.