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Music

This Viral Club Hit Has Been Banned in Cameroon For Promoting Incest

Franko’s “Coller La Petite” is making waves in the West African club scene and beyond.

Back in September, Cameroonian producer Franko dropped the video for "Coller La Petite (Hold Her Close)," his infectious hit single that marries 909 claps to a makossa beat. Directed by the videographer Sky Star, the clip features Cameroonian soccer stars Didier Drogba and Alex Song in a club full of twerking derrieres and thrusting pelvises. The title loosely translates to "hold on tight to the girl," and can be used as a euphemism for heterosexual sex.

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But that's not the problem.

In the song, Franko raps in a mix of French and regional slang, saying: "Even if its your sister, your cousin, or your aunt, coller la petite." As a result, the track has been banned in Franko's native region of Bafoussam, West Cameroon for promoting incest, which is illegal in that country. Officials in the region have prohibited the sale, distribution and playing of "Coller La Petite," saying that the ban is "necessary to foster the fight against the deprivation of minors and maintenance of public order."

This ban has given the producer a bump in notoriety, and the already-popular track even more exposure. "Coller La Petite" had 340,000 views just 17 days after it was released, and now boasts over 2 million hits—a certifiable viral hit. This phenomenon is called the Streisand Effect, named after the time Barbra Streisand tried to hide photos of her mansion in Malibu, California, and inadvertently drew even more attention to it. It's safe to say that banning this club track has had the opposite effect that the Cameroonian authorities intended.