Wasis Diop's birthplace is Dakar, Senegal. He learnt to play guitar in his teens and went to study in Paris. While there he worked with Umban Ukset in a band called West African Cosmos from 1974-1979. During the next decade Wasis travelled world-wide and formed links with many diverse musicians and producers: Yasuaki Shimizu in Japan, Lee Scratch Perry in Jamaica, Robin Millar in London and Amina Annabi. In 1991 Wasis and Amina took part in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song 'Le Dernier Qui A Parle', and won 2nd prize.
Wasis has written film and TV scores in many countries. His first album was the soundtrack of the film Hyenas in 1993, directed by his brother Djibril Diop Mambety who died in 1998.
This was followed by No Sant (1995) and amongst the many musicians featured are Yasuaki Shimizu on saxophone, Lokua Kanza, Nayanka Bell, Loy Ehlrich, and Loik Taillebrest on bagpipes! The album is dedicated to Djibril. His 3rd CD Toxu (1998) is dedicated to Daisaku Ikeda, Leopold Senghor and Nelson Mandela.
Wasis Diop's highly respected and best-known songs are 'African Dream' which was in the UK charts, 'Everything is Never Quite Enough' (used in the soundtrack of The Thomas Crown Affair), and 'Once in a Lifetime' featuring Amadou and Mariam, a hommage to Talking Heads. All of these and many more are on the 2003 compilation Everything is Never Quite Enough. Wasis is on backing vocals on