Ngoie Kazembe, stage name Rocky Bila begun his music career in 1978 in primary school at Notre Dame Fatima in Kolwezi, DRC, where he was inspired by one of his teachers to start playing the guitar.
Rocky went on to form his own band in 1979 while in technical college. Bankoli band had 10 members and played Congolese music, rumba and seben, in schools to entertain students and teachers.
Rocky left the technical school and moved from Kolwezi to Lubumshi to study electrical engineering. While there he joined another band called Kokoli Elela and the campus band (Les Kassapar) where he was studying as a lead guitarist where he played for 5 years. He also played for other bands while in Lubumshi. He played for the Railway Corporation of Congo band called Cheli jazz during his campus days with, among others artists Abeti Masikini, Lokua Kanza, Kazadi Zadios, and Mpongo Love.
When Emeneya, the bandleader of Kokoli Elela completed studies and joined Viva la musica band, Rocky formed his own band (1987) called Sonoria Baugel with 14 members. He started playing in clubs in Lubumbashi before heading to Zambia on contract in 1991 to play at Farm House Club in Kitwe. He also played in Ndola, Lusaka and other parts of Zambia.
In 1994, he moved to Tanzania as a guitarist in a band that broke off from the Maquiz du Zaire band famed for hits likeKarubandika and formed the Carnival band. He played alongside Bobo Sukali, Lesasa Jocker together whom they embarked on the mission of taking their music to Kenya,
Lesasa left followed by Bobo then Rocky in 1995, all of them ending up in Bilenge Musica, where Rocky played the solo guitar. His dexterity on the guitar soon earned him the respect of colleagues who referred to him as ‘Rocky bila meno juu ya waya’. The band toured Ethiopia, Dubai and Tanzania among other places. In 1997, when Wenge Musica toured Kenya, it is Rocky who stood in for their missing solo guitarist.
Rocky Bila left Bilenge in 2001 and played for a series of recording projects and solo artistes among them Kidum’s Boda Boda band, Eric Wainaina’s Mapinduzi Band, Suzanna Owiyo, Jaguar, Oliver Mtukudzi, Tabu Osusa, Super Mazembe and Les Mangelepa. In 2002, he formed his own band, Basi-tu (also known as Flame Band) of which he remains the leader. An eclectic guitarist, composer and producer, Rocky plays a wide range of music styles from Lingala to afro-fusion and traditional, which is captured on this, his first, album.
Rocky won a BBC award for human rights composition for the song Haki ya watoto. His second album is expected in 2012.