Jean Marie Belobi Ng’ekerme was born on December 22, 1952, in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

His father, a mechanic from Idiofa who worked at ONATRA,[3] influenced his early life notably by sending him to the Institut des Techniques Appliquées (ISTA) to replace him in case of retirement, but eventually left his studies to pursue a career in music.

His stage name, Meridjo, was coined by fellow musician Papa Wemba, who reversed the syllables of "John Mary," a nickname Belobi was known by in his neighborhood.

He faced a significant personal challenge in 1974 when he was imprisoned for 21 months at Ekafela prison[5] for violating a curfew imposed on young Zairians.

During his tenure, he released several successful songs, including "Bisengo Na Bango," "Mosafi," "Bolingo Aveugle," "Matondo," "Nyongo Ekeseni," "Ize Bola," "Ben Betito," and "Mofiti."

The group released one album, "Etumba Ya La Vie," featuring the eponymous title track composed by Belobi.