Sens Inverse is a filler that should've been left of the album

Okay please stop

its the truth tho

No no no it's not. Sens Inverse was one of the biggest hits from Droit De Veto and its a party/wedding classic so you obviously don't get it.

No rumba on sanction is better than Jules BM

J Trois was the best singer of Wenge Maison Mere during the 2004 to 2007 period.

Ahahahahah Oh My Goooooooooooood

Who was the best Maison Mere singer according to you then?

Bon Bon, Miel, Kojack, Adjani, there are plenty

Attentat is more like a filler album.

Werrason cant sing and Blandine would've been a better record without him

Werrason cant sing and Blandine would've been a better record without him

Most people agree with you. It is only Werra superfanatics who don't want to hear that. Werrason can sing but he is not the best. He needs to stop trying to be like JB Mpiana, it will not hold.

7eme Lecon is better than Alerte Generale

Damn this is wild

it ain't just a little better its ALOT better

... Bro come on now, which parts are better? I mean Demukusse and Celeo really schooled Bill and Les Marquis yes 7eme Leçon is funnier with I'll throwing all those shots at Werra like "Miziki ya Koko Wana elalaaa ee" etc. But Alerte Generale was way better especially the transituin between Celeo and ROI David "Bana bakomi Mikolo, balingi ba finga Ya Ngiama..." Etc.

4:38 is fire as hell, 8:54, 9:55 this part right here is better than alerte generale and only bill Clinton and have a 11 minute generiuqe and all of it be fire meanwhile on alerte gnerale i get bored as hell 7 minutes in. let me make one thing clear its not a bad song its not better than 7eme lecon that's all.
They may have schooled him they ain't nowhere near as good as Bill that's a fact, have listened to Alerte Generale throughout the week and I dont get the hype at all sous sol is better techno malewa is better even Ligne 11 is a better generique, I don't know lingala so maybe that's the issue lol

First you say Voodoo is much better than Sanction and Viagra, then you say Detresse isn’t that good of a song, then you say Ekokota isn’t that good of an Atalaku and now you’re saying 7eme Lecon, Sous Sol and Ligne II are better than Alerte Générale. Ehhh nzambe I’m honestly terrified with what you’re gonna come out with next.

Instrumental wise I would say that Alerte is better but overall because of of bill and dancing 7e Lecon is a better overall generique. There’s no way you think Alerte is better then Sous Sol. In my opinion Ligne 11 was a good track because of the cries but the arrangement was terrible.

Another hot take is Flamme was on a completely different level from 2004-2007. Simply unmatched.

His prime for sure, people are still stuck on Kibuisa while he entered his best form from Alerte Générale

Micko is better than Loi

JB Mpiana and Werrason should have done a duet album after Feux D'Amour.

Micko is better than Loi

Micko is better than Loi but everyone dances to Loi instead of Micko and not to mention it was Loi that put Ndombolo on the map

Criticism

Congolese music hasn't had prestige since 2004. This is due to the late Tabu Ley's critic of Koffi. Unfortunately, this has dethroned the genre of Rhumba (Nkumba).

Congolese musicians should take caution of their mental health before going on stage. We have seen a lot of talented musicians of OK Jazz, Afrisa, Zaiko pass through numerous illnesses. Ya Chiro, Matima, Pompon Kuleta, Pepe Kalle, etc.

Polemic is fucking hilarious. Mon lingala eza petit. However, drama is futile. Competition is engaging and stimulates the creativity of musicians. Just look at Wenge Vs Koffi.

Most soloists are imitating Kapaya instead of discovering their own sound. Innovation is lacking. Creativity is lacking. Lack of catchy solo riffs are lacking. Listen to Nene Tchakou, Ya Luambo, Mboka Liya, Dally Kimoko, Bongo Wende just to name a few, they have memorable riffs. Bongo Wende is one of the special cases because he was inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Michelino was inspired by AA Jazz guitarists, noted on his Facebook.

The 1970s was the most creative era. Why? Because many bands were being created at once. Verckys were promoting like hot cakes mdrrr.

Lack of promotion. Musicians need to hire promoters that are consistent, charismatic, and focused. Congolese Music always had international potential: Afro Cuban Era, Cavacha, Dance era, Ndombolo, etc. It just lacks the proper promotion to take it further.

Sebenes aren't exciting as they used to be. The sebenes from the 1950s towards the early 2000s had a lot of fervor, passion, and rawness!!!!

Every artist wants to be a solo artist. Not everyone can be a solo artist. Luckily, Fally and Ferre had a stable promoter and took off.

The Afro Latin era produced some of the most simple and rich Congolese music. Listen to the works of the 1960s and '50s.

Bavon Marie Marie was on the road to being a superstar. Sad, he died so early. Michelino took his style.

Aurlus Mabele was the Likolo of Soukous. Toujours Likolo. He was actually a band leader in the 70's. Fronting a orchestra called "Ndimbola Lokole". His energy was unmatched. Plus, Aurlus played percussion. RIP

Congolese musicians should tour a LOT in Latin America and Asia. Why? Cause most Bantu descendants of the Kongo Empire (Congo, Angola, Gabon) were exported to Latin America (Cuba, Colombia, Argentina, Brasil). For instance, Tango comes from the Kikongo word - N'tangu. Merengue of DR is Angolan. Rhumba is Nkumba (dancing by the waist).

Franco was the greatest musician coming from Congo. Meaning he put his heart and soul into his passion.

Most Congolese people haven't known that Congolese music has been produced in East Africa and West Africa. Samba Mapangala, Les Mangelepa, Super Mazemba just to name a few aren't well known in Kinshasa. However, the music is delicious and arranged properly. Maybe because in East Africa, Swahili is king. While in Kin, Lingala is widely spoken. My sister-in-law told me this. However, there is more to Lingala and these languages should be promoted.

Vocalist Pompon Kuleta should've capitalized from the Soukous Vibration compilation in the '90s. His vocals played a major role due to producer Ouattara Mamouni. If Ouattara is still alive, I hope we can get an interview of him promoting a lot of Congolese musicians and also making Pompon Kuleta a superstar. Same with an interview of Geo Bilongo, Dr. Sakis ( )

Apart from Dr. Nico, Papa Noel "Ya Nono" is the greatest rumba guitarist. Pay attention to his fingers.

Lokassa Ya M'Bongo is one of the greatest rhythm guitarists Africa has produced. However, Dechaud (Nico brother) pioneered the mi-composed. But the first to play was Jhimmy Zakari of Central African Republic!

https://maziki.fr/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/jimmy2.jpg

I long for the legacy of Zaiko.

Once Nyoka Longo is no more, who will continue the legacy? Lola Muana? Notice how Tabu Ley was gone Dino Vangu decided to reprise Afrisa in Europe. In the US, there was a mini-reunion with Huit Kilos, Dodo Munoko (RIP), Wawali Bonane but unfortunately, the death of Dodo Munoko was a huge blow.

Ageism suffers from generation vs generation. Does the youth even know musicians of the yesteryear? Do they even listen to the music of yesteryear? They may say it's old, but yet our parents are old, but we still listen to them

Quartier Latin was like the early 90s Chicago bulls of Congolese music in that same time period. Koffi was like Jordan and Suzuki was like Scottie Pippen in the early days very underrated duo the roster got better after that of course Willy Bula, Babia, Modogo etc

I thought since we sort of know where members stand with which artists/groups and music time periods we like, it’d be interesting to know opinions you have that aren’t of popular opinion. I think alternative viewpoints can make for interesting discussions/debates.
- I think Evoloko Lay Lay was the worst leader/singer. I was a big fan of his dances like “Dallas” way back in the day, but his singing voice always seemed to be a cheap version of Wemba’s. In some songs his voice sounds like a whining child. He is good on chorus though.

I thought i was the only one who thought Evoloko's singing is difficult to digest.

My Unpopular Opinions:

1) Lita Bembo
I never understood why people liked him so much.  To me he was just too over-the-top and animated, the precursor to Adolphe Dominguez.  Franco produced a Stukas record for his record label, so maybe he saw something in him that I still cannot see.

2) Tabu Ley was a selfish bandleader
Meeting him and spending a whole entire day with him was probably one of the greatest moments of my childhood, but the way he compensated his people in Afrisa was deplorable.  You think Werra was bad, try shipping your whole band to the US, don't pay them and then abandon them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

3) Not Enough Sebenes
With the successes of Fabregas, Robinio, Heritier and others, it looks as if Congolese music is making a huge comeback, one we haven't seen since Fally & Ferre left Quartier Latin for solo careers.  But here again comes the age old debate:  Where are the Sebenes?  What was once popular and literally took the music all over the world, is still absent from a lot of today's rumbas and if there's one, it's cut too short.  Generiques aren't enough. Non-Lingala speakers, especially white people, don't understand rhumba music. They want to dance to the guitars and that was these guys' tickets to Europe. These artists just can't seem to grasp that.

4) Vulgarity/Sex Appeal
Nearly 20 years ago, my grandfather from Matete, watched a WWE show with me during the Attitude Era while he was here in the States.  While watching the divas in lingerie prancing around in the ring, he said, "If women did that in Congo, they'll be in jail."  Fast forward nearly 20 years later and we're seeing and hearing more sexual innuendos than before.  When I was in Kinshasa in 2010, Ferre's 3eme Droight and JB's Mpunda was blazing the airwaves and the night clubs.  Although still popular, a lot of church goers found those songs to be improper.  Now female dancers are twerking in videos and song-writers are finding more clever ways to sing about vagina.  The music is no longer for kids.

5) Mabanga
I've complained about this subject numerous times over the years and I'm tired of talking about it.

In regards to my last bullet points, maybe I'm just an old fashioned 35 year old.

Man #3 is huge here. We need sebenes. Just the other day someone heard me blast Thshitokoo from Wenge Tonya Tonya in my car. They were dancing a bit. Congolese has a chance to be very successful in the USA if they at least make an effort. But sebenes are needed and short rumbas.