I know that Papa Wemba encouraged Stino and Awilo, the youngest members of the group, to embrace the trendy fashion of that time, inspired by the punk trend: leather jackets, ripped jeans, and Dr. Martens shoes.
Is there a link between the fact that the second generation is more intellectual and slightly less focused on street culture than the first generation?
I think artists like Luciana, Lidjo, Reddy, Maray, Stino, and even Jose Fataki. Despite being assertive and having their flaws (especially related to drugs), they presented themselves as "Muana ya classe" and were less involved in fashion culture, even though they wore branded clothes. For instance, in the first generation, at their beginnings, Kester and Fafa had a similar style, referred to as "Muana ya classe," but had to adapt and become 'sapeurs' and « yankee » to find their place in the group.
It seems to me that the second generation traveled for the first time around 1985/1986. It was also complicated for them to acquire 'sape' (stylish clothing), except for Maray Maray.
Considering that after Visa 80, the first generation was able to return with European clothes, they brought a new style to Zaire. For example, Djanana came back with dreadlocks and earrings (everyone thought he had become gay).