I wonder what JB Mpiana, Koffi, Werrason, and the others
would answer as their proudest music achievement? I suspect that Werra and JB Mpiana would say Kin E Bouge, because the entire crew was together and they took Kinshasa by storm.

As for Koffi, it's hard to say...he has a very very long career. I wonder what he thinks of his albums from the 70s and 80s? Maybe he would cite either V12 or Koweït, Rive Gauche. That album was a game changer!

What y'all think?

JB - TH which made JB Mpiana reach another dimension after the departure of his friends Blaise Bula and Alain Makaba and also the huge impact it had at that time despite the country and the diaspora being divided in Werra vs JB.
Werrason - Kibuisa Mpimpa also like JB reaching another dimension it's impact and the way it influenced a whole generation and the artistic field on long term
Koffi Olomidé -  V12 having alot of classics (you noticed in interviews made at his home from 2012 to 2016 that his phone had hitsong Aspirine as ringtone), including Fouta Djallon which made from then 75% of his rumba's being based on it.

King Kester Emeneya is dead, but if he was alive it think that he would say Nzinzi from 1987 he would in 90% of his interviews always mention Nzinzi. Saying that impact it had in the world, how it made him know around Africa and how most Congolese artists would from then would programmed songs instead of recording live (he used to claim that Nzinzi was the first album with programmed keyboards, while Wemba already did it with Siku ya Mungu in 1986 and Proclamation in 1984).

Papa Wemba is like Emeneya not more on earth, but I don't think that he would refer to albums, but more to his singles ('aka 45 tours). In the time the he was on his prime (1977-1982), he used to release more singles instead of LP's with 4 songs. I think that he would mention Bokulaka of 1977 which made him feel like James Brown and having crowds being him when walking in the streets or the single Evenement of 1982, while people though that he died in prison when staying for 6 months in Europe, when coming back to Kinshasa a big crowd awaiting him and immediatly recording the song Evenement. After the creation of Nouvelle Ecriture, he started to play the song again (mostly towards the end of his concerts, but it would mostly be the second part of the song).



from 0:30 min Wemba talking about Bokulaka saying that it was his "chanson fétiche"



unfortunally there is not any footage of Wemba singing Bokulaka live on Tele Zaire in 70s, jumping, being almost in trance and Rigo Star doing the rock-guitar. Those videos very rare.



Remix version of it when Martin Messoniers discovered Wemba and introduced him to world-music



The song Evenement, Wemba singing that it's was not yet the time to die and mentioning Otis Redding and co in his song



Live version of Evenement done in 2000 with Nouvelle Ecriture

JB - TH which made JB Mpiana reach another dimension after the departure of his friends Blaise Bula and Alain Makaba and also the huge impact it had at that time despite the country and the diaspora being divided in Werra vs JB.
Werrason - Kibuisa Mpimpa also like JB reaching another dimension it's impact and the way it influenced a whole generation and the artistic field on long term
Koffi Olomidé -  V12 having alot of classics (you noticed in interviews made at his home from 2012 to 2016 that his phone had hitsong Aspirine as ringtone), including Fouta Djallon which made from then 75% of his rumba's being based on it.

King Kester Emeneya is dead, but if he was alive it think that he would say Nzinzi from 1987 he would in 90% of his interviews always mention Nzinzi. Saying that impact it had in the world, how it made him know around Africa and how most Congolese artists would from then would programmed songs instead of recording live (he used to claim that Nzinzi was the first album with programmed keyboards, while Wemba already did it with Siku ya Mungu in 1986 and Proclamation in 1984).

Papa Wemba is like Emeneya not more on earth, but I don't think that he would refer to albums, but more to his singles ('aka 45 tours). In the time the he was on his prime (1977-1982), he used to release more singles instead of LP's with 4 songs. I think that he would mention Bokulaka of 1977 which made him feel like James Brown and having crowds being him when walking in the streets or the single Evenement of 1982, while people though that he died in prison when staying for 6 months in Europe, when coming back to Kinshasa a big crowd awaiting him and immediatly recording the song Evenement. After the creation of Nouvelle Ecriture, he started to play the song again (mostly towards the end of his concerts, but it would mostly be the second part of the song).



from 0:30 min Wemba talking about Bokulaka saying that it was his "chanson fétiche"



unfortunally there is not any footage of Wemba singing Bokulaka live on Tele Zaire in 70s, jumping, being almost in trance and Rigo Star doing the rock-guitar. Those videos very rare.



Remix version of it when Martin Messoniers discovered Wemba and introduced him to world-music



The song Evenement, Wemba singing that it's was not yet the time to die and mentioning Otis Redding and co in his song



Live version of Evenement done in 2000 with Nouvelle Ecriture

Oh wow, I never knew Papa Wemba went to prison! I'm guessing there was trouble with the Mobutu regime? As far as you know, did Mobutu like Wenge Musica and Koffi? I feel like he preferred the classic like OK Jazz and Rochereau, because I know his son used to be into Wenge.

One of the biggest dropped ball was that Wemba and Kester never did songs together. The one time I saw them duet was amazing!

You misunderstood me. Papa Wemba went on a trip to Europe which lasted 6 months. Then suddenly a rumor was spread in Kinshasa that he died in Europe at prison. Then when he returned, he got received like a king with plenty people at the streets and performing that 2x times at Cine Palladium in Kinshasa. He didn't had any trouble with Mobutu's regime.

Mobutu wasn't interested in Wenge Musica and Koffi, he was only liking Franco & Tabu Ley who were of his generation. Koffi, Zaiko and Wenge Musica started to perform at his parties, because his children were fans of them, but wasn't really paying attention at time and found Wenge weird because they were wearing sunglasses all the time when performing live.





King Kester Emeneya used to be a Viva La Musica-member from 1977 and 1982, they recorded plenty songs together also one with Pepe Kalle. After the creation of Victoria Eleison in 1982, they multiple historic fara-fara concerts from 1983 until 1993 many in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Paris. Since 1991 there were producers interested to have a duet-album, because of their long rivalery and the album already being named "Disque d'Or, but they couldn't produce it because the money Wemba and Emeneya were asking was to high for them. Then when Koffi started to rise he ended up by recording Wake Up with Wemba. Wake Up was a huge succes, but fans saw it more as a Koffi-album because of Koffi doing alot of vocals and most songs credited to him. They wanted a real duo-album and still dreaming about that Emeneya-Wemba album. Then around 1999/2000 JPS Production contacted both guys for a duo-album, wanting to offer both guys 200.000 franc francais which is like 35.000 dollars and both Emeneya and Wemba refusing, seeing not enough.



from 1:08 min

You misunderstood me. Papa Wemba went on a trip to Europe which lasted 6 months. Then suddenly a rumor was spread in Kinshasa that he died in Europe at prison. Then when he returned, he got received like a king with plenty people at the streets and performing that 2x times at Cine Palladium in Kinshasa. He didn't had any trouble with Mobutu's regime.

Mobutu wasn't interested in Wenge Musica and Koffi, he was only liking Franco & Tabu Ley who were of his generation. Koffi, Zaiko and Wenge Musica started to perform at his parties, because his children were fans of them, but wasn't really paying attention at time and found Wenge weird because they were wearing sunglasses all the time when performing live.





King Kester Emeneya used to be a Viva La Musica-member from 1977 and 1982, they recorded plenty songs together also one with Pepe Kalle. After the creation of Victoria Eleison in 1982, they multiple historic fara-fara concerts from 1983 until 1993 many in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Paris. Since 1991 there were producers interested to have a duet-album, because of their long rivalery and the album already being named "Disque d'Or, but they couldn't produce it because the money Wemba and Emeneya were asking was to high for them. Then when Koffi started to rise he ended up by recording Wake Up with Wemba. Wake Up was a huge succes, but fans saw it more as a Koffi-album because of Koffi doing alot of vocals and most songs credited to him. They wanted a real duo-album and still dreaming about that Emeneya-Wemba album. Then around 1999/2000 JPS Production contacted both guys for a duo-album, wanting to offer both guys 200.000 franc francais which is like 35.000 dollars and both Emeneya and Wemba refusing, seeing not enough.



from 1:08 min

How much were they demanding? Honestly, both were legends and selling out venues so 35,000 USD is too low. I can't believe JPS Production would low ball them like that

I wish Franco lived another decade or so, I wonder how he would evolve with the introduction of QL, Victoria Ellison, and Wenge Musica. Maybe he would have went the way of Madilu and follow the trend of sebenes and atalakus, or do you think he would stick to his original style like Simaro?

He probably would have adjusted better than his contemporaries, because he was known for polemic as well and sending shots through his music.

They wanted to get around 300.000/400.000 ff which is like 60.000 dollars.Congolese music doesn’t sell much in Europe compared to other music-genres and piracy being was already very huge in Africa with less and less recordabels wanting to invest their money there, knowing that they won’t get it back. Also the money their were earning at Zénith, Olympia and Bercy was peanuts compared to shows of artists from other countries. King Kester Emeneya and Papa Wemba had a big dimension in Congo, their paycheck of every 6 month at SACEM wasn’t corresponding with their image. For example ininterview done in Brussels along with Reddy, Reddy said that Emeneya received 250.000ff for the first semester of 1999 and him 100.000ff.

Franco recorded with Victoria Eleison the song Attention na Sida in 1987. As return Franco would give them his horn section for the song Deux Temps.They also performed twice on the same stage