There many artists who were supporting Werrason in the beginning days of Maison Mere. Tshala Muana who made Werrason being close to politicians of ADFL, donors, etc. King Kester Emeneya, Tabu Ley (who was furious against JB for disrespecting him), Marie Paul (giving him tactis, like performing in often Tshangu and things about the mystical world), Defao, Ben Nyamabo (who was the owner of Samba Playa), Verckys Kiamuangana, Pepe Kalle (who even assisted to the recording sessions of Intervention Rapide)


Cambodge wasn’t caught with a dancer. It’s just that someone went to talk fake stories. Only because his friend drived his car trought Bibicia’s house which made the guy who informed Koffi think that they had an affaire. With Koffi punishing both by leaving them behind in Kinshasa when they went to Europe for Zenith and the recordings of Monde Arabe.

Mamale joined QL in 1996. That story of Willy Bula with a dancer was after Magie which made Koffi furious and left him behind when they had to record V12 in Europe. Willy Bula left because he saw that he wasn’t important anymore in QL. Koffi left him again behind in 1997 when they had to record Ultimatum & Loi. It has nothing to do with Mamale.

QL-members and Maison Mere hadn’t time for eachothers. There was a big rivalery about cars and girls which resulted often in fights.

Interesting to see the group that initially had Werra's back. Did Ben Nyamabo sell Zamba Playa to Werra or how did the place change ownership? Apart from being Maison Mere's practice base, what else goes on there? Is it a pub or something like that?

werra bought la zamba few years ago,outside his rehearsals and concerts and festivals,sometimes other groups especially traditional ones pay to perform there
but basically its a bar,so the bar became mixed with the rehearsal hall its no more like when 4X4 used to rehearse there,completely a bar except the days of concerts and rehearsal

There many artists who were supporting Werrason in the beginning days of Maison Mere. Tshala Muana who made Werrason being close to politicians of ADFL, donors, etc. King Kester Emeneya, Tabu Ley (who was furious against JB for disrespecting him), Marie Paul (giving him tactis, like performing in often Tshangu and things about the mystical world), Defao, Ben Nyamabo (who was the owner of Samba Playa), Verckys Kiamuangana, Pepe Kalle (who even assisted to the recording sessions of Intervention Rapide)


Cambodge wasn’t caught with a dancer. It’s just that someone went to talk fake stories. Only because his friend drived his car trought Bibicia’s house which made the guy who informed Koffi think that they had an affaire. With Koffi punishing both by leaving them behind in Kinshasa when they went to Europe for Zenith and the recordings of Monde Arabe.

Mamale joined QL in 1996. That story of Willy Bula with a dancer was after Magie which made Koffi furious and left him behind when they had to record V12 in Europe. Willy Bula left because he saw that he wasn’t important anymore in QL. Koffi left him again behind in 1997 when they had to record Ultimatum & Loi. It has nothing to do with Mamale.

QL-members and Maison Mere hadn’t time for eachothers. There was a big rivalery about cars and girls which resulted often in fights.

Were QL and Maison Mère members used to have fight before the Koffi-Werra conflict of 2003 ? I remember a article from digitalcongo from September 2003 about a brawl which included Ferre,Bill,Baby Ndombe,Eliott against Fally,Jordan with a friend of Fally dissing Ferre in front of him then shegues started to beat Cambodge down, Celeo joining the scene and start screaming at Fally it was a big mess.

It seems like musicians from big groups used to have tendancies of gossiping about other groups and mocking those who didn't have the same opportunities like them (cars,trips,big halls,vocals ect)

yeah for example at some point rio got his car destroyed by maison mere fans and the maison mere guys after tv round ups used to to taunt him a lot they'd  make the engine as loud as possible and drive very slowly past him then stop and  talk to him like he is 30 years older to mock him even more and ask if he wants them to drive him home since  he has no more car( if hurt him so much that in the last bcbg trip before the ban he came with 3 cars at once)
or when the ban happened some musicians of latino and maison mere would stop at kibens house or whoever else and say they came politely to tell him they are off to europe so if he does not see them  at tvs on sunday he should not be surprised and if he wants they can bring tissues  from europe to wipe his tears  as they'll never go to europe again,and with the most hot tempered like jdl it would end in a brawl finishing in the streets

@mvulusi96

Did Vodoo have impact when it came out? Because CNN used some of the same animations on that album on Monde Arabe as well.

It's a shame things didn't work out, because Lebou and CNN barely got a boost rejoining QL again

Voodoo was a big flop. Voodoo came out when in the same month when CNN rejoined Quartier Latin (He was so immature or maybe it was about leadership, money i don't. But it was weird because he abandoned Lebou for the second time). When both Lebou Kabuya and CNN left Quartier Latin again they recorded Salam Alekikum as single to restarted promoting Voodoo again releasing then also a VHS of those videoclips, but it didn't work.



CNN got a big boost when he rejoined Quartier Latin because alot had then forgot about him, the same for Lebou Kabuya. With Koffi then proudly saying on tv that all former QL-musicians are welcome to rejoin his band to get some fame.

@mvulusi96

Maybe they should have released Volte Face as an album instead of an EP, because the generique was popular in West and Eastern Africa . They let too much time pass returning to Kinshasa to recruit new musicans, why didn't they tour with the Euro based artist that participated on the EP like Biva Ray, Spino La Djatence, and Hugues Soki?

They could return to Kinshasa to confirm the success of the album and add new members for a follow up album like Academia, but that's just my opinion.

@mvulusi96

Maybe they should have released Volte Face as an album instead of an EP, because the generique was popular in West and Eastern Africa . They let too much time pass returning to Kinshasa to recruit new musicans, why didn't they tour with the Euro based artist that participated on the EP like Biva Ray, Spino La Djatence, and Hugues Soki?

They could return to Kinshasa to confirm the success of the album and add new members for a follow up album like Academia, but that's just my opinion.

Recording an album is alot of money. Ben-J wanted them first to record a single. The single was test for them to get a record-deal. They recorded they released in single in March 2002, but CNN hadn't alot of faith and decided to leave the band and joined Wenge BCBG. But with the time going and massive promotion on African compilation dvds, African and diaspora radios made the song being a succes and on some point being number 1 weeks long in the Radio Africa N1 topcharts (Kilimandjaro).

Lebou Kabuya recruited all musicians in Kinshasa by himself and did all promotion by himself in Kinshasa. When CNN saw that Wenge BCBG was struggling to come back in Europe he decided to re-join Quartier Latin Integral and went to join them in Kinshasa recording then in Dakar the Voodoo-album at Youssou Ndour's studio with Ben-J. Then Lebou Kabuya went back to Europe with Ben-J to do the mixing and working on visa's for the musicians, because they had to go to Europe, CNN then stayed in Kinshasa with the musicians (He hadn't Europe-papers to return back). But Lebou Kabuya stayed in Europe to long in CNN opinion and with the Wemba's ngulu affaire, he hadn't the faith anymore to come to Europe with the musicians. So he decided to rejoin Quartier Latin when they just returned from the Europe-tour. Which made Francis Salomo (aka Mirage Supersonic), Guelor, Chaleur, etc. being abandoned by their own.

Volte Face was more a nzong-nzing. Most musicians were members of other bands Biva Riva was member of Dakumuda's band (he ran away and then joined Cultura for some weeks in Europe), Spino La Djatence was a member of Wenge Tonya Tonya, etc. The Europe-based musicians of Quartier Latin Integral were just Lebou Kabuya, CNN and Pathy Bass.

I don't think Voodoo would be a succes if Quartier Latin Integral was still together. Because people coming Kinshasa don't give bands a chance if the leader is a instrumentist. Gode Lofombo is a good example.