In Anglophone Africa, the competition between Wenge and Kofi was Close to call, I remember in one of Kofi  visits in Tanzania in 1994 he was asked about his rivalry with Wenge and he replied that it is an unfair comparison because Wenge is a group and he is a solo Musician. Wenge was loved by youth while Kofi by more matured people. And that was because Wenge were not fond of producing quality videos of their clips like Kofi. Prior to the release of Pentagon most Wenge VHS cassettes available in the market were poorly recorded live shows.

Pas de Faux Pas came out because guys like Rocky Blanchard and Suzuki started to rehearse songs which motivated Koffi to let them record an album. Pas de Faux Pas was like a test, it had nothing to do with Wenge's succes. Koffi was btw doubting about that album, when they were recording it and said that he wouldn't record a group anymore if the album would flop. If you listen to the album it doesn't have anything coming with Wenge, it has more something coming with Big Stars of 1992 or Zaiko Nkolo Mboka mixed with he Tcha Tcho style.

Koffi started to get motivated to fight Wenge when Kalayi Boeing came out., being then sure of his band Quartier Latin who and wanting to get the n1 spot. Coming with stuff like Papa Top N1 d'Afrique (As reference to the trophees he won at the AfriCar Awards) and throwing shots towards Wenge like "Kokende liboso ezo ko koma te" in the Noblesse Oblige. Magie was then recorded in order to fight Wenge, Eric Tutsi, Babia Ndonga and Lebou admitted in some interviews of the past.

Was there ever a point where QL dominated Wenge? From 94-2006

If there was , which period was it?

lol, it never happened. Yes, all Koffi and Quartier Latin albums had succes, but they were never able to dominate Wenge. Quartier Latin had huge impact in the Congolese diaspora of Europe and in Africa, but in Kinshasa it was seen as a band of copycats of Wenge and later Maison Mere. They were never really respected like them, Viva La Musica, Zaiko Langa Langa abd even bands like Victoria Eleison who had massive succes in the 80s, the legendary Anti Choc who was a respected band from 1986 to 1991, were more respected then Quartier Latin.

The problem was that Koffi hadn't a real fanbase in Kinshasa, because of being more Europe based, starting his solo-career a little bit late (having not a real band, while that's really important when you want to impose yourself in Kinshasa)and being more loved by women and the elite when releasing his albums Diva, Henriquet, etc. with the youngsters having their own heroes King Kester Emeneya, Papa Wemba, Nyoka Longo, Evoloko, etc. and later on Bana Wenge. He didn't also have a base despite coming from Lemba, while Wenge 4x4 and Wenge El Paris had Bandalungwa (stole it from Emeneya, Viva La Musica had Matonge, Anti Choc had Yolo, Big Stars had Ngiri Ngiri, Zaiko had Matonge, Maison Mere had Tshangu (Masina, Kingasani ya Suka & Ndjili) that they took over from Wenge El Paris and even small groups like Lavignora Esthetique had their bastion (Lemba). Koffi put his base in Matonge when he started to gain popularity with Quartier Latin, but he hadn't the same the popularity like Wenge.

Thank you for the information. Because I'm a diaspora myself, I never understood why people were saying Koffi isnt popular like that in Congo. I thought he was the main star in Europe and congo.

Even when I come that  forum chat about who would win ballon d'ors and I said koffi would probably win majority. I was surprised when I got the reality check that koffi isn't as powerful and influential as id thought.

So it was good to dig deep into the wenge history and understanding more about how stars are received in Congo first. I mean the most important thing is to build yourself in your homeland before attracting a wider audience outside of your home.

But in the end Koffi has worked very hard to get to where he's at now. From starting off as a songwriter to then a solo career and he struggled at first until the late 80s to the creating a band and having to deal with competing with Wenge. It's incredible.

Koffi has basically almost had a history with most of the musicians. Whether good, bad or both You can talk about his history with Kester, his history with Papa Wemba, history against wenge. Jb,  Werra, Jossart, history with Defao,

I don't know how much history he had with Pepe Kalle that would be fascinating to know. I just remember his convert he had and Pepe Kalle Dindo Yogo Deyess was there. It was nice seeing them together. But yeah I don't know anything else about them whether good or bad.

It wasn't easy for Koffi to make it. After the succes of his many 45tours discs recorded in 1978 and 1979 with Viva La Musica and Zaiko members like Bozi and Manuaku, he finally his master degree at the university of Paris in 1982, after receiving a bachelor degree at the university of Bordeaux two years prior to it. He came back to Kinshasa to find a job, but like many his generation he couldn't found work and he would be mocked by people in Lingwala where he was living (it was the case of many Belgicains or Parisiana of the late 70s and 80s coming back to Kinshasa). Then he uncle (Uncle Reece) asked why he couldn't restart his music-career. So he started to record traks with Viva La Musica (Mille Soucis & Ekila Maze) but they flopped. Then he recorded some tracks with Langa Langa Stars (Longomo & Etoile du Nord) and with Zaiko Langa Langa (Femme Noire), but all with the same result. Koffi tried to get back to Europe but it wasn't working, then he met Debaba who just left Victoria Eleison and they formed together the band called Historia Musica with Koffi being the president and Debaba the financial director. The band wouldn't last long, because Koffi would scam Debaba and with that money he managed to get back in Europe. Then when he arrived in Europe he started to do some businesses (ba cop, will not go into the details), being settled in Brussels and met there his friend Beniko Popolipo who was on tour with Zaiko and they recorded Koffi's first solo album Ngounda with help of TPOK Jazz singer Josky Kiambukuta. But the album would flop, then he met Papa Wemba who came in Europe and recorded along with Bozi the song Bokilo To Suki Wapi (which was a diss song against the father of his ex'wife Marianne Makosso, who was against there mariage). The song was not a big succes and Koffi was convinced that Wemba blocked his succes with witchcraft. He went back to Kinshasa for a moment and went back to Belgium, from then he started to live until the late 80s between Geneve, Brussels and Paris. In Europe his friend King Kester Emeneya and they recorded the album Lady Bo along with Popolipo, getting the nickname "Gang Ya Film". Back in Kinshasa he would promote the disc, do some playback shows and perform with Victoria Eleison (Emeneya would 20 years later always talk about that which would Koffi fans made angry). The album was better received then Ngounda, but it was not on the level of the succes he had in 1978 and 1979. In 1985 he reconciled with Debaba and recorded Diva with the band Choc Stars, Josky Kiambukuta and arranger Rigo Star. The album was a huge succes and made Koffi finally breakthrough. He would have some concerts with Choc Stars in Kinshasa, who were also a succes. It motivated him to start his own band to not being forced to share the money. Koffi tried to extend the succes with the Ngobila-album which he recorded with Josky and Rigo Star. But that album wouldn't be succes at that time (the crazy thing is that he album would get massive succes 5 years later). After it, rumors were spread that Koffi contracted AIDS and the rumors became stronger when one of his girlfriends in Brussels died of it and Koffi himself getting alot of black pustules. He teamed then again up with Rigo Star and they recorded the album Ai Ai Ai "La Bombe Eclate", in the album there was a song called Ngulupa where he reacted against the accussations made against him. The same year he would create his band Quartier Latin which was constituated with mostly musicians coming from his area Lemba and started rehearsing at the house of his mom in Binza. Their first concert would be in November 1986 at hotel Invest, having Pepe Kalle, Tshala Muana and Madiata as guest in the public. In 1987 rumors where spread in Kinshasa that Koffi died of AIDS and Tele Zaire went to interview his mother who cried. Koffi who was in Paris was called by his mother and was shocked to hear about that. After that he decided to record with Fafa de Molokai the album Dieu Voit Tout, because he was at some point convinced that he would die soon, in the song Dieu Voit Tout he would sung about his dead. The album would be a huge succes and confirm his succes in Kinshasa and getting the price of 'Best songwriter of the year'. The song would on the same time create alot of polemic, because it was already sung 2 years before it by Reddy Amisi in concerts of Viva La Musica. The succes of Dieu Voit Tout made Koffi get a contract with the big record label Kaluila Records. He teamed up with Manu Lima who would give his music another touch and Koffi calling that music Tcha Tcho Love (a mix of the music of Julio Iglesias and Congolese rumba). They recorded with Rigo Star the album Rue d'Amour which would also be a huge succes. The song dedicated to Claudia Likulia (the daugther of general Likulia) made him earn a villa in the Bandalungwa-area and the song dedicated to the late Myriam Moleka, made the Moleka-family give him a concession in Ma Campagne (the place where he build his famous villa of Mont Fleury). The album made Koffi tour in some African countries like Rwanda and Centrafrica. In 1988 Koffi would extend the succes with the Henriquet album, the song Henriquet was dedicated to the woman Carole Henriquet who became Miss Congo Brazzaville. Koffi wrote that song because he wanted her become one of his wife, after meating her at the ceremony of Miss Congo, but she refused which motivated him to write the song. Songs like Djino and Orphelinat would also get massive succes. The same year Koffi would celebrate his 10th anniversary of his music-career, with concert promoter Laudert Lndala organizing a fara-fara concert with Nyoka Longo for it  at Palais du Peuple, which a sign to their reconcilation after their fallout. In 1989 he would release the album Elle et Moi, the song Elle et Moi was dedicated to his daugther Minou. In the same album, Koffi would show his capacity as multi-instrumentist by playing bass and rhythm-guitar on the same album. He also gave his rhythm-guitar Do Akongo the opportunity to put a song on his album (Coucou). The same year rumors would be spread that he was arrested in Paris for drugsdealing, but it would be denied by his manager Laudert Londala in Kinshasa. In december 1989, he would present his ex'wife Marianne Makosso and his children when the media visited him at home for an interview. The succes of Elle et Moi made Koffi sign with Sonodisc who gave him an appartement in Paris. In 1990 he released his album Les Prissoniers Dorment, giving his guitarists Do Akongo (Kot Kot) and Toussaint Indianga (Les Prissoniers Dorment) the opportunity to put songs on his album. The album was a huge succes. People started from then to compare him with Papa Wemba who was in a dip. Journalist Gilles Obringer would put his album on n1 on the show Canal Tropicals of the radio N1. The song Mbabula would be aired on a Russian radio. The same song would create some contreversy in Kinshasa, because in the videoclip a dancer danced with transparent clothes, which would made her nippels visible. At the end of the year Koffi would receive alot of prices (best songwriter and best album, etc.) and his song Zero Faute ending as second song of the year behind Zaiko's Exil.

Mfumu have you ever considered becoming a bookwriter? Because... Wow! This is great!

Thanks for the detailed insight on koffi early career! Never really knew about his popularity before the early 90s QL days. Amazing how it took him all those years to breakthrough in his career.