Today, it’s 24 years ago that JB Mpiana performed at LSC
Why was it a huge event although performing in an ordinary hall in Paris’ suburb Saint Denis, while Congolese artists started to perform at mythic music hall ? It was a big event because it took place during the same day, when JB Mpiana’s rival Werrason performed at Bercy.
Background;
After the split of the group Wenge Musica 4x4, a rivalry started between the two leaders Werrason and JB Mpiana. The rivalry became fierce after the release of the albums Force d’Intervention Rapide and Titanic that got released towards the end of 1998. When JB Mpiana performed at l’Espalande de Palais du Peuple, a race between both guys started about who could the biggest crowd and the war really getting started.
In June 1999, JB Mpiana performed at Zenith de Paris, making him the first of his generation to perform. However, in order to sabotage the show, Werrason planned an event the same day in Paris’ suburb Villejuif. The hall itself didn’t mean anything, it was very small (800 places), but the fact that Werrason planned an event the same day as JB Mpiana created polemic. The stories about JB Mpiana not selling the venue out, made the polemic only bigger. But on the end, JB Mpiana’s show would be voted as the best of the year and by many music fans also seen as best Zenith-show ever. Werra’s Villejuif being for years forgotten, until nostalgic fans started to retalk about the event after 15 years and former bandmembers of both Wenge BCBG and Wenge Maison Mere being asked about the fara-fara
Not being forgotten, how Werrason tried to sabotage his show. The BCBG-camp announced a few weeks before Werrason’s Bercy that they would perform at LSC. In that period, JB Mpiana just released TH, which was a huge success in Congo, taking immediately the n1 spot in all music-charts. Despite the success, the Maison Mere-camp would do all their best by denigrating the album in the media. In the period around the release of TH, there was also a lot of polemic, because of Wenge BCBG recruiting Bill Clinton’s little brother Kilimanjaro and the same Kilimanjaro claiming that most cri’s were his creations and stolen by his big brother.
A few weeks after the release, JB Mpiana got invited by French ambassador to perform at the French embassy in Kinshasa. 2 months, after the release of TH, JB Mpiana and Wenge BCBG would gave their first official performance at FIKIN. The weeks that followed they gave concerts at the fancy-fair of l’Esplanade Stade des Martyrs, Terrain Municipale Bandalungwa, Palais de Parlement in Brazzaville and Maison Francais in Lemba.
JB Mpiana’s quick trip to Europe made people speculate if JB Mpiana didn’t like Kinshasa and even rumors being spread that he went to Europe, because of having problems with authorities and not being being-pro LD Kabila’s. In the period after the release of TH, articles were spread that JB Mpiana and Alain Mpela got arrested because of the song Kinshasa, that apparently didn’t please politicians.
Just before the trip, rumors were spread that the show at LSC was cancelled. But when being interviewed by journalist Lolo Milolo, JB Mpiana and Alain Mpela made clear that the event was maintained, that a long tour would follow and the announcement of the group-album Internet.
Wenge BCBG’s arrival in Paris was triumphal and at some point even fights started of fans of BCBG against Maison Mere and concert-promoter/businessman/photographer Joel Photo Mbetenge, who used to support Wenge Maison Mere openly, trying to attack the musicians of Wenge BCBG physically but being stopped by people. The footage of BCBG’s got put as bonus in the LSC-videotape towards the end.
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Coming the show itself, many were surprised to not see Ali Mbonda, who was part of Wenge BCBG for some months and many cassettes being sold in Europe of the video ‘Ali Mbonda akati se layi na BCBG’ when joined them from Wenge Maison Mere and also Bill Clinton’s little brother Kilimanjaro who was seen in the VHS ‘TH ou Rien’. Journalists that came to LSC were informed that they were not allowed to film the show and only getting the authorization to interview the musicians, it irritated many of them and BCBG being a little bit boycotted in the first weeks of their tour in Europe by some journalists.
Journalist Zacharie Bababaswe who was there for Bercy’s show, also interviewed some musicains and also filmed a part of the sound-check. He sended the shound-check to Kinshasa and because of that people in Kinshasa thought that nobody showed up at JB’s show at LSC. After the fara-fara, WMM-fans would spread the same rumors and people started to believe it. It's only when concert Badive-released the videotape of the show, that people discovered that it was not true, but it was already to late. WMM-fans would use excuses that the show of JB Mpiana at LSC wasn’t a real plein and that people were sitting on chairs like gospel concerts of Matou Samuel and co, to cover the mpiaka. Digitalcongo who was a bit pro-Maison Mere started to write articles about JB Mpiana failing at LSC and taking it as an example for two years, if an artist wanted to perform over. For example, before Adolphe Dominguez performed there, they would write will he win like Academia or fail like JB Mpiana and Wenge El Paris. Wenge Maison Mere-fans would use.
When performing at LSC on September 16th, JB Mpiana had also support from several artists Gina Efonge, Aime Buanga (his old friend of Wenge Musica Bakolo Esthetique), Djuna Djanana of Viva la Musica and many others. Gina Efonge even went on stage to sing with Wenge BCBG. But when the cassette came many some people were not happy for the way, JB Mpiana didn’t sing with him when trying to do the question-response improvisation and letting Alain Mpela, saying that JB Mpiana was arrogant and disrespected Gina Efonge.
The show at LSC itself made concert-promoters go towards JB Mpiana, wanting to plan a show at Bercy for November/December. JB Mpiana declined the offer, wanting the event getting planned for the next Europe-tour as first show. Him not having performed at Bercy at time, made WMM-fans say “JB a sauter Bercy”, that JB Mpiana was afraid for Bercy and just skipped it, BCBG-fans replying that Bercy was not at that their level and that they would perform at Stade de France in 2001 straight away.
The Aftermath
Because of many fans and influent donors/fans not being present for the show of 16 September, another show was planned the following week at LSC. In the weeks that came, the success of TH kept growing. For whatever reason, Quartier Latin that just arrived in Kinshasa from their long Europe and Africa-tour, started to send his spokemen Zobozi and Kisindjora who started to attack JB Mpiana openly and weeks long confrontations starting between Quartier Latin and Wenge BCBG-spokemen in Kinshasa. Both groups would at some point receive a 7 months suspension from TV of Kinshasa, but it got quickly lifted after involvement of some politicians. The show at LSC in October was a huge success, delegation from everywhere being present (UK, Belgium, Germany, etc.). The majority wasn’t even being to enter the hall, because of being already full. Because of that a new show was planned at the same LSC for November. During the show, journalist Addy Londole would take some footage of fans crying and falling down with the ambulance coming, just because of getting emotional for the song 48 Heures Gecoco that would end up as ‘best song of the year’ instead of ‘Vita Imana’. The concert would later get released by Badive under the title ‘Volcan na Zamba’. The itself and that that followed at LSC are often mistaken as the one of the fara-fara. The show was presented by Zacharie Bababaswe, BCBG-fans weren’t forgotten about the things that happened during the fara-fara and saw Zacle as a WMM-journalist, so they forced him to say that ‘JB Mpiana is the leader of the 4th generation’
The success of same show, would end up concert-promoter Badive plan an event at LSC for November. The hall was full and people being put backstage, the staff around JB saying that it was time to prepare a huge event at Bercy for 2001. The concert got released under the same Arrestation and was seen as one of 2000’s best concerts.
