Talking about Emeneya who claimed then that he paid Bipoli money to attack. With Bipoli giving in the same video the reasons about the beaf with Kester. Saying that it was fack. That it was just to get attention, since that people focused to much on Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide and Wenge. Koffi Olomide talked also about JB Mpiana when their were rumors that he sended someone to drive with his car against his wall with him dissing journalist Djo K (who was close to JB) very hard. He talked about Nyoka Longo who had then problems with ngulu's, talking about the problems of Congolese bands of not getting visa's to enter the Schengen-Area, about his models Tabu Ley, Max Mongali, Franco, giving his opinion about why the Congolese music went down in 2003 in Europe & Africa leaving his place to Ivorians and the Congolese artists not being able anymore to fill halls.

Looking back, it seemed like he was eager to get to Monde Arabe, with the way he was previewing in songs well in advance.... He wasn't too enthusiastic about Affaire D'etat like previous group albums, despite the fact that it was a fantastic album. I also remember hearing about sabatoge that was attempted upon release.

One of the biggest mysteries is how Monde Arabe would have sounded if Next didn't go bankrupt or if he didn't take to heart Ley's criticisms. Original release was supposed to be late '03 combined with the Zenith concert.

From a pure analysis stadnpoint, I do think Monde Arabe had the biggest body of great rhumbas since V12... it's just that it took time to grow on people because of the lack of sebene.

@Matebu

As good as Affaire D'Etat was, that album is associated with defections from Koffi's band; Bouro Mpela, Lola Digital, Ondoma Motema, and Brigade Rwinga. For some odd reason, I feel like Koffi didn't really contribute to the creative process compared to albums before and after, he feels secondary as opposed to a central figure throughout the album...I could be wrong.

What made Brigade leave, was it money issues or something personally? Also, why didn't Michaux Chamberton or Bebe Kerozene get a song on Affaire d'Etat? I'm surprised Koffi split songwriting credit with Brigade for Code Pin instead of grouping his two atalakus as composers, but maybe Kerozene was already starting to disappoint Koffi around that time.

@Matebu

As good as Affaire D'Etat was, that album is associated with defections from Koffi's band; Bouro Mpela, Lola Digital, Ondoma Motema, and Brigade Rwinga. For some odd reason, I feel like Koffi didn't really contribute to the creative process compared to albums before and after, he feels secondary as opposed to a central figure throughout the album...I could be wrong.

What made Brigade leave, was it money issues or something personally? Also, why didn't Michaux Chamberton or Bebe Kerozene get a song on Affaire d'Etat? I'm surprised Koffi split songwriting credit with Brigade for Code Pin instead of grouping his two atalakus as composers, but maybe Kerozene was already starting to disappoint Koffi around that time.

Bouro Mpela left in 2004 during the recordings of Monde Arabe. Ondomba already left a longtime ago, he left in 2001.


Like i explained to you many times in other threats, Brigade left because Koffi left him behind in Kinshasa when they came for Zenith and the recordings of Monde Arabe. Michaux Chamberton left in 2002 when they returned to Kinshasa for that Stade des Martyrs-concert. Then he returned when Quartier Latin came back for the tour of 2002-03 with Koffi accepting him back and him getting some vocals.

Maybe Brigade came with a better generique then Kerozene. Koffi isn't like Werrason or JB Mpiana who are giving the cries of the second atalaku or atalaku's of the second team to the main atalaku. For example some cries Bill Clinton did in Terrain Eza Mine, Solola Bien & Intervention Rapide were those of Celeo. The same Celeo was doing cries coming from the second team.

Looking back, it seemed like he was eager to get to Monde Arabe, with the way he was previewing in songs well in advance.... He wasn't too enthusiastic about Affaire D'etat like previous group albums, despite the fact that it was a fantastic album. I also remember hearing about sabatoge that was attempted upon release.

One of the biggest mysteries is how Monde Arabe would have sounded if Next didn't go bankrupt or if he didn't take to heart Ley's criticisms. Original release was supposed to be late '03 combined with the Zenith concert.

From a pure analysis stadnpoint, I do think Monde Arabe had the biggest body of great rhumbas since V12... it's just that it took time to grow on people because of the lack of sebene.

If a look back then I don't think that it has to do with the bankrupty of Next Music . I think that it was because the Ngulu-Affaire. Don't forget that Next Music went bankrupt in November 2003,  when Koffi was already preparing Quartier Latin for their Zenith in December 2003. in 2003 no band was able to get visa's for the schengen-area. Koffi had to pay 100.000 dollars to bring Quartier Latin back to Europe.

The orginal plan of Koffi was to release Monde Arabe in December 2003 and perform in July 2004 finally at Parc des Princes. Which you can see on the cd and dvd-covers of Affaire d'Etat. With him saying in interviews that they would record Monde Arabe in the USA during their tour there. But just one month before the release of Affaire d'Etat,  Papa Wemba got arrested with that Ngulu-affaire, which affected all bands. Nobody was able to get visa's. So it made Koffi delay the release of Monde Arabe to June/July 2004. With after the tour Koffi made a little pause on the recordings and when he went back to Kinshasa he got problems with Zobozi and those girldancers who sued him, which made him being blocked in Kinshasa. Then when he returned with Quartier Latin to finish Monde Arabe and for some concerts in France and Belgium he got problems with Marc Tabu. This all delayed Monde Arabe's release to december 2004. Alot of people don't know/forget that Koffi then started recording Monde Arabe in 2003 at Studio Ndiaye in Kinshasa, in the case that they wouldn't get visa's. Then when they went to Europe they re-started the recordings of that album. So I don't think that it would have made any difference. maybe that Embargo would be a sebene-song. With me now looking back to those years, made think that it was just coincidence with Karmapa releasing Je m'Appelle Toi & Tabu Ley critizing him. Because before Affaire d'Etat he stated in many interviews that he would return to his Tcha-Tcho style and the was French/African-press was critizing Congolese artists and bands alot of not being creative for 10 years long and relaying their work on atalaku's and sebene with their concerts being very band compared to the music made on the cd (Koffi- Live a Bercy for example). They made a whole article about that when Zaiko released Eureka and Koffi Olomide Affaire d'Etat.

So crazy how the succes of Congolese music dropped in no-time. It started already in 2002 with concerts in Brussels and Paris not getting packed, but people weren't really noticing it since that they were all focused on polemique and their albums still having succes with Koffi getting his 4 kora's. People started noticing it with the Coupe-Decale revolution in Paris just after the Ngulu-Affaire, Koffi & Wemba's Zenith's of 2003 not being packed and albums like Affaire d'Etat, A La Que Leu Leu & Eureka not having that boom-effect on the market like the albums who were released in 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2001. With the West-African press starting a boycot-campaign against Congolese music after Koffi's drama at Stade d'Amitie in Cotounou and starting promoting their own music Coupe Decale. They tried several times to forbid Congolese music, but they didn't get a good reason to do that and/or a interdiction on Congolese music being dropped after 2 months or some weeks. But with in 2003 they finally found one. 2003 was a year to forget. The only positive point of that year was DR Congo getting 5 kora's (Barbara Kanam, Mbilia Bell, Tshala Muana, Mohombi's band and Quartier Latin winning). 2004 was a better year of DR Congo in Africa and the diaspora, despite nobody performing in a big musichall or touring in Europe (except Quartier Latin) with Awilo Longomba having succes with Karolina, Felix Wazekwa releasing Et Apres and  Werrason having succes with Tindika Lokito. But the impact of Congolese music wasn't the same anymore, because of the succes of Coupe Decale and it would continue in the years 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008. With almost everybody from 2006-07 switching to Rumba's even Maison Mere and later on starting copying Coupe-Decale. From 2004 Congolese bands didn't tour anymore in Africa and started to perform only in Kinshasa. From 2005 musicpromoters didn't want to brings bands anymore to Europe with bandleaders then bringing the bands by themselves to Europe, bringing their bands throught Sweden or Ireland into the Schegen-area. With some of them just spending 1 month in Europe and going bringing just 14 musicians.

@mvulusi96

I thought A La Queue Leu Leu had impact, the koyimbi-ko cries were pretty popular. And wasn't the album successful enough to have two Zenith concerts?

In my opinion, the lack of visas being approved negatively impacted Congolese artist's ability to promote their music. If you can't secure big concerts in Europe and Africa, then the music doesn't transend borders. Since Coupe Decale was getting heavily promoted, other Congolese artists followed suit hoping for similar success.

@mvulusi96

I thought A La Queue Leu Leu had impact, the koyimbi-ko cries were pretty popular. And wasn't the album successful enough to have two Zenith concerts?

In my opinion, the lack of visas being approved negatively impacted Congolese artist's ability to promote their music. If you can't secure big concerts in Europe and Africa, then the music doesn't transend borders. Since Coupe Decale was getting heavily promoted, other Congolese artists followed suit hoping for similar success.

It was the succes of Kibuisa Mpimpa which brought Werrason & Maison Mere to Zenith (May 2002). They were preparing A La Que Leu Leu which they released then in December 2002. But the album was not well received like Kibuisa Mpimpa & Solola Bien with people then complaining about mabanga's distroying the songs, etc. and some people are being tired to hear the Koyimbi-ko animation which they alraedy heard 1 year long in concerts and videos.