from 1:07 min a little shot of JB towards the politicians and influent musicians who were trying to block his career and Tutu Calugi attacking Werrason, Adolphe & Masela with his then new crie "malanda ngombe".

Was this their first concert without Blaise? I still think he left bcbg way too early if makaba was around in kin I doubt that would've happened so quickly.

Was this their first concert without Blaise? I still think he left bcbg way too early if makaba was around in kin I doubt that would've happened so quickly.

Apparently, because alot of people were waiting for Blaise Bula, but they saw Jules Kibens instead of him. I think that this was the time when he became sick with nobody visiting him in the hospital.

I think that the same thing would happen if Makaba was still around in Kinshasa, maybe that they would have forced him already out the band, instead of forcing him out during their concert at Zenith. Makaba was already not happy with JB Mpiana when they arrived in Kinshasa back in 1998 with the concerts promoters writing everywhere "JB Mpiana et son orchestre Wenge BCBG" while he saw Wenge BCBG as the continuation of Wenge 4x4 a not as JBs private band, because it was created by them all in 1997. Even before that there were alot of tensions between JB Mpiana and Makaba & Blaise Bula, before returning in Kinshasa with staffs trying to calm the things down when they celebrated JB's 31th birthday in Brussels. When Makaba came in 1999 for some weeks he was not happy the way they recruited Kibens (who he saw as a simple songwriter and not a real singer), Rio Kazadi and Chai Ngenge.

@mvulusi96

What became of Alain Makaba's career after leaving Wenge BCBG? I know he played guitar on Constat by Aimelia Lias, but I'm surprised he never got recruited by a rival band given the fact the he's a multi-instrumentalist and is a skilled studio engineer.

@mvulusi96

What became of Alain Makaba's career after leaving Wenge BCBG? I know he played guitar on Constat by Aimelia Lias, but I'm surprised he never got recruited by a rival band given the fact the he's a multi-instrumentalist and is a skilled studio engineer.

He became a session-player, playing mainly on Papa Wemba's albums (Bakala Dia Kuba, Notre Pere, etc.) and somewhere in 2003 he released his solo album Ya Ku Dominer produced by S.I.P.E. Production.

Are you forgetting that he's one of Wenge 4x4 co-founders hahahaha? It would have been a big disrespect to getting only paid 100 dollars each month or more months long nothing. Don't forget that he influenced a whole generation like Pepe Felly Manuaku did.  Being a skilled studio engineer and a big arranger is also one of the reasons why guys like Sec Bidens, Maika Munan, Gode Lofombo, Souzy Kaseya, Rigo Star never got recruited by bands, because they have then to own them alot. Better to have a young talented guy in the band coming from a poor family who's eager to get fame, then a big experienced musician who insist to get paid every month at least 5000 dollars(exclu. bonuses) and wants first to get a villa or a big house before joining. Those young talents get always forced out from the band if they become to exigent or leave by themselves if they feel that they are undervalued. We all saw how Flamme Kapaya left Wenge Maison Mere after being 3 years long frustrated and getting even more frustrated when Werrason signed a 300.000 dollars-contract with Primus with him getting nothing while he promised him a villa in Bandal. In meantime he bought a house in Brussels and was getting 10.000 dollars for every Primus-openair concert in DR Congo.

@mvulusi96

You made a good point about Makaba; he made the right career choice. However, I feel like Flamme Kapaya never really had a vision of what he could be outside Masion Mere.

He could of been a singer like Roga Roga; he has a pleasent voice! He could of started his own band or joined Celeo during his first album, but he lost a lot of good will with those weird Jazz/Rock fusion concerts he was doing that confused people into thinking he lost his creative touch...

  (great voice & composition as a potential solo artist)



(He was making some weird music)

@mvulusi96

You made a good point about Makaba; he made the right career choice. However, I feel like Flamme Kapaya never really had a vision of what he could be outside Masion Mere.

He could of been a singer like Roga Roga; he has a pleasent voice! He could of started his own band or joined Celeo during his first album, but he lost a lot of good will with those weird Jazz/Rock fusion concerts he was doing that confused people into thinking he lost his creative touch...

  (great voice & composition as a potential solo artist)



(He was making some weird music)

Celeo didn't had and have the money to pay him. Nevertheless he was a offered an 2 years contract with Bracongo and released a generique for them and it had some local succes in Kinshasa. But broke that contract later on.




Flamme Kapaya himself said that he didn't know what he had to do. We Congolese people were seeing the music he was making as a weird. But he started to get respected in by White-listeners, getting contracts for festivals, being invited often at radios, tv-shows and concerts at mini-bars. He was close to make the same path as Jupiter, Staff Benda Bilili, Ray Lema & Lokua Kanza who are respected figures of the so called "World Music". In 2012 he received in New York a trophee at the Bessie Awards for "best musical composition" for his show "more more more.. future". He started to be invited often on radios and teleshow. If he didn't delete his facebook-page then I could post all those articles, videos and pictures to show you all those things he did his last years before coming a new-born christian. 

@mvulusi96

While I was in high school, I came across a New York Times article that briefly covered one of his performances when he visited the United States for a music festival.

www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/arts/dance/faustin-linyekula-and-dean-moss-at-moma.html

So as of his baptism, is he completely done playing music or does he still play music but for the church?

@mvulusi96

While I was in high school, I came across a New York Times article that briefly covered one of his performances when he visited the United States for a music festival.

www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/arts/dance/faustin-linyekula-and-dean-moss-at-moma.html

So as of his baptism, is he completely done playing music or does he still play music but for the church?

After his baptism he said that he was completely done with music and that he would never do it again. Adding also that people have not to listen to his old works with Werrason and other artists anymore, because those inspiration came from the invisible world. But I think that he changed his opinion a little bit and he made some little videos.





I think that he has/had some mental issues and alot of problems where he prefer not to talk about. After his baptism he called to have to used witchcrafs while alot of people witnessed how he did sometimes stange things when he was coming for rehearsals at La Zamba Playa, walking without shoes at Chateau Rouge before releasing his album or bringing his guitar which he names Madame Jacqueline (who's known as a big demon) in a coffin. But recently he asked for forgiveness for the things he did with that guitar.

 

@mvulusi96

I never understood why JPS production would bother crediting the singers and musicians of Masion Mere as being the authors of songs for group albums (Solola Bien & A La Queue La Leu) if it's only Werrason that got paid royalties.

It always seems like slave labor if you're in a group, unless you're a leader.

@mvulusi96

I never understood why JPS production would bother crediting the singers and musicians of Masion Mere as being the authors of songs for group albums (Solola Bien & A La Queue La Leu) if it's only Werrason that got paid royalties.

It always seems like slave labor if you're in a group, unless you're a leader.

That's not the label who's doing that, but the bandleader himself. Koffi Olomide was doing the same thing with Quartier Latin and Fally, Do Akongo, Soleil and co only discovering years later when they started to understand that system.

Back in 1993, Wenge 4x4 didn't also understand that system. Only getting mabanga-money, gifts and the money received after signing a contract with Willy Beya and Kokar Masakuba getting all those royalties. But after talking with Nyoka Longo who was then the boss of SONECA for a moment, they quickly understanded it and became member for SACEM and started to abuse of their musicians. Crediting them on cd, but not in those associations. But sometimes they were still scammed by those labels. For example when Werrason signed with JPS Production, he accepted to give him all the rights of the songs he will release under their label for peanuts. Its only after years that he realised that he made a big mistake. King Kester Emeneya was close to sign with them when he was preparing Longue Histoire, but discovered that their contracts were a big farce.

@mvulusi96

So has holds the publishing rights to Solola Bien, Kibusia Mpimpa, and A La Queue La Leu, if it's not Werrason?

Damn, so none of these guys really reads contracts smh

@mvulusi96

So has holds the publishing rights to Solola Bien, Kibusia Mpimpa, and A La Queue La Leu, if it's not Werrason?

Damn, so none of these guys really reads contracts smh

I don't know if its still so, because JPS Production closed his doors in 2003 after that Jean Pierre Saah escaped the police in France and returned to Cameroon. He produced Alerte Generale and Obligtoire, but he had to stop in 2005.

Those are artists are so eager to get money and are easily impressed if they are brought expensive restaurants and hotels. Back in those days you could get 1 million, but that will mean that you signed for 5 albums, so you will then not receive money if you record the other 4 albums, because they paid you already in advance plus you accepted that they would receive all the rights for the songs you will produce under their label. So they will make alot of money on you back if you aren't smart engough. If you are intelligent like Felix Wazekwa and Nyoka Longo to read those contracts very well and if you have strong advocates they will give you better contract

@mvulusi96

Werrason never struck me as a savy business man (look no further than his tenure of being in charge of finance in Wenge 4×4). Many music artist in America are short changed from their publishing for the same reason, but with the internet maybe things will change since people are have access to reading about music contracts

Alerte Generale was produced by the label N'Diaye.

BCBG’s arrival in Paris and the pressconference they had before Zenith. Knowing all those images, I think that this videos is from the VHS “De Paris a Kin”. It’s sad that the uploader didn’t put Wenge BCBG’s intro at l’Esplanade (which was the intro they would do at Zenith), the way Bebe Ramazani described Wenge BCBG and the ad for their concert at Zenith.