Would Titanic have created a bigger buzz if they released it upon their in Kinshasa (July 1998) or shortly after it instead of November 1998. Because i've the feeling that the succes of the album was messed up by the comparison to Force d'Intervention Rapide which was released the same day (24 November 1998). I think that JB Mpiana would've have been intouchable in 1998 if it happened.




Also who influenced JB Mpiana to change thealbum-title Bue (was that title a shot to their rivals Wenge El Paris & Quartier Latin ?) into Titanic ? Because I remember JB Mpiana having a short-interview before performing  at Madeleine saying that their "then" new album will be called Bue and getting released in May 1998 and anouncing their return to Kinshasa in Avril 1998, but they ended up by staying 3 months long because of them getting alot of contracts (USA, Canada, Africa, Euope) since that the succes of Feux de l'Amour was very big. In meantime Wenge Maison Mere starting a big campaign against them in Kinshasa with Claude Maluma (who claimed that BCBG's tour was not succesfull).

I was thinking about this the other day actually..... so titanic and intervention rapide were released the same day? Cause everywhere I was in London everyone was playing Force d’Intervention Rapide either the VHS or cd. Even my older brother says till this day BCBG messed up by staying abroad for way too long, thinking that Maison Mere would be finished and them returning and them being surprised that MM was getting successful.

Maison Mere wasn't really succesful yet when Wenge BCBG returned, but they were busy with sementing a fanbase in Tshangu and other areas. Also looking support for donors (the most refusing) and politicians, creating platforms, etc. It wasn't easy time. Some concerts were big mpiaka. Many people weren't believing in them succeeding. Also most people in the press were supporting Wenge BCBG. Wenge Maison Mere had only Zacharie Bababaswe on their side.


Wenge BCBG's return created a huge buzz, they had on that moment the most fans. But JB Mpiana himself messed it up by dissing Werrason and Maison Mere in his first official interview in Kinshasa, saying indirectly that Maison Mere wasn't on the level to play at Intercontinental, Hotel Invest, Salle de Congres, etc. (Wenge 4x4's original ideology was playing for the elite, rich people, young people of class) and that Maison Mere was only able to play at bad places (Kimbanseke, Masina, Malueka, etc.). The interview made him lose alot of fans because most fans come from those areas and many people started to lose respect for him. So the most fans coming of these areas turned their back to JB Mpiana and decided to support Werrason and Wenge Maison Mere just before the release of the two albums. Later on JB Mpiana started also to lose alot of journalists who went to Werra's side, because him starting with that "Seigneur de la Terre"-attitude, having first to go trought Roger Ngandu and co. JB Mpiana wasn't also smart by reacting on Wenge Maison Mere's provocations. Because it went to Maison Mere's advantage. But I could understand JB's pain. Sankara came with stuff like that Werrason was the image of Wenge 4X4 and that his voice made Wenge 4x4 (later also Werrason in his last interview before the Europe-tour). But those who follow Wenge 4x4 since its succes of Mulolo and witnessed their succes know that it wasn't true. Yeah, Werrason was also important like Makaba and JB Mpiana. But it was JB who the image of Wenge 4x4 and he was already called the leader of the 4th generation in early 90s. People weren't taking Sankara words serious then, but when JB Mpiana reacted to it in the same interview, they started to notice it and when Maison Mere's succes started with Force d'Intervention Rapide, they became blind of fanaticism and started agree with Sankara's and Werra's words, deleting JB Mpiana in their mind. I think that Fally took that as a lesson when that Fally-Ferre beef started in 2007.





Wenge BCBG's not releasing a VHS-version of Titanic on time made Werrason win more . That videotape came very late (I guess even after Zenith, I didn't really took at BCBG anymore).

The polemic of the concerts at l'Esplanade de Palais du Peuple helped Wenge Maison Mere even more. JB Mpiana decided to plan a big concert there to thank all his fans for the way the welcomed him in Kinshasa 8 months earlier after touring in Europe. The concert was a huge succes with a big crowd being, all lighting up candles when they sung Omba. Then Godart Motemona and co influenced Werrason to plan there also a concert, by saying that he can't let JB Mpiana go like that and they had to prove that they are succesfuller then him. So they made quickly a funny ad with Adolphe, announcing their concert at Palais du Peuple. Wasenga Kipungi (RIP) gave then Werrason the idea to come with horses. So 2 weeks after JB's concert  they performed with a much bigger crowd and from then the polemic starting about "ba pleins" and who did "mpiaka". Werrason's event eclipsed JB's event with the official VHS getting sold as hot sandwiches. I don't remember JB's concert getting also an official VHS. I saw JB's concert trought that compilation-video "de Kinshasa a Paris".


from9:27 min those images shocked everybody.

simon's desire to make more profit lead to longer tour(having signed with them a concert contract which was active until 2009),and from jb's own admission in private the success of those tour made him be too confident almost ignoring he still had to deal with werra,blaise on the other hand was super worried when he heard how werra started knocking doors  and getting mad support in africa and europe
but looking back at it,at the end of the day regardless of who did  what better than the other,both jb and werra fulfilled their goal and dream which was to become super rich and very very famous

Do you guys feel like the original BCBG vs Maison Mère beef ended too early with it being focused on Jb vs Werra? I personally think it would’ve been more interesting with jb blaise makaba and the rest of afande aimelia caludji and the new ppu’s of then (Kibens chai rio genta) vs werra adolphe masela and the rest of the golden team.

Blaise and Makaba left way too early.

yeah honestly it would have been fun to have them like they started at least until 2002 2003,shame they could not remain united

Do you guys feel like the original BCBG vs Maison Mère beef ended too early with it being focused on Jb vs Werra? I personally think it would’ve been more interesting with jb blaise makaba and the rest of afande aimelia caludji and the new ppu’s of then (Kibens chai rio genta) vs werra adolphe masela and the rest of the golden team.

Blaise and Makaba left way too early.

Its because of the press and the public who made it a jb vs werra while Makaba, Masela, Blaise and Adolphe were still around. Also the desire of Werrason and JB wanting to record solo albums killed it and that of Blaise Bula (Ponderation 8  )and Adolphe Dominugez (Affaire Tonya Tonya) which precipitated the departures of the two guys.  I wonder how it would be if Adolphe would release Affaire Tonya Tonya in Wenge Maison Mere and Blaise Bula releasing Ponderation 8 with help of Burkina Faso, Calugi, Titina and co. I found it always a strange look to not see Blaise Bula in concerts of Wenge BCBG until the release of T.H. Because he got very used to see him next to JB Mpiana. The same for Adolphe Dominguez. After  Tata's departure, I wasn't liking Maison Mere on the same way like I used to like them when Adolphe was around until Double Zenith.




There wasn't an Adolphe anymore who would start the concert with Ferre, Baby and co, taking his clothes off, jumping in the public, headbutting the musicians, messing the chorus up, doing those funny shot-out by claiming that he's the best sapeur and the most handsome man of the world, adding that all girls would die if he wasn't there, pissing Werrason off by doing unnessecary shot-outs while Ferre is about to do his vocal. Adolphe was Maison Mere. Double Zenith made me finally accept a Wenge Maison Mere without Adolphe.



1:09min (hahahahaha) 5:05 min "Tata, Tata, Tata, Tata"!!!!!!!! He was so funny.

@mvulusi96

Was Ponderation 8 a success upon it's release? I remember hearing the generique was creating buzz because of the young atalaku Regean, but he disappeared without a proper tour or follow up album. Did he not have a good producer for the album?

I don't think people really accepted the reserve members of Wenge BCBG as the true replacements for the people who left after Zenith of 1999, because they none of them ever celebrated the same way Aimelia and Blaise Bula did at the hieght of their success in the group. People slowly started to shift their attention to Koffi when Titina left, people paid more attention to Werrason when he poached Burkina Faso, and nobody really paid Chay Ngenge, JDL, or Rio the same attention that Ferre Gola, JDT, or Baby Ndombe got when they were members of Masion Mere.

Little bit off topic from this. But man congolese are not productive. I can't Imagine seeing 2 congolese albums released in the same month nowadays. I just can't believe how the genre has gone downhill to be honest.

@mvulusi96

Was Ponderation 8 a success upon it's release? I remember hearing the generique was creating buzz because of the young atalaku Regean, but he disappeared without a proper tour or follow up album. Did he not have a good producer for the album?

I don't think people really accepted the reserve members of Wenge BCBG as the true replacements for the people who left after Zenith of 1999, because they none of them ever celebrated the same way Aimelia and Blaise Bula did at the hieght of their success in the group. People slowly started to shift their attention to Koffi when Titina left, people paid more attention to Werrason when he poached Burkina Faso, and nobody really paid Chay Ngenge, JDL, or Rio the same attention that Ferre Gola, JDT, or Baby Ndombe got when they were members of Masion Mere.

Ponderation 8 was a huge succes in Kinshasa in the beginning. It was produced by Editions Ndiaye and Blaise had also support from his friend Hamed Bakayoko who was the boss of Radio Nostalgie in Abidjan, nowadays Minister of Defense in Ivory Coast. But then suddenly someone financed Ndiaye to not promote Ponderation 8 anymore which killed the succes of the album. Some people say JB Mpiana was behind of that, because of seeing Ponderation 8 as a treat to his succes. After the succes of Ponderation 8, Blaise Bula went in 2001 on tour in Europe with his band, but didn't brought those who participated to his solo album. The tour wasn't succesfull and many tour-promoters ran away with Blaise deciding to stay in Europe with his band and later also bringing his family to Europe. He was forced to stop his music-career and work as electrician. While it was planned that he would record his second album and return to Kinshasa.



All people accepted Gentamicine (who went instead of Bidjana), Rio, Chay Ngenge and Kibens. The succes of their vocals on Papito during the Zenith-concert were so big  that they decided to record a remix-version of Papito to present the new Wenge BCBG-team. Nobody replaced Alain Makaba, only Blaise Bula was replaced with Kibens. But it was already planned that Rio, Chai and Kibens would become members of the first team one day when Blaise Bula was still around. Werrason was just lucky that he had a good team, there isn't a band in Clan Wenge that had bandmembers who had the same succes Bill, Ferre, Lacoste, Mabiala, etc. had. Marie Paul used to diss Werrason always about being lucky to have a good team. If JB Mpiana was like Werrason, then he could have quickly created already a dream-team with Armand Ngolo (RIP), Gessan Sakoko, Dolin Masengi, Djo Lockis, Didi Kalombo and Teka Diobanza in 2000. But JB Mpiana wanted Rio Kazadi, Chay Ngenge and Kibens to sement their positions in Wenge BCBG along with those who came from Europe (Richard Mukenda, Jean Didier Loko aka' JDL and Bikou Le Brun) . I'm sure that Wenge Maison Mere could have problems to have show their supermacy with their band if JB Mpiana decided to promote Armand Ngolo, Gessan, Djo Lockis and Dolin quickly.




The attention that people were paying to Koffi Olomide in 2002 was the same like that of 1995. Koffi Olomide was never that popular like JB Mpiana and Werrason in Kinshasa. It was just that Koffi's polemic against JB Mpiana started a little bit to kill the Werra-JB beef. Even Werrason wasn't happy with that and started to argue about that in private. With the people saying to him that Koffi was talking bad about him in private and not liking the way Werra, JB and Clan Wenge were controlling Kinshasa. JB Mpiana had still the same succes after Titina's departure. He set a record-attendence at Stade des Martyrs after Bercy. The problem is that JB Mpiana didn't release an album in 2002 while since 1995, Congolese artists were releasing albums every year. So being accept for one year or 2 could affect your career. He planned to release Chemin de Fer and Anti Terro (which was then called Anti Terroriste) at the end of 2002, but them not getting visa's made him postponed the release of both albums to 2003. Also JB Mpiana didn't start his Europe-tour of 2002 with a big concert and didn't had a event that could counter Werra's Double Zenith, He could have been the first African artist to perform at Palais des Congres of Paris, but he wasn't happy with the money of concert-promoter Felix Petit, so the event got cancelled.

Little bit off topic from this. But man congolese are not productive. I can't Imagine seeing 2 congolese albums released in the same month nowadays. I just can't believe how the genre has gone downhill to be honest.

Back in the years 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, etc. you would see 5,6 or 7 albums being released in the months november and december.