1)I think Alvarito just has to go back to Fally
2)How did Bouro Mpela fail to make it as a solo artist,he had so so much impact in Quatier latin to be at Fally,Ferre etc level right now What did he do wrong?

he lost a lot of time due to his accident and recovery then returned to his career for selfie tour with koffi and then now did his album he is about to release
 alvarito tried to return but fally is reluctant you know fally and his logic of  mafia,people rarely return around him once they leave eveen with a minor fallout

1)I think Alvarito just has to go back to Fally
2)How did Bouro Mpela fail to make it as a solo artist,he had so so much impact in Quatier latin to be at Fally,Ferre etc level right now What did he do wrong?

He put him miself in discredit when he returned to Quartier Latin for the second time in 2006 while Alain Mpela was waiting to return to Kinshasa to promote Mortel Combat with him. Everybody had then something like this guy isn't serious. I remember also his own parents being very angry about his return to Quartier Latin and them cursing him and Koffi. Bouro Mpela didn't even last long and left after 5 months and which made people think like "what want this guy with his life". So he starting preparing Vice de Procedure in Kinshas with his musicians and then went to Europe. David Monsoh had normally to produce that album, but I don't know what went wrong between them. After that he signed to a big record label, but that record received alot of threats from his ex'boss, so they decided to drop him. Which made Duo d'Enfer (Adrien & Papy Mukiadi) record and produce his album. Vice de Procedure flopped very hard when it came out which was also partly due to his image and people being focused on Ferre vs Fally waiting also for Soleil Wanga's album. Shortly after Bouro made a reunion-concert in Paris with some old QL-members like Rolly Mayemba, Kerozene, Junior Kingombe, but the show was so/so.

After that he decided to settle in the US. In the US he made some playback-shows with his brother Alain Mpela in Las Vegas and New York, he also gave some shows with Jordan Kusa. But then he was victim of a big car-accident and almost died with rumors being spread everywhere that he died. It took months for him to recover.



After the breakup with his ex'girlfriend he went back to Kinshasa in 2012 to present his new project Bokoko starting the recording there, giving then extrats of a remix-version of the song Calvaire. After that he went back to Paris to finish the album, he met Binda Bass's ex'girlfriend Leaticia Melody, starting to date her and changed Bokoko in a duo-album with Leaticia. He started to do some interviews here and there and present Leaticia Melody and they went to Congo to record some clips. But the album still didn't got released and Bouro then dissapeard on some point until that he met Koffi Olomide, signing a two years-contract with Koffi. Which included a song of Bouro Mpela in the new Quartier Latin-album. But he left after 7 months or something like, he felt himself humilated the way Koffi slept with his Laeticia Melody and some months later he decided to stay in Kinshasa while Quartier Latin went to Burkina Faso. He was furious because he saw it not as normal that they would perform while Papa Wemba died (Papa Wemba used to be his father in law), then shortly after that he decided to leave and restarted the Bokoko-project.

 maybe the obouo music thing is "bouton systematique" from....,since they always had a bit of ego rivalry even before big groups

I think that the talent we lost in this generation is not bouro mpela but alain mpela ...

Bouro Mpela is the new Bipoli. One thing that you shouldn't do in the Congolese music-scene if you want to become a succesful solo artist is returning to the band that you left. If you don't respect that rule then its finished for you.

For me Bouro Mpela made a big mistake to return to Quartier Latin for the second time back in 2006. Also if I think back to 1999, then I think that Bouro Mpela left Quartier Latin to early. He left it back in 1998 while he was on the rise to become a big star. He was already a big star but he had to confirm himself with a song, like the way Ferre Gola did with Vita Imana, Fally Ipupa with Eternellement,etc. But about to do it with Likombe, but left to form Academia with his friends Likome. I'm sure that he would've boosted him more if he returned with Koffi Olomide to Kinshasa after Zenith and he would have been untouchable. Bouro also little bit messed up by decided to leave Academia and return to Quartier Latin, because it give him the image to not being able to succeed in life without Koffi Olomide. I remember alot of people label him as "aventurie" when decided to return to Quartier Latin. I think that people would look on him differently if he joined Wenge Maison Mere or Wenge BCBG at that time after leaving Academia

maybe the obouo music thing is "bouton systematique" from....,since they always had a bit of ego rivalry even before big groups

Yeah it can be true.

I think that the talent we lost in this generation is not bouro mpela but alain mpela ...

Its a whole list of musicians Serge Mabiala, Adjani, Soleil Wanga, Chamberton, etc.

Thank you guys for the info........thats so sad!! there are people you feel sad to see unsuccessful comparing to the way they shined back there........so from Koffi its just Fally only too bad,Quatier latin was almost n all star group.where is Brigade Sarbati?? I think the best thing he can do now is going back to WMM,be loyal and end his career there like Genta is to BCBG,it will earn him enough respect he is very creative,enegertic plus he has more than enough cries to make Werra's concerts more super.It seems solo is not just for everyone

Never seen this collaboration coming, what happened to Alvarito's record label deal in the U.S.?

@mvulusi96

I felt like Academia really gave him a boost, because the band gained so much popularity that they beat Werrason during the Fara-Fara of 2000 and with Palais des Congres concert that same year. With Bouro Mpela's dance skills being a highlight of the each main concert, something Koffi was missing even though he had Fally Ipupa and Depitcho Savanet.

In my opinion, all they needed was full-time drummer for recording and especially touring since Dju Dju Chet was studio session drummer and then a replacement for rhythm player Mike Evian since he remained in Europe when they returned to Kinshasa. Pitshou Concorde, Beniko, and a lot of those singers were simply recruited as vanity and were meant to thumb their nose at "le Carré Magique".

Then if Bouro Mpela had stayed under those conditions, the songs he could have recorded for Viagra could confirm his success as a successful alumni of Quartier Latin and the album Viagra could have been successful if they released it in the spring of 2001 rather than the fall.

Even if he left after that album, he would have been in a better situation to pursue a solo career than how things played out in reality. But what do you think of my theory, ndeko?

Academia gave him space to release songs on his name and do more vocals, but I felt that could gave done more and didn't show all his talents and also it was like he was always in the shadow of Sam Tshintu. I guess that his fans were also that starting that "songi-songi" about how Sam could dominate him and become the image of the band.

Yeah, Academia arrival in Kinshasa were a huge buzz, but it was also because of people being curious about them since that they didn't see them since 2 years, Academia being Europe-based and their staff based in Binza and the rest of the Ngaliema-area doing some huge promotion in Kinshasa.

The fara-fara of Academia against Werrason on the New Year Eve in Paris was already months after Bouro's departure. The succes that Academia made in Kinshasa was in reality destinated to Koffi Olomide for his shows at Zenith and Olympia, but it was messed up because of the departure of Sam, Modogo, Bouro, Lebou, Pathy etc. and the interview they made in Paris with Zacharie Bababaswe saying that they weren't paid and other stuff which made them get alot of sympathy from people Kinshasa, the majority of the press then also turning against him (a part of them was first closing their eyes when he was disrespecting Wemba and Nyoka Longo because of the succes of Zenith and Olympia) and Koffi Olomide losing all his respect in one second, ending up by performing in a empty Stade des Martyrs and week later also a empty Intercontinental.

Djudju-chet was Academia's full-time drummer, being then paid directly by Secteur A and not by Academia like Mike Evian and Charly Mbonda, but Sam and co were so eager to get a full-time drummer recruited by themselves so they took Tshe Tshe le Balle in Kinshasa who drummed the whole Viagra album by himself (Djudju helping him to tune the drums).

Mike Evian went with Academia to Kinshasa and participated with them to their first concerts (Cinemax, l'Esplanade de Palais du Peuple, then Hotel Invest, Le Palais des Congres de Palais du Peuple,..), but then he left. I don't know what went wrong with Blaise Musika-sika switching from mi-solo to the rhythm-position.

Beniko Popolipo was recruited for his experience and to coach the new recruits Pitshou Concorde, Musika-Sika and those remained in Kinshasa like he used to do in Quartier Latin where Felly Tyson, Lebou Kabuya, Professeur Didace, Rocky Blanchard and Pathy Bass profited alot from his coaching and made a big progress. Remained in Europe to get papers and solve a big problem (Koffi took a ngulu to Europe with his passeport and adviced the guy to marry someone in France with Beniko's passeport to get papers).

Even if Bouro Mpela would have left Academia later, then I don't think that he would succeed as a solo artist. He doesn't have that charisma of a bandleader. I see him more as a guy who shines bands, like we saw Debaba and Carlyto shining in Choc Stars. But we will never now. Back in the days 1998-2006, it was impossible for a young artist to succeed. Savanet Depitcho for example had already a big fanbase in Kinshasa when he used to be the chef d'orchestre of Wenge El Paris and created a big   fanbase in Europe after Olympia, but he failed when he released his first solo album in 2001.

@mvulusi96

In defense of Bouro, Sam Tshintu cast a pretty big shadow because he always asserted himself as leader of the band from the very beginning. He was always front and center in concerts and clips, but success came too quickly and his ego pushed his bandmates ways. Even when they were in Quartier Latin, it was neck and neck in popularity between Sam and Bouro Mpela until Loi because of Mpela was untouchable when it came to dancing ndombolo.


I understand your defense of Beniko, but the rest of the new singers and musicans that joined Academia were excessive. They already had Pathy Bass, so why bother recruiting Clovis Ngouma? He only played on three songs on the album and Pitshou Concorde only played on Tres Fort (the song of Pathy Bass that ironically Pathy doesn't play bass guitar on).

Why did Sam recruit Abilisi of Extra Musica Zangul? He barely had any vocals on the entire album and wasn't even in the album liner notes. If anyone got a boost from Viagra, it was Sukuzi and Eric Menthe. Whatever happened to Tonton Lay? Sam was just recruiting people left and right smh

Why putting everything on Sam ? almost all the 7 leaders wanted extra singers and musicians, especially Somono.

Congolese music in the late 90s/early 2000s wasn't anymore like that of the 50s and 60s having just 2 or 3 singers in the band, having then just to sing for 2/3h max. From the 70s they started to perform for 6/7h long and sometimes even 8h long, hence why bands like TPOK Jazz had alot of singers and instrumentists as reserve because its very exhausting to hold an electric guitar for so long or singing for a long time (being from thenalso able to perform at 3 places in Kinshasa at the same time and the musicians switching from places). That's also one of the reasons why Blaise Bula and JB Mpiana came in Europe during the Titanic-tour to the idea to recruit 4 extra singers if they would return in Kinshasa, because of them being tired after 2/3h. I think that Sam, Modogo, Pathy and co decided to recruit more musicians for the same reasons besides of wanting to prove that they were also a big band like Wenge Maison Mere, Wenge BCBG, Quartier Latin, Nouvelle Ecriture, etc.


 Abilissi was recruited because of Bouro Mpela leaving the band. Abilissi didn't stay long in Academia, he left the band after the two first concert of their second Europe-tour and then tried to rejoin Extra Musica Zangul but was rejected by Roga Roga and Espe Bass.

Clovis Ngouma hadn't a job anymore after leaving Quartier Latin in Europe so he decided to join Academia along with Mustapha Nkori and I think that Pathy Bass was ok with it, because I saw him often in videos being tired at some point, but being forced to play until the end. In Kinshasa he was often taking off his jacket/smoking and blouse, playing then bass in his vest. But with Clovis he was often able to rest and smoke cigaretts in peace. The same for Lebou Kabuya who was giving Pitshou Concorde some space if he wanted to rest, playing mostly lead when Kaddy, Laura and co were about to dance on stage.

People were paying more attention to Tonton Lay (the son of Evoloko Jocker) then Eric Menthe even after Viagra. I think that people would respect him more if he had patience and stayed in Quartier Latin. I tought I would see him in Monde Arabe, but Koffi took Junior Kingombe instead of him.