This cassette brought my memories of 2004 back.
The extracts that Do Akongo sung from 2000 to 2005 made it look like his album was a banger. It's a shame that it never got released. It was funny to see Ngadiadia being mad for Eboa Lotin not crediting Vita Imana for letting people around the world discover him in Do Akongo's band, because of saying that he came from nowhere and just straight joined Werrason's band. However, today Eboa always credits Do Akongo. Here Eboa Lotin says that Ferre Gola called him to join Les Marquis. Was that story true or just a way to put Les Marquis on a bad light ? I remember Eboa once saying that he met Bill Clinton somewhere in Paris and that they ignored each other or that he had to escape from him, something like that. What was the reason that Werrason sended Eboa Lotin to Paris ? Was he afraid that Quartier Latin or Wenge BCBG could steal him ?
I remember people mad about Bozi using one of Mobutu's propaganda song for his générique of Bana Congo. But nobody said something when Koffi did the same on Skol Mandranda and Skol Longitima.
What was the problem Rombaut Tunani had with Koffi Olomidé. Because he kept going hard on Koffi for years. He at some point bought the jaguar Koffi showed in Génération Bercy to let it become a random taxi in Kinshasa. Koffi had enough of him and became close to late Dakumuda to use him to finish Rombaut, since that he wasn't on his level. When Rombaut's impact was finished, he promised Dakumuda as reward a duet song on Monde Arabe, like the way he sung Efferevscent with Fally Ipupa. But Koffi ended up by removing all lines Dakumuda did on Pomme Verte by replacing it with his own voice and only leaving the vocal Dakumuda left towards the end with those Quartier Latin-singers did. People used to say that Koffi just humilated Dakumuda by letting him do vocal like a QL-member while he was a bandleader.
They way Marie Paul attacked Koffi in the previous volume, from which they showed the extract in this cassette, would make you think that Koffi would never speak Marie Paul again, only to become his buddies when Marie Paul returned back to Kinshasa a few months later. Jipson doesn't have a voice to diss artists. Koffi should have sended Jordan Kusa or Fally Ipupa to respond Marie Paul. I don't know if Marie Paul sended Celezino to respond or if he came out from himself like he would do in the volumes that came later. But he was really rude by the way he insulted Koffi. I wonder if how he got educated by his parents. Because I had never seen artist insulting someone did like the way Celezino did here. Was Celezino aiming to sing the song Bitumba ya ba Baba of his friend Pitshou Santiago in Les Marquis' album Miracle ? Or was it a song that they were preparing in Wenge El Paris ? Pitshou ended up by putting in the song in Viva Tendance's album Nkuzi Lele.
What Ndjibu de Nazareth said towards the end about Congolese artists not doing their work anymore well, was something many people used to say. Despite Anti Terro, Et Apres and Intifada coming out, many said that Congolese music was dead. I believe that even if Emeneya would release Avantage Goal Average that year, that people would still say the same. It was a sign that it was time for a new generation to come, like the way Wenge Musica came in 1989-90, Zaiko Langa Langa breakthrough in 1972 and Thu-Zahina in 1968. But the Congolese music industry didn't exist anymore. So there was no chance for a new generation to get born.
Esau was a great song. It’s not for nothing that it took silver during the ACMCO referendum of 2004 as 2th best song of the year behind Amanda Duchesse. It looks like JB was really tired of the JB vs Werra war, for the way he was talking about it different interviews of 2004. JB Mpiana here said that there was no war between him and JB and that it just to make both of them big. Jb Mpiana was cool by considering Ferre Gola and Alain Mpela, Werrason never did that at that time. However, I don’t agree what JB Mpiana said about him and Werrason making people not focus on the war but on them. It’s because of them that people from other African countries start that negative stereotype of Congolese just people that dance while a small country like Rwanda being able to take control of big parts of Congo. How many people weren’t mocked by their Ivorian, Senegalese and Malian co-wokers at work for the situation in Eatern Congo. It’s sad that JB Mpiana, Werrason, Koffi Olomidé and Papa Wemba never talked about it for just 1 or 2 minutes in interviews or concerts or just took the opportunity to create awareness, ask for solidarity. Between 1998 till 2003 when the peace of Sun City came, more than 6 millions people lost their lives, but at the same time it was also the era that Congolese music entered the mythic halls of Paris and most people in both Europe and Kinshasa being focused on that. That were one of the reasons why activists decided to come with the idea to block music in Europe, because in their opinion Congolese artists were there to distract the population along with pentecostal churches instead of creating awareness or showing solidarity with what the people were going through in Eastern Congo.
Emeneya was a real patriot. Here with Zacharie Bababaswe they showed solidarity with the students who started a demonstration in Kinshasa to show solidarity with the people living in Bukavu, who were in danger after Laurent Nkunda and his guys tried to occupy the city in 2004. Most artists just stayed quiet.
Late Gordon Masiala used to talk sometimes a bit like Titina Al Capone. Is it because of them Bayombé hahaha ?
BCBG-fans went hard on Alain Mpela for the song he dedicated to Didi Kinuani. They went hard on King Kester Emeneya as well for performing on the wedding of Didi Kinuani with Amida Shatur, saying that it was a tribalistic complot of people from Bandundu against JB Mpiana. If there was youtube and tiktok at that time, it would have been full with videos. At that time BCBG-fans were still going strong, it looks like they never had an update with fans like Wenge Maison Mère and when elders started to become responsible not having youngsters to replace them and also a part becoming sister or brother in christ. The remaining part being disappointed their band wasn’t competing anymore like in past and still Kibens, JDL, late Seguin and co (aka ba Mikuli) just deciding to become neutral fans or joining other bands as fans. Btw, Vital Kamerhe isn't longer the head of the parliament anymore. Will she return to JB Mpiana ?
Here Alain Mpela said that Mortel Combat being the first album to get recorded in London and that they would get managed by Aime Salo, who was also close to JB Mpiana. But why didn't happen it anymore ? Did Aimé get angry calls from BCBG fans and donors or JB Mpiana himself ? Or were Moovison's conditions better ?
I didn't pay the attention to the conflict of Zacharie Bababaswe against Popol Mukelenge. I thought that it started in 2007 after Popol interviewed late Philomon Ndombele.
It seems that the story Adolphe said about him beating Marie Paul being true. Because I remember once in Belgium a man, who used to be close to the Wenge’s guys that they fought in Gallerie d’Ixelles (Matonge) just before Wenge 4x4 returned to Kinshasa. The reaction of Adolphe to Popol saying that Marie Paul had bought a red audi in Kinshasa was valid, because 2 years ago producer Abeto Center said that he gave his audi to Marie Paul when he started to produce him for different concerts in Kinshasa. However, Marie Paul later ended up by paying a audi tt, Etienne Mundele gave him for the song that was dedicated to him in the KO Debout album. The same money created also problems, Pitshou Santiago wasn’t happy for not receiving alot of money while they went both to his house to get it and it created a fight between the two. Later on Marie Paul, went to share a part of people close to him and also went to party. But it made Hassan Tsheke who was like his spiritual advisor mad, because he considered that he had a right on a part of the money, since that he considered him as the person who brought him towards Etienne Mundele. Marie Paul explaining to him that he finished all the money, made the conflict between the two start.
Koffi Olomidé's album Monde Arabe was the most awaited album of 2004. But there was a moment that people started doubting if it would ever come out, because of the problems he had with the justice, him being sued by Assitou Mbo and B52 Balondo, who are talking in this video. Also the problem with the dancers Chouchou and Laura who sued him also well, the problem with the press because of what happened with journalist Marc Tabu, who got beaten up. There were also rumors of Koffi wanted to sell all his cars and houses in Kinshasa to go on exil in Europe. But Koffi ended up by returning and proving everybody wrong. Monde Arabe itself took some time to get accepted. It is crazy how peope today dance Heros National and now the génerique being as a classic, while back in days it was seen as a flop. It was also funny how people thought that the song Musulman and Bye Bye were main songs, only to discover the bangers Eputsha, Pomme Verte, Embargo, Aubergine and Aliya. When the album came out people also quickly forgot about the polemic of Loa Muana between Koffi for the song Silivi. At that time, Lola Muana claiming that he gave Koffi the song Silivi. The song itself created alot of polemique, people claiming that Koffi was singing about Amida and mocking JB Mpiana.
