Thinking back about it, JB Mpiana made a great decision of not taking Samba Playa as headquarter of Wenge BCBG upon their return from Europe. It would have created a huge backlash against him, since that Wenge Maison Mère was using it as headquarter since Wenge's split. Back in the days during the WMM vs Wenge BCBG, WMM-fans used to claim that Maison Mere was the real Wenge, because them rehearsing at La Samba Playa, which became Wenge's headquarter from 1995-96.
What became of Monte Cristo? Such stories and mysteries only seem to happen in Africa. I've never heard of anything like that happening to white people active in music. I had heard his name several times in songs.
I had finally the time to watch the interview. Hearing Japonais calling Burkina Faso old (mukoooolo) and saying that he used to play with his older brother, made me wonder if he isn’t older than JB Mpiana and Werrason. I followed a few interviews of Burkina Faso, where he explained that he used to do first-part’s of Victoria Eleison in the 1980s and being coached by rhythm guitarist Tofla Kitoko, him being part of Malembe Chante’s Select Musica and him joining Choc Stars in the late 1980s. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s of 1964 or 1965, because Japonais himself is from 1968
Not that I want to call Japonais a liar, but his version of the trip to South Africa is completely different from those given in interviews since 2004 by others such as Baby Ndombe, Jus d’Eté Mulopwe, Mimiche, Celeo, etc.. Most of them said that it was during that trip that the idea for Les Marquis started, not Tonya Tonya. Regarding the trip, I remember Adolphe Dominguez mentioning two or three times in interviews, right after he left Wenge Maison Mère, that Werrason had abandoned him in Europe and went to South Africa alone with Maison Mère for the Kora Awards and a series of shows. So how could he have tried to create Tonya Tonya there if he wasn’t even present? It was also from there the rumors of Maison Mère’s split started because Lacoste, Mabiala, Adjani and Burkina Faso also staying in Europe, being afraid about the trip to South Africa, being a trick to get them back to Kinshasa, since that their visa of Schengen was about to expire.
According to Baby Ndombe’s interview with Djo K (2004) and a few years later Marc Tabu (2007), it was also one of the reasons why the conflict of those who went to South Africa with Werrason started. Because Werrason was offered a contract to perform in Zimbabwe, while the visa for Schengen was about to expire within 3 or 4 days, when they were in South Africa and them being afraid that the process to demand visa’s again for Europe wouldn’t work and/or them getting stuck in Africa, while they had left money, cars and gifts in Europe, which why Ferre asked for his passeport to Baby Ndombe to return back and the remaining musicians doing the same thing. Already before that there was a conflict about Werrason being mad for the guys not showing up at a plack-show, him being on his own with Kakol and the dancers, since they had already accepted a contract of a play-back show with Extra Musica. This led to Werrason insulting them and especially Baby Ndombe (and his mothers) with people reporting it to the guys, which made them really mad already not happy about payments and talks about starting an own group “Les Marquis”. Even before that, there were already been tensions in South Africa, after that Werrason got angry at the musicians for not showing up to a playback show, leaving him with only Kakol and the dancers. The others had accepted a separate contract for a playback show with Extra Musica. Werrason ended up insulting them, especially Baby Ndombe and even his mother, which was reported back to the group. This made them only angrier, as they were already frustrated about payment issues and had begun talking about starting their own group, Les Marquis. So was Japonais trying to impress the public and the journalist or did he confuse it with another African trips before Bercy? I wonder how Adolphe Dominguez is thinking about it.
Another thing is Solola Bien. Was Japonais ashamed to admit that he didn’t play lead, but only mi-solo, bass, and rhythm? Or did he actually play lead, with Flamme taking over in the second part of the générique? It’s just that Flamme became a brother in Christ otherwise he might have responded to this claim. To be honest, I think the entire générique was played by Flamme. If Japonais had played it, he would likely perform it often in interviews, just like he does with Rapide, especially considering Solola Bien is Maison Mère’s most famous générique. Flamme himself said in an old interview that Solola Bien was the générique that finally earned him respect as a lead guitarist. I don’t believe that Werrason would have mentioned Flamme as “soliste de l’univers” if he hadn’t played Solola Bien. At FIKIN 2000, when Flamme, Japonais and Burkina Faso were presented. Flamme played a part of Solola Bien, while Japonais played Intervention Rapide and Ndombolo.
I wonder if the collaboration will work, because Koffi has lost all the remaining credibility after the cancellation of Hypprodrome. I am curious where they all planning the event. Adidas Arena, Bercy or just again U-Arena ? However, I think that it's better for Koffi to dissapear for at least 1 or 2 yars and take a break before planning another event in Paris. I believe he would even have difficulties by selling tickets for Olynpia or Zenith right now, because of people wondering if it won't be cancelled again.
I can't find the video anymore on tiktok. But there's a guy who made a video, explaining that performing at Stade de France being very expensive and many top artists who performed there, not gaining big money, but just doing it for prestige and alot of people saying in the comments that Fally would do the sametime like U-Arena, by planning a performance at Hippodrome, because of the place being cheaper and the ability to bring the capacity to 100.000 or 120.000, while at Stade de France, 80.0000 being the max (360 when using u configuration). But it are just rumors.
Viva la Musica members weren’t upset about Le Quatro at the time, because Papa Wemba had already been performing with them in concerts in the past. It wasn’t as if he was putting his career with Viva la Musica aside like he did with Nouvelle Écriture or Molokai.
However, many were upset when Papa Wemba brought Nouvelle Écriture to Europe for a tour. The first concert planned for Nouvelle Écriture was supposed to be a fara-fara between Viva la Musica and Nouvelle Écriture. But the members of Viva la Musica refused to share the stage with Nouvelle Écriture. As a result, Papa Wemba decided to turn it into a Viva la Musica concert instead, simply inviting Bendoson, Pompom Miyake, the dancers, and Meiway as guests. This made the concert promoter, furious who lost a lot of money due to people not showing up anymore because of the changes. The situation escalated into a confrontation between him and Papa Wemba after the concert with Papa Wemba ending up by headbutted the promoter. Months laterthere was a lawsuit. The concert promoter won and Wemba was ordered to pay him damages.
Due to the Nouvelle Écriture tour in 1998, there was a long period of inactivity for the Viva la Musica members, which frustrated them. Papa Wemba tried to calm them down by organizing some joint concerts with both groups, but the frustration remained. Eventually, a group of about 12 musicians decided to leave Viva la Musica. The news was confirmed by Stino’s wife, who was on a trip to Kinshasa at the time.
From 14:21 min the video, Amazon and Papa Wemba share their thoughts about the musicians' departure, saying they weren’t fully aware of what had happened, only that Stino and Gloria had left.However, all the musicians returned shortly afterwards, probably due to the contract of Zenith.
Papa Wemba had a child with Pepe Felly’s sister, which created a personal connection between the two. After 1990, Pepe Felly Manuaku disappeared from the Congolese music scene after deciding to remain in Europe, following a tour with Grand Zaiko Wawa. He was often mocked for being the first bandleader to “run away” in Europe. He even abadoned music for a moment. For these reasons, Papa Wemba decided to invite him to participate on the Pole Position album, where he played lead guitar on a few tracks. Because for Wemba, such talented guitarist couldn't stop with music like that.
Evoloko didn’t take sides in the conflict between Famille Dei and Nkolo Mboka, as he had his own band, Langa Langa Stars. If I remember correctly, that band also disbanded around the same time. Evoloko had abandoned the group in Kinshasa following some internal conflicts, after which he settled in Europe and recorded the album Mbongue, after lying to his bandmembers that they would tour soon in Europe, but leaving them behind and their director selling their passeports and multiple people being arrested abroad with their passeports, after trying to get in with drugs. Formers bandmembers like Shora Mukoka, Dick Roi and Coco Anana all talked about it in their interviews with Mbuta Likasu.
Papa Wemba had nothing to do with the split of Zaiko. The tensions simply escalated during preparations for the 18th anniversary event in Nsele, when Wemba said to late Bimi Ombale that he had to play drums, as he originally started in Zaiko as a drummer. Bimi saw this as an insult, and the atmosphere in Zaiko was already tense following their return from a European tour. During that tour, all the band members were unhappy with how Ngossana’s offer to build homes or a private compound for each member got rejected, something they felt would reflect their fame, instead of continuing to rent.
During the concert at the Salle des Congrès in the Palais du Peuple, Papa Wemba created some polemique by asking the late Saak Saakul, who had brought a trophy, whether the prize was for "their Zaiko" or for the Zaiko of “mamé mamé,” a reference to the atalaku's and Zaiko's generation from 1982. Some band members didn’t take this as a joke and saw it as a direct attack.
Because of Zaiko splitting five months later after the 18th anniversary, some people started pointing fingers at Wemba, although he had nothing to do with it. However, those who were supporting Nkolo Mboka said that it was due to Ngossana and huge part of the public also believing it, since that in the same period Mbilia Bel left Tabu Ley, became Ngossana's 3th wife and Tabu Ley attacking him in the song Embouroumouke and accusing him openly for splitting him Zaiko
I don’t know exactly when Mavuela Somo became a Christian artist, but it must have been sometime in the mid-1990s. Like Joly Mubiala, his conversion was reportedly influenced by his wife. I’m not sure if it was the same wife he had when used to live in Gabon (!979-1990), but that wife was said to be related to President Omar Bongo. In Gabon, Mavuela was something like Congo’s cultural ambassador, he would assist Congolese artists when they came to perform and help them resolve if they had problems over there.
In Congo, people had already forget about him since 1977, after the fara-fara of Viva la Musica against Yoka Lokole, where they made the historical mistake to perform Wemba's song Maman Wali, wanting to humilate Wemba but the public booed them instead and later them also being blacklisted due to the song Bana Kin, which recorded the previous year and was seen by the MPR-regime as an attack to Mobutu and MPR-officials.
Mavuela released an album with Papa Wemba in 1990, though many people aren’t aware of it. He also recorded a song with Pepe Kallé, but I don’t know from which album it’s from.
Artists from the Isifi- Langa Langa family are often like that, one day they’re in conflict, and the next day they’re best friends again. I remember Gina Efonge doing an interview with Ado Yuhe back in 2013 or 2014, where he praised all the Zaiko members from 1970–1974 for having studied. But when he was asked about Wemba, he called him a “football coach”.Later in the interview, he mocked Wemba’s singing voice and Zaiko’s songs by imitating him, while praising himself for having brought rumba into Zaiko when he joined in 1971.
No musician had been contacted yet because there no contract signed yet. There not alot meetings between Wemba and Emeneya, since that they re-started beefing in 2000. The last meeting between Wemba and Emeneya in 2002 had ended in Emeneya being mad after Wemba revealing something to him that made him extremely angry. I’m not sure if that happened in their previous meeting or the most last, but afterward, Emeneya told to his staff that the album would never happen.
If Adolphe started his own band straight away, he would dissapear like Kofi Alibaba. Adolphe himself wanted to join Wenge BCBG but Makaba didn't want him. At the same time, when Wenge 4x4 split, nobody believed in Wenge Maison Mère including the leaders (Masela, Werrason and Adolphe) themselves. Masela and Werrason did everything to lure Adolphe, by pointing him as president, in order to have some kind of balance in front of Blaise, JB and Makaba (in terms of leaders). But it was just Werrason who was taking most decisions and Adolphe being removed as president, after pressure of influent fans and donors, who said that he couldn't be president, while the war was about JB vs Werra. Adolphe then became financial director, but still hadn't control.
Who is Kofi Alibaba? And tbh Wenge Tonya Tomya other than having good music had also some members like Lacoste and Diego who would later become Maison Mere members so why did Adolphe not replicate in the long run the sane success of Werra?
Lacoste was first in Wenge Maison Mere before joining Wenge Tonya Tonya to rejoin Wenge Maison Mère again.
Adolphe didn't replicate the same succes as Werra, because their Europe-tour went wrong, many depatures taking place, them losing upon their return alot of credibility after their Olympia-tour, a war going on within their staff and journalists that were working for them (and big part deciding to return to Maison Mère or join other bands) and Lacoste's departure as well.
yeah and one thing which did not help adolphe when leaving to create tonya tonya,he invested a lot of money already via donors in maison mere,and even some money ma guyguy was saving,it could be one of the reasons why like adricha says adolphe still holds grudge against werra for the sacrifices he made and werra benefiting alone when things started going well,and 10 times more when he fully became the only leader
But why not waiting and trying to influence the Donors to create his own group? And why not staying with JB? Because I remember that JB since the beginning he was extremely respectful not only of his co leaders but also of people with a lesser role like Chef D'Orchestre etc. For example Kibens, JDL, Rio must be getting money some leaders don't even dream of just as Chief roles same for RIP Seguin, while with Werra I think Kakol gets money yes but never directly he is either getting g them through bullying people under him and kuluna tactics with that said I think Adolphe was still in the wrong because tbh the only Congolese group I remember where the leader wanted everybody to shine was the Franco group, for the rest you could have worked for 10 years to a group togheter but the moment the other guy see an opening to complete leadership he will take it for Example, Fabregas amd Ibrator, RogaRoga and the many many Extra Musica Co Founders, Ramatoulaye, Espe Bass included, Werra and Adolphe, and so on.
Adolphe was in conflict with JB when Wenge split, they were good friends until their last tour. Adolphe sided with Masela, Werrason and Christian Mwepu (who was mad not have to return the money he received to record a song for the Wenge album they were suposed to record), them forming "Ba Japonais". JB Mpiana and Blaise Bula forming "Bana Mindele" and them later being joined by Makaba. There were many confrontations and incidents, Adolphe often disrespecting JB in public or showing his clothes in front of him or JB ordering the musicians not performing the songs where he has vocals in, when performing in his neighboorhood, sending Calugi to disrespect Adolphe, etc. That's also the reason why JB was avoiding him, when Adolphe visited Blaise Bula either to join Wenge BCBG or ask them to reconcile and Alain Makaba saying a direct "No" towards Adolphe.
Even if Adolphe would influence donors, nobody would take him serious. Even the donors themselves wouldn't throw their money away in 1997 differently towards 2000, when he grew in popularity because of Maison Mère succes and his songs Mission Impossible & Papson. Only JB Mpiana and Werrason had the power to go solo in 1997, because they had some dimension in popularity that other bandmembers of Wenge 4x4 didn't have. When Wenge split, many just said Werra na JB bakabwani.
I once saw a clip of Madilu System live concert on Youtube where his dancers were dancing with their breastsessss :-) out. must have been in the 90s or early 2000s. I wonder if he caught any heat for that.
I once saw a clip of Madilu System live concert on Youtube where his dancers were dancing with their breastsessss :-) out. must have been in the 90s or early 2000s. I wonder if he caught any heat for that.
He didn't really receive backlash for it. I guess his reputation as a former OK Jazz singer protected him. At the same time, many people didn't have internet access, so a lot who hadn't seen the cassette weren't aware of it or thought it was just a crazy rumor. I remember seeing an article praising Madilu for defending Congolese culture in Equatorial Guinea and downplaying the incident with the dancers as something minor. But I also saw another article questioning how Madilu could allow his dancers to do something like that.
If Adolphe started his own band straight away, he would dissapear like Kofi Alibaba. Adolphe himself wanted to join Wenge BCBG but Makaba didn't want him. At the same time, when Wenge 4x4 split, nobody believed in Wenge Maison Mère including the leaders (Masela, Werrason and Adolphe) themselves. Masela and Werrason did everything to lure Adolphe, by pointing him as president, in order to have some kind of balance in front of Blaise, JB and Makaba (in terms of leaders). But it was just Werrason who was taking most decisions and Adolphe being removed as president, after pressure of influent fans and donors, who said that he couldn't be president, while the war was about JB vs Werra. Adolphe then became financial director, but still hadn't control.
It’s a shame that, in response to Le Quatro, that Nyoka Longo never made an album with Bimi Ombale, Likinga, and Lengi Lenga to revive the old glory of Zaiko (1974–1981) and the later Tokangi Robinet and Zekete Zekete era (1981–1984). The 4 (Nyoka-Bimi-Lengos-Likinga) had also their own nickname, but I forgot it.
But the grudge from the Famille Dei split was probably still there. This is also evident in the fact that Nyoka Longo refused to allow Lengi Lenga to rejoin Zaiko until his passing in 1998. Bimi Ombale wouldn’t have been part of it anyway, as he had converted to Christianity in 1993. But he could be replaced by Dindo Yogo. Is it true that Likinga didn’t like Nyoka Longo and vice versa?
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