Dorotia!
A hit, home-made in his Leon Island Studios, Jose Chameleon is<br>minting big bucks
A hit, home-made in his Leon Island Studios, Jose Chameleon is
minting big bucks, writes Joseph Batte
As the curtain slowly draws on the year 2002, suddenly the airwaves are abuzz with music. Many local artists in the country are squeezing their creative juice dry as if they are afraid they might not live to see 2003!
The results of these last-gasp efforts are one album after another being dropped in our already full laps.
Jose Chameleon’s creative juices have not run dry. Wasn’t it just yesterday when he caused a stir with Njo Karibu, that hot follow up to Maama Mia?
And now, before the rough waters could calm down, see what he does. The airwaves have of recent been on heat with the high-tech bounce track Dorotia, his latest outing which was released last Monday by Kasiwukira Production House.
With Dorotia, Chameleon has accomplished a lot. He has taken us to another level of consciousness, where the feeling is again absolutely happy-clappy. It is like a good cup of instant coffee that makes the world seem a better place to live in. It gets you going in the morning and mellows you after a hearty meal.
His hard work and perseverance has kept him rising through the ranks, while his continued dedication to perfecting his talent has no doubt made him a regional superstar.
Dorotia is head-nodding rhythm that effortlessly veers closer to Ogopa trademark, beats made up of bouncy Kenyan Benga, as only they know how to craft. The same style powers Boogera, Nekolera Mali, Abalongo Kamuleke, his earlier works. he also sets about fusing Kenyan Benga beats with other worldly sensibilities. His other seductive weapon is keeping it simple and ear-friendly, bumping and bassy.
But another hot goody worth checking out is Ndio Wewe, a seductive duet with Halima Namakula, the queen of turning childish lullabies into instant hits.
It is a song laced with gripping lyrics of joy and confidence in the game of love, takes listeners from the first blush to the final blow of a relationship.
This track is a potent lover’s anthem that has kept the public wondering whether the two singers are was not dabbling in a lusty love game!
However, while such hits such as Dorotia have assured Chameleon stays top of the game, in equal measure he has found out that constantly staying in the glare of the spotlight has a heavy price attached to it. He has courted trouble, with rivalry from musicians like Bebe Cool and Bobby Wine.
Surprisingly, the row between him and his former musical pals not to trouble the skinny young man with a big voice. He remained resilient and ironically has made everything all work in his favour. He bounced back with refueled energies. At press time, Dorotia had become a certified hit.
However, this time around, Chameleon did not did not have to hop on an Akamba bus to Nairobi to have his grooves crafted by Ogopa DJs. Dorotia was single-mindedly created at his home studio and showcases him as a city boy with a big talent and bigger dreams.
“Since I have long experience of working in the studio and have some ideas on music, I discovered I could produce. So I decided to work on this album alone at my Leon Island Studio, which I set up at home. I asked myself that what if I woke one morning and the Ogopa Djs were no more? Would that mean the end of Chameleon? Besides, they are now very busy.â€
Chameleon adds that he has been singing in Kiswahili intentionallybecause he wanted to erase the fear Ugandans have towards it. They say Kiswahili is a language that raises the ghosts of the past, of the bad Idi Amin and Obote II period — a language of torture that has been forced down their throats. That perhaps explains why we are still an isolated island, yet in Kenya and Tanzania Kiswahili is the language of communication.
“I decided to sing in Luganda in Dorotia because my fans have been yearning to hear me sing in Luganda. Some even thought I could not sing in Luganda at all. This is to prove I’m still a Ugandan and a Muganda, though I have been singing Swahili,†says Chameleon before he zooms off in his convertible, a toothy smile firmly plastered on his face.
Love or hate him, or chop off his short dreadlocks, the world still belongs to Chameleon. At least for now. And why shouldn’t it? With Dorotia he is smiling all the way to the bank.
minting big bucks, writes Joseph Batte
As the curtain slowly draws on the year 2002, suddenly the airwaves are abuzz with music. Many local artists in the country are squeezing their creative juice dry as if they are afraid they might not live to see 2003!
The results of these last-gasp efforts are one album after another being dropped in our already full laps.
Jose Chameleon’s creative juices have not run dry. Wasn’t it just yesterday when he caused a stir with Njo Karibu, that hot follow up to Maama Mia?
And now, before the rough waters could calm down, see what he does. The airwaves have of recent been on heat with the high-tech bounce track Dorotia, his latest outing which was released last Monday by Kasiwukira Production House.
With Dorotia, Chameleon has accomplished a lot. He has taken us to another level of consciousness, where the feeling is again absolutely happy-clappy. It is like a good cup of instant coffee that makes the world seem a better place to live in. It gets you going in the morning and mellows you after a hearty meal.
His hard work and perseverance has kept him rising through the ranks, while his continued dedication to perfecting his talent has no doubt made him a regional superstar.
Dorotia is head-nodding rhythm that effortlessly veers closer to Ogopa trademark, beats made up of bouncy Kenyan Benga, as only they know how to craft. The same style powers Boogera, Nekolera Mali, Abalongo Kamuleke, his earlier works. he also sets about fusing Kenyan Benga beats with other worldly sensibilities. His other seductive weapon is keeping it simple and ear-friendly, bumping and bassy.
But another hot goody worth checking out is Ndio Wewe, a seductive duet with Halima Namakula, the queen of turning childish lullabies into instant hits.
It is a song laced with gripping lyrics of joy and confidence in the game of love, takes listeners from the first blush to the final blow of a relationship.
This track is a potent lover’s anthem that has kept the public wondering whether the two singers are was not dabbling in a lusty love game!
However, while such hits such as Dorotia have assured Chameleon stays top of the game, in equal measure he has found out that constantly staying in the glare of the spotlight has a heavy price attached to it. He has courted trouble, with rivalry from musicians like Bebe Cool and Bobby Wine.
Surprisingly, the row between him and his former musical pals not to trouble the skinny young man with a big voice. He remained resilient and ironically has made everything all work in his favour. He bounced back with refueled energies. At press time, Dorotia had become a certified hit.
However, this time around, Chameleon did not did not have to hop on an Akamba bus to Nairobi to have his grooves crafted by Ogopa DJs. Dorotia was single-mindedly created at his home studio and showcases him as a city boy with a big talent and bigger dreams.
“Since I have long experience of working in the studio and have some ideas on music, I discovered I could produce. So I decided to work on this album alone at my Leon Island Studio, which I set up at home. I asked myself that what if I woke one morning and the Ogopa Djs were no more? Would that mean the end of Chameleon? Besides, they are now very busy.â€
Chameleon adds that he has been singing in Kiswahili intentionallybecause he wanted to erase the fear Ugandans have towards it. They say Kiswahili is a language that raises the ghosts of the past, of the bad Idi Amin and Obote II period — a language of torture that has been forced down their throats. That perhaps explains why we are still an isolated island, yet in Kenya and Tanzania Kiswahili is the language of communication.
“I decided to sing in Luganda in Dorotia because my fans have been yearning to hear me sing in Luganda. Some even thought I could not sing in Luganda at all. This is to prove I’m still a Ugandan and a Muganda, though I have been singing Swahili,†says Chameleon before he zooms off in his convertible, a toothy smile firmly plastered on his face.
Love or hate him, or chop off his short dreadlocks, the world still belongs to Chameleon. At least for now. And why shouldn’t it? With Dorotia he is smiling all the way to the bank.