CHAMELEONE DOWN, BUT NOT OUT!

January 11, 2025 - 06:53 AM

Ugandan musician Joseph Mayanja, known by his stage name Jose Chameleone, was flown to the USA last week for further treatment. He had been rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The musical sensation, with over 13 albums in a career spanning two decades, had been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, a condition often caused by excessive alcoholism. His health has deteriorated significantly in recent months.

Guests, including the country's president Yoweri Museveni, fellow musicians, and celebrities, had been visiting the Kampala hospital to express their solidarity with the ailing icon. The state catered for his flight abroad, recognizing his monumental status in the country’s music scene.

This comes amid allegations that a USA-based singer, who is his long-time friend, Juliet Zawadi, was funding the trip and covering the medical expenses. "He is a national treasure, and the state must cater for his treatment," one fan responded to these allegations.

It remains unclear whether President Museveni's concern for the singer is inspired by his status as a national music icon or if it serves as an indirect message of displeasure with Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, aka Bobi Wine, the Kyadondo East Member of Parliament who has since become a vocal critic of the Museveni administration. Last week, Bobi Wine’s criticism reportedly provoked the military chief, Gen Kainerubaga Muhoozi, to issue threats against him.

Jose Chameleone began his music career in 1998 with a Nairobi-based record company, Ogopa DJs. It was here that he released his debut single, "Bageya," followed by "Mama Mia," which became an instant hit in Nairobi. He went on to release several other tracks that enjoyed considerable airplay.

Chameleone’s biggest asset is his hoarse, scratchy voice, which might easily be dismissed as unmusical, but when put to good use, it captivates listeners. In the mid-1990s, reggae muffins—a subgenre of reggae, influenced by dancehall—became wildly popular across the world, with Jamaican musicians like Shabba Ranks, Yellowman, and Charlie Chaplin performing in Africa and spreading the style. While several African musicians tried to adopt the genre with measured success, Chameleone’s version worked perfectly. He detached the explicit themes typical of Shabba Ranks’ music and infused his songs with captivating storytelling, evident in hits like "Mama Mia," where he sings about a nasty divorce, and "Jamila," about a woman abandoned by her husband.

Ironically, the theme of separation, which pervades his songs, became his own reality when his wife, Daniella Atim, with whom he has five children, left him and moved to the USA. Daniella later created a YouTube channel, where she launched an attack on her ex-husband, accusing him of excessive alcoholism, which she claimed made him negligent towards their family.

This bitter separation resurfaced when Chameleone’s son recorded a video and posted it online, attempting to absolve his mother from the accusations. The son blamed the promoters who continued to book his father for performances despite his failing health. He also accused his father of being more loyal to his drinking habits than to his family. “I have four siblings, and my father needs to be alive to care for us. But my father has refused to slow down his drinking habit,” ABBA, the singer’s son, lambasted.

Fans back home are eagerly anticipating the superstar’s return to the stage.

By Jerome Ogola

Jabulani Radio Livestream


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