Bobi Wine and Jose Chameleone might harbour irreconcilable differences when it comes to their political stands, but there is still a lot that binds the two revered singers together. And one of those things is the talent which propelled them from their hustle riddled past to stardom – music.
This manifested itself on Thursday when in a rare occasion, the two foes-turned-friends performed alongside each other on the same stage, an occurrence that last happened many years ago.
Revelers who attended the weekly comedy themed night, Comedy Store hosted by Alex Muhangi in Lugogo were taken by surprise watching Chameleone and Bobi groove side by side and share a light moment.
As advertised by the event organizers, Bobi Wine headlined the show which usually lines up popular comedians and a singer. The night’s acts included comic duos; Madrat and Chiko, as well as Snake and Zolo whose jokery left the audience with teary eyes.
A few minutes to midnight, the host, Alex Muhangi ushered the singer-cum-politician on the stage amid a standing ovation. Little surprise, perhaps, for one of Uganda’s pioneering artistes (Bobi) who is also currently considered the most popular Member of Parliament.
Dressed casually in a grey coloured jacket, black denims and boots, Bobi Wine opened with his 2017 single, ‘Bikwase Kyagulanyi’. He then performed his ‘Aidah’ duet with Nubian Lee and later ‘Specioza’. Typical of his most recent musical performances, the singer occasionally rephrased his lyrics with lines laced with political sentiments.
One of such was a verse in his ‘Specioza’ love themed song where which he used to narrate the events from the dramatic attack on Parliament where he and other MPs brawled with security operatives.
His fans tipped him generously throughout the performance, to a point where he could nolonger receive the money by himself.
But it was at the tail end of his 30 minute act that the show took a twist. The host randomly announced Jose Chameleone’s presence and asked him to join Bobi on stage. The deafening reaction from the audience was telling of excitement and surprise.
Chameleone took to the stage and entertained the upstanding crowd with his latest hit ‘Champion’ and later ‘Gimme’. He then exchanged a firm shoulder tap with the ‘Ghetto President’ as the two happily savoured the moment.
“It’s always good to have you here with me my brother,” Bobi said to his once sworn rival.
“It means a lot to the next generation. They know that if we do it by love, the next generation is gonna do it by love,” the singer added.
Then in the midst of the moment, comedian Patrick Salvado who together with Muhangi, Madrat and Chiko, and some other Fire Base artistes were on the stage, dared the two music stars to a freestyle rap. The 15 minutes that followed were nothing short of lyrical spitting, a few lines of which made sense.
But the audience seemed to care less. All that mattered to them was – Jose Chameleone and Bobi Wine were singing on one stage.
Photos by Nelly Salvatore