![How Dorotia brought Clever J closer to Chameleone](/storage/blog_image/celver j_1697443242.png)
Dorotia, actual name Griet
Onsea, was introduced to Chameleone while she was in Nairobi, and the two
traveled to Kampala together.
In Nairobi, where he had
traveled to record a song with the Kenyan hip-hop group Kalamashaka, the
Belgian provided Chameleone with financial help. However, after being duped,
Chameleone became stuck in Nairobi without a way to get back to Kampala.
Clever J claims that Dorotia,
who was paying him roughly Shs50k–60k per month to clean her office, would
eventually urge him to do extra work at home, leading to him becoming a
househelp.
Chameleone and Dorotia were
residing at the time in Muyenya, a quiet neighborhood in Kampala.
No fixed income, he claimed; Dorotia's discretion dictated how much was paid each month.
Chameleone and Clever J,
however, had grown up in Kawempe together. J grew up at Gerald Mayanja's house
for a while because Gerald is the uncle of Chameleone's father.
J recorded his own song using
the beat of Kumobwesiga, which was released by Chameleone, and played it for
the artist, who was impressed. In order to start making music, J made the
decision to leave Chameleone's home in Muyenga.
Gerald Muwonge, better known
as Clever J, was reared by his father, John Bukenya, after being abandoned by
his mother when he was a young child. He was born in Nsambya.
He left Nagalama Islamic
Secondary School in the second semester.
He was introduced to music while living with the Mayanja brothers and serving as choir director in school.
Because Chameleone used to
assist him in gathering clay for his molding work, he became friendly with him.
Given that Chameleone's mother, Prossy Musoke, didn't like him, he eventually
left the Mayanja household.
He hustled for a while in the
town after leaving until landing a job producing music in Lira.
He seized his employer' laptop
after refusing to be paid, and abruptly left Lira.
When he got back to Kampala,
he gave Chameleone's father the laptop, but he was later detained and given a
prison term in Lira.
Although Chameleone never
taught him directly, he picked up production skills while sharing a home with
him in Muyenga.
Leone Island and Chameleone
assisted him in the production of his first three songs, the first of which was
Celina.
He broke up with Chameleone
when he forbade him to sing during the Fire Base vs. Leone Island music
competition.
After that, he made the
decision to no longer work with Chameleone.
'Manzi Wa Nani' was his breakout hit.
Jeff Kiwanuka originally
served as his manager, but the two parted ways in 2009. After being freed from
jail in Lira, he ran into Jeff.