For many artists, collaboration lists are usually built around charts, trends, or global reach. But for Ugandan singer Ykee Benda, Jose Chameleone’s name carries a far more personal meaning.
While speaking about the artists he still dreams of working with, Ykee casually mentioned industry heavyweights, including Juliana Kanyomozi, Cindy Sanyu and Eddy Kenzo. But it was his explanation about Chameleone that immediately stood out.
“My reasons to work with Jose Chameleone are different from other artists I would love to work with,” Ykee said. “When my father passed on before I sang with him, Mowzey Radio, the closest thing to Mowzey Radio is Jose Chameleone.”
It was not just another artist praising a legend. It sounded more like unfinished business meeting admiration.
Ykee’s mention of the late Mowzey Radio instantly added weight to his words. Radio remains one of Uganda’s most gifted songwriters and vocalists, an artist many musicians still speak about with reverence years after his passing. For Ykee, the pain seems to come from never having had the chance to create music with him before tragedy struck.
And somehow, in his eyes, Chameleone represents the nearest bridge to that missed experience.
Ykee was careful not to turn the comparison into a competition between legends.
“I am not saying anyone is bigger than the other,” he clarified, “but the way I see talent…”
That unfinished sentence perhaps said more than a complete one could. It hinted at how Ykee views artistry, not just fame, but instinct, originality, presence, and musical depth. In Chameleone, he appears to see echoes of the same rare brilliance that made Radio unforgettable.