Don Coleone is a business man, musician, producer, realtor and philanthropist, who worked his way to success against all odds. In this chat with Tricia Iwuoha, he speaks about his life, music career, foundation and the power of vision. Stay with us and enjoy the read…
Who is Don Coleone?
Don Coleone is known as Mr. Ugochukwu Onyeocha and the Ishibumba of Ikeduru. Don Coleone as you know is a nickname and that’s my stage name because I’m also an artiste, music producer and a script writer. So I’m a multitalented and multi-instrumentalist. I’m into all genre of music like afro beats, hip hop, RnB by the grace of God I have a movie in the making. I wrote the movie, its titled the “Syndicate.” It’s a drug film that will be shot in Lagos, here in Imo State and Cape Town in South Africa. I’m also involved in business and I have my own wine brand called Crisp wine which is produced in Cape Town and imported into Nigeria so these are what am into.
How did you start making music?
Music for me is a passion but I’m not into music for commercial gains rather for the passion and that’s why you don’t see me selling my stuff like compact discs and all that even though I have my songs on all the music platforms like Spotify, Apple music and the rest of them. I have also some videos now on YouTube. What led me into music as you asked, I will say music is in my blood lineage and that’s from my mum and my uncle who was a big music director and he was teaching music too in schools then. For me I started from the choir at the age of 14. During my secondary school days, I became the choir master and I have been into gospel music and got involved with old music veterans like late Obi Igwe, Methodist Church Aba which was Sir Clement Kalu Uko music group then and I was doing a lot of backups. I left secondary school and went to Lagos where I ventured into circular music and worked with the likes of Daniel Wilson and did backup for him, that was 1996 to be precise when he dropped Mr. Ragamuffin at Lemmy Jackson’s studio at Ikeja. I also wrote the popular song then titled ‘Rosie’ by Blackky. Music for me has been a longtime dream but I’m doing it for the passion like I stated earlier.
Which musician have you collaborated with?
Firstly, I did a song with Sym19, that was my first major work I dropped in 2012, “Today na Today”, we shot the video in South Africa then I dropped a song I produced for Alabai titled “Ogbanje” which I produced and shot the video in Sandston, South Africa. Recently, in my released album which was dropped in April, I featured Davido and Zlatan Ibile in two songs in the album.
How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?
Internet has given a good mileage and doorway too especially Afro beats and that’s why you see Nigerian music is topping the export chart. Now Nigerian songs have taken over almost every part of the world. If you go to clubs in Europe, America and Dubai where I am based currently; at the starting of the club they play house music and all that but after sometime every music will turn to Nigerian songs and Afro beats probably till the end of the club. This shows that Nigerian music is doing well globally and the advent of Nigerian artistes like Burna Boy, Wizkid winning Grammy and a lot of them doing well, tells a lot about how Nigerian music has travelled and is going in the near future.
Which famous Nigerian musician do you admire?
I don’t have any particular musician I admire most because I love all Nigerian artistes that are doing well and upcoming artistes that are doing well too but I have some artistes that inspired me to do the kind of music that I do, personalities like Cutty Ranks, Maxi Priest and Shabba Ranks. Those are the musicians when I was growing up then in secondary school I listened to their music and it inspired me and got me doing Dancehall. So they were a major influence to me.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would that be?
As you are aware here in Nigeria, the system is so bad that changing anything is very difficult so you just follow it as it goes but then one of the things that is paramount and needs change is the piracy. A lot of artistes don’t make money from their products because once you drop your album, you see that it is pirated and you have the songs in different mixed CDs, these are the ones making the money not the artistes and this is supposed to be intellectual property but here it is completely infringed. So this is one of the things I will like to see a major change in but our own system is very cumbersome.
Aside music, are there other things you are into?
Majorly I’m into property, I am a developer also like I said I have my own wine brand which I started in 2012 and is produced in Cape Town, South Africa. I am also an accountant so I’m into so many things.
What can you say about real estate business in Nigeria?
Real estate business in Nigeria is growing well. Real estate is one of those businesses you can never go wrong investing in it. I have been into it since 2005, when the real estate boom started in Dubai, where I then started my own real estate business. Then we were into speculations but now the market has metamorphosed to the level where speculators are not doing well in the business. The business now is best for investors especially long-term investors and with the pandemic last year it changed the status quo in the business which pushed me to come down to Nigeria to start developing property here which is what I am doing currently and I think the real estate business is good in Nigeria but the economy is bad, anyway you see it there will still be losers and gainers so that is it. But there’s this adage I believe in which says “tough time never lasts but tough people do”. How many houses on the average, do you build and sell yearly?
You know the intricacies of doing a business or project in Nigeria, there are lots of problems associated with working with different people when it comes to building and these things affect the speed in which you would want to deliver a project so those are the few challenges I see and one of the things that bring about a lot of setbacks at the speed which you deliver a particular project. So give and take within six months, I have been able to do at least three projects, one of them is the property I built in my village. At Lagos, I have built one also which I started last year, delivered and has been sold out. The other project is the one here in Owerri, which is completed and ready for sale.
Where is your office situated?
My office at the moment is in Abuja and I’m also looking at having another office here in Owerri, because of my foundation which is newly inaugurated so there’s need for me to setup another office for easy discharge of duties and responsibilities with my coordinators.
Can you tell us about your foundation?
The Ishibumba Foundation is a non-governmental body, I established with the aim to look at ways we can assist the down-trodden in our society, particularly focusing on my local government area. I’m trying to see how I can contribute my own quota towards eliminating poverty in my own capacity as well as empowering the much I can. As they say in Nigeria” Wahala no dey finish” so we can’t solve everyone’s problem but will contribute our own quota in our own capacity.
Do you see yourself venturing into politics in future?
Politics!!! Yes, I have a lot of interest groups, some political bigwigs in Ikeduru, who have been one way or the other trying to lure me into politics but politics is not something that is in my blood and not something I really love to be part of because for me I like to go by my passion okay. I believe I will do better and everyone will do better when there’s passion for what you are doing and if you are forced into it the tendency of failing is there. So I wouldn’t want to be forced into something I don’t have passion for. Politics for now is not something I have desire for so I’m focusing on building my foundation and that’s just it for now.
Do you think the intrigues involved in politics are sometimes discouraging to those who might want to venture into it?
Yes of course, it does and a typical example is just what I’m going through right now. I have good intention about what I want to do and I’m based in a country where you see how the leaders are keen about transforming their place with the interest of their people at heart. In Dubai, you can see how their vision for development changed their country from nothing to paradise. Dubai was entirely a dessert but now it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But in Nigeria, politics is played in a different way that if you have good intentions and see how things are done here you won’t want to venture into it and another aspect of politics that is played here which is the god fatherism is not something I would want to be involved in because if you have good intentions and you go into politics these people will divert whatever good plans for their own selfish interests by doing so, you will become one of them. So no well-meaning person will want to play this kind of politics except someone who want to do business as usual and won’t see any problem with that. Anyone who sees what is happening in our society today and the involvement of the government in all tiers especially in the South East and considers it positive, I think such person needs to visit the psychiatrist because even a baby in the cradle knows that what is happening here is very absurd. I cannot give the government any pass mark because what is happening here is not encouraging at all. We travel abroad, we see how things are done in other countries but we come back home what we see is the opposite. No sane person will give credit to whatever that is happening here.
Who is your role model?
My role model number one is Marlone Brandon, the actor in the Godfather and that’s why I’m nicknamed Don Coleone in the movie.
Do you see anything lacking in the youths that need to be looked into?
Yes, a lot of youths are being influenced these days by this internet thing. The internet has caused a very drastic change in our society through so many things that are circulated through it. A lot of youths are being influenced negatively. As you know we can’t stop them but only give advises as motivators or influencers which ever one we call it. The youths can be influenced positively by trying to inculcate morals and values into them and letting them know that some of the things they see on the internet today are not the way they appear because all that glitters is not gold. Then another thing is the issue of association for instance, my son got into a private university in Abuja. He came back and was telling us the kind of things that were happening in the university, a situation where the security personnel in the school were bringing hard drugs such as SK, Indian Hemp and all these stuffs to the students and these are people that are supposed to watch over and protect them but here they are the ones bringing those things to them. So you can see that the decay in the society is so deep. Because of the way I raised my son and the kind of relationship I have built with my kids, he was able to tell me and immediately I stopped him from the school even though I have paid money to the school and that’s why I’m changing his school to a university in Dubai, where he won’t have access to drugs because the society there does not harbour and permit such. For a university to be harbouring things like this will tell you how bad our Nigerian society is and how badly youths are influenced every day. So it is our responsibility to see that these youths are being influenced positively because that’s what we owe them.
In the mist of your busy schedule, it is important to find time to relax. How do you do that?
One of my best hobbies is travelling. I love travelling and with this pandemic it has really hampered travelling across borders and it has affected me too so that’s why I’m here. I came back since February and I’m still in Nigeria. I have been to over thirty-two countries and my other hobbies are going to the cinema and swimming. I used to be a fitness fanatic but now with work pressure I’m so lazy to do all that. My lifestyle is really affected.
What five words best describe you?
Spontaneous, God fearing, introvert, humorous and a humanitarian. I love helping people not necessarily my family members but anyone in need and I derive joy in doing that.
What advice do you have for people out there?
The only thing I say all the time is in life whatever you can dream of, you can achieve it and that’s the Power of Vision. We came from humble homes, we aspired to be where we are today, we worked for it, we were determined, consistent and by the grace of God we achieved our dreams. That’s why I tell younger ones around me that whatever you want to be in life you can achieve it as long as you can dream it, you can make it a reality and that’s the Power of Vision and I want everyone to run with that.
At this point in your life, will you say you are fulfilled?
Yeah!!! I am okay and I give all the glory to God for my life because it’s not by hard work alone, it is also by the grace of God that I was not consumed. I have passed through a lot in life and there are a lot of people who went through all that and are not alive today to testify but I’m alive today to testify of the goodness and mercy of God in good health so I am happy and will say I’m fulfilled.
