Paul Julius Nunda (born 12 September 1979), better known by his stage name Jua Cali, is a
Kenyan rapper and record producer. In 2000, together with record producer
Clemo, he founded
Calif Records where he has been ever since, producing music which dominated
East African music alongside
Jose Chameleone of Uganda and
Mr. Nice of Tanzania. Jua Cali performs in
Swahili and
Sheng in a popular Kenyan style of rapping called
genge.
Early life
Jua Cali was born in Eastlands,
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
. His parents, Doreen Onditi and Evans Onditi (deceased) were both schoolteachers.
He grew up with a strict
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
upbringing in California Estate to the east of
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
city. He began rapping at age 10, encouraged by his elder brother Christopher Sati. He was known as an introverted teenager who was often quiet, hardly ever socialising.
He attended Ainsworth Primary School (Standards 1 to 6); Shepherds Junior Buruburu (Standards 6 to 8);
Jamuhuri High School and eventually Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute (K.C.I.T.I)
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census.
The town ...
where he received a diploma in
Information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
. There, he played basketball with ambitions to make it to the Kenyan National Basketball Team. He never made it to the team, blaming this on his height.
His earlier foray into music included singing in a band called '
Sita Futi'. Sita Futi disbanded almost as soon as it was started leaving behind Jua Cali and his close friend Jemmoh. The departing group members left to pursue careers outside music.
Calif Records came into being after Jua Cali teamed up with childhood friend
Clemo to form the record label that quickly became a hit factory, gaining prominence in the East Africa music scene with chart topping artists and music.
Calif Records also invented the
Genge genre of Kenyan hip hop.
Jua Cali often cites his brother, Chris, and his parents as his greatest influences in life.He is also related to
dell xerxes as his brother in law
Music career
His first recorded track was Ruka, released in 2001, and was followed by ''Nipe Asali'' in 2002. In 2004 he collaborated with
Pilipili
Peter Gatonye (born November 1982), known better for his stage name Pilipili is a musician/singer from Kenya. At the beginning of his career, he collaborated with another musician, Gun B. Their best known song was "Nampenda".Daily Nation, October ...
in track "Kamata Dame". Like most Kenyan artists, it took several years before his first full album was released. His album "Juacali Sekta" reached the stores in 2006, containing mostly previously released singles.
His single ''Kwaheri'' (featuring Sainapei Tande-winner Coca-Cola pop star and radio presenter) was a major hit in Kenya in 2007. At the New Year's Eve 2008/2009 he released a new album, ''Ngeli ya Genge''. He has toured the US and other countries. In August 2007, he was among 100 most influential Kenyans as selected by
The Standard newspaper.
His stage name Jua Cali, is derived from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, an estate in Nairobi (as is the name of Calif Records). 'Jua' is Swahili for 'Know'. This translates his name to 'Know California'. It also resembles ''
Jua Kali'', a Swahili term meaning fierce sun, which has been taken to refer to Kenya's
informal sector
An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countri ...
of the economy.
He has released a series of new songs with a new producer Keggah based in the United States. His new songs include, Karibu Nairobi and Kuna Sheng which have both received massive airplay and good reviews.
Endorsements
Motorola
Besides being talented, he's a commercial success, thanks to his appeal to the young and the not-so-young alike. For instance, he became Kenya's first artiste to get an endorsement deal when in 2007 he signed a reported Sh1-million-a-year deal mobile phone giant Motorola for its
W model
W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''double-u'',Pronounced in formal situation ...
.
And, according to the company, he was quite a catch. " ''Jua Cali is part of the Motorola family, and we are honoured to have worked with him in the recent past''," says Joanne Doyle, the marketing manager for East Africa.
"''He has been a great ambassador and, like
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...
, he is all about creativity, style and substance, so we could not be happier that his hard work has been recognised at the prestigious Kisima awards.''"
Orange Mobile
Juacali is arguably today's most successful artist in the Kenyan music scene as far as endorsements and pay per show income is concerned. Early 2009,
Telkom Kenya
Telkom Kenya is an integrated telecommunications provider in Kenya. It was previously a part of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) which was the sole provider of both postal and telecommunication services. The company wa ...
appointed him as the
Orange Ambassador for their youth market and began his one-year sh10-million shilling contract by fronting the '
hello tunes' advertising campaign. Following the successes by the Kenyan
Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens (commonly known simply as sevens, and originally seven-a-side rugby) is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. R ...
team, Orange went on to shoot a series of
infomercials
An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...
on Rugby featuring top Kenya rugby players and the genge artist. Also featured in the informercials were label mates Mejja, Jimwat and their producer
Clemo.
Pamoja Mtaani
''Pamoja Mtaani'', Swahili for "together in the hood" is a new video game in Kenya developed by
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Games (formerly Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California. The publisher was founded as a division of Warner Bros. on January 14, 2004, as well as the WB Games brand. ...
. Its basically about a youth band together making their way through a maze of challenges throughout the East African city. The game has a subtle but deliberate agenda: HIV prevention. Players do not directly confront the threat of HIV; instead, they encounter challenges throughout the adventure that lead to lessons about risk and
self-confidence
Confidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable.
*
*
* Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future. Sel ...
. Jua Cali recorded the video games anthem "
City in the Sun".
Others
The artiste has also been involved in other major advertisements such as
Protex bath soap and
Pilsner
Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery.
History
...
beer, and the deals have raked in big cash. He's also the
Bloodlink Foundation Kenya ambassador
Bloodlink Foundation Kenyais a non-profit
charitable trust established in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
seeking to assist Kenyan people achieve better health and improved quality of life through partnership with communities, corporate organisations and public sectors.
Discography
Albums:
* ''JuacaliSekta'' (October 2006)
* ''Ngeli ya Genge'' (December 2008)
* ''TuGenge Yajayo''(December 2013)
* ''Mali Ya Umma'' (September 2019)
Awards
Won
*
2006 Kisima Music Awards –
Boomba Male
* 2007
Chaguo La Teeniez Awards (CHAT Awards) – Best Male & Celebrity of the Year
*
2007 Kisima Music Awards – Best Male Artist & Boomba Male.
* 2007
Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAM Awards) – Best Male Artist (Kenya)
* 2008
Chaguo La Teeniez Awards – Favourite Male Artiste & Best Live Stage Performance & Best Collabo Song ("Kwaheri" with Sainapei).
Nominated
* 2006
Chaguo La Teeniez Awards – nominated in three categories, but won none of them
*
2007 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards were held at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany on 1 November 2007. The show received a total of 78 million votes, the most in MTV Europe Music Awards history.
Foo Fighters opened the show, with frontman Dave Gro ...
– Best Africa Act
* 2007
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...
* 2008
Tanzania Music Awards – Best East African Song ("Kwaheri")
*
2008 MTV Africa Music Awards – Best Male
[Mtaani.com 5th International Song Contest http://mtaani.com/news/newsdetails/item_2945/juacali-to-rep-the-254-in-the-5th-international-song-contest/ ]
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jua Cali
1979 births
Living people
Kenyan rappers
Kisima Music Award winners