Juakali
Encyclopedia
Juakali is a singer and MC from Trinidad
. He is known primarily for his musical output in the dubstep
and reggae
genres. Onstage since the age of 14, Juakali started his career as a dancer and, at one stage, a poet
. He has released two album
s. BBC Radio 1
's Mary Anne Hobbs
invited Juakali for one of her live session shows at the BBC studio in London.
Juakali is presently a resident in Los Angeles
, California
, United States
. He has traveled the world in recent years performing, and collaborating with other musician
s. In 2006, following his performances at concerts aligned to the FIFA World Cup
, Ego magazine
described Juakali as an artist "on the forefront of the reggae, jungle and burgeoning dubstep scene in the US and around the world."
Juakali was the host of North America’s first and premier dubstep event, 'Dub War in New York City', reviewed by the New York Times. He also performed with Sub Swara, a live electronic crew based in New York
that “deals with the most fascinating melt of sound - beats and bass laced with the elemental voice of Juakali...pure heaven.” (Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 1).
He has appeared on commercial recordings from Alpha & Omega, Raz Mesani, Pinch, and Dub Gabriel. His debut solo EP
was Breakground on GunJah Records/Foreign Familiar (2008). Come From Yard is his more recent EP release (2009).
The term 'Juakali' is also an expression for the Kenyan informal sector, which comes from the Swahili
term 'jua kali' ('the hot sun') referring to the typical outdoor situation of such entrepreneurs. It often also refers more specifically to street vendors and artesans in Kenya.
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. He is known primarily for his musical output in the dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
genres. Onstage since the age of 14, Juakali started his career as a dancer and, at one stage, a poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. He has released two album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Mary Anne Hobbs
Mary Anne Hobbs
Mary Anne Hobbs is an English DJ and music journalist from Garstang, Lancashire. She launched a new Primetime show on Xfm on 9 July 2011-Early career:...
invited Juakali for one of her live session shows at the BBC studio in London.
Juakali is presently a resident in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He has traveled the world in recent years performing, and collaborating with other musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s. In 2006, following his performances at concerts aligned to the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, Ego magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
described Juakali as an artist "on the forefront of the reggae, jungle and burgeoning dubstep scene in the US and around the world."
Juakali was the host of North America’s first and premier dubstep event, 'Dub War in New York City', reviewed by the New York Times. He also performed with Sub Swara, a live electronic crew based in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that “deals with the most fascinating melt of sound - beats and bass laced with the elemental voice of Juakali...pure heaven.” (Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 1).
He has appeared on commercial recordings from Alpha & Omega, Raz Mesani, Pinch, and Dub Gabriel. His debut solo EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was Breakground on GunJah Records/Foreign Familiar (2008). Come From Yard is his more recent EP release (2009).
The term 'Juakali' is also an expression for the Kenyan informal sector, which comes from the Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
term 'jua kali' ('the hot sun') referring to the typical outdoor situation of such entrepreneurs. It often also refers more specifically to street vendors and artesans in Kenya.