The man, the legend, the myth, the icon, the pioneer, just to mention a few titles that can be used to describe the living legend of the Kenyan urban music Jua Cali. Genge now being part of the music genres picked under Best African Music Performance category in the Grammy awards, gives the lovers of Kenyan music every reason to celebrate and be proud of the craft. To many this is a big step up when it comes to the recognition of different Kenyan music genres. Fans of Kenyan music especially the Genge genre are still celebrating this achievement, Jua Cali is over the moon and its safe to say he is the cheerleader of these celebrations.
Jua Cali is referred to as the godfather of Genge. Him, Clemo and Nonini are the founders of Genge genre of Kenyan music and for years they have made sure that the genre grows and it’s spread across the world. From a humble beginning in the settings of California area in Nairobi, Jua Cali had nothing in mind but the love for music. According to Jua Cali the journey hasn’t been easy but the support he got and he is getting from his parents, friends and his fans has accelerated him to greatness.
The success of Jua Cali has spawn across all aspects of music from winning local and international awards, release
of successful albums and singles to performing on different stages in and out of the country. Now, aiming to add a Grammy award on his already shinning career, Jua Cali hasn’t stopped making music. “Utu Uzima” is his 6th studio album (now avaible on all music streaming platforms) that he released in February 2023 and he is making waves in the entertainment scenes with the album. The album is proof that Jua Cali – even after being in the game for over 20 years – indeed he is and will always be a force to reckon with when it comes to the Kenyan music industry and his crown of undisputed godfather of Genge is safe.
Telling stories has always been the biggest asset in Jua Cali’s successful career, as his songs are well crafted and the message is well passed to his listeners. As part of passing on the mantle to the next Genge generation, Jua Cali has been posting stories across his social media accounts just telling the stories behind different happenings of his incredible career.
The Cali Cast Podcast is now an audio and visual side of these stories. The new podcast launched by Jua Cali is aimed at telling the story of his career and evolution of Genge as a genre of Kenyan music featuring everyone who played direct or indirect roles in making sure the genre is what it is now. Since its debut, the Cali Cast has received very impressive reactions and people are glued to it and keep asking when the next episode will be out. As a fan of Jua Cali, a fan of Kenyan music and a fan of Genge in particular, the Cali Cast is a podcast that you should not or never miss. With video releases on youtube and audio releases across all podcast streaming platforms the consistence in his exploration has won many people even those who are not his fans. For Jua Cali this is just the genesis of greatness in terms of Genge growing and the Kenyan music at large. Its safe to safe that “Ngeli ni ya Genge”.