Jua Cali whose real name is Paul Nunda (born September 12 1979) is a MC from Kenya. Together with producer Clemo he founded Calif Records in 2000 and has been with the label ever since. He performs genge style of Kenyan music. Jua Cali raps mostly in Swahili.

Early life

Jua Cali was born Paul Julius Nunda on September 12, 1979, Eastlands, Nairobi. He is the son of Doreen Onditi and the Late Evans Onditi, who passed on early this year (2009). Doreen and Evans Onditi were both schoolteachers. Jua Cali was brought up at his parent’s house in California estate in the eastlands side of Nairobi.

He had a strict Catholic upbringing. Jua Cali began rapping at the age of ten by his elder brother, Christopher Sati orders. As a teenager, he was known to be quiet and as someone who never mingled much.

Jua Cali attended Ainsworth Primary School (class 1 to 6), Shepherds Junior Buruburu (class 6 to 8), Jamhuri high School and eventually K.C.I.T.I Eastleigh where he received a diploma certificate in Information technology. He played basketball and had the ambition to play for the Kenyan basketball team but according to him, his height was the limiting factor. He also sang in a band called ‘Sita Futi’. Sita Futi disbanded as soon as they had started since every one in the group except Jua Cali and his other friend jemmoh, had different ambitions in life besides music. After completing high school Jua Cali teamed up with his childhood friend, Clemo to form Calif Records, a record label that has gained massive popularity in East Africa for being the home of the Genge genre of music. He has often cited his brother, Chris and mother's influence on his life.

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 in track "Kamata Dame". Like most Kenyan artists, it took several years before his first full album was released. His album "Jua Cali Sekta" reached the stores in 2006, containing mostly previously released singles.

At the 2006 Kisima Music Awards, Jua Cali won the Boomba male award for his song Kiasi. At the 2006 Chaguo La Teeniez awards (CHAT Awards) he was nominated in three categories, but won none of them. At the 2007 CHAT Awards he won two prizes: Best Male and Celebrity categories. At the 2007 Kisima Music Awards Jua Cali won two categories: best male artist and boomba male. In August 2007, he was among 100 most influential Kenyans as selected by The Standard newspaper. He has toured the US and other countries. In 2007 he was internationally nominated for the MOBO Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards. His hit Kwaheri (featuring Sainapei) was a major hit in Kenya that year. He was nominated for three categories at the 2008 CHAT Awards, and won them all: Favourite Male Artiste, Best Live Stage Performance and Best Collabo Song (Kwaheri). At the new year's eve 2008/2009 he released a new album, Ngeli ya Genge

His stage name Jua Cali, is derived from California, an estate in Nairobi (as is the name of Calif Records). It also resembles Jua Kali, a Swahili term meaning fierce sun, which has been taken to refer to Kenya's informal sector of the economy.

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.
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, 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

Jua Cali 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 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 team, Orange went on to shoot a series of infomercials 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. 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 don't directly confront the threat of HIV; instead, they encounter challenges throughout the adventure that lead to lessons about risk and self-confidence. 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 beer, and the deals have raked in big cash. He's also the Bloodlink Foundation Kenya ambassador. Bloodlink Foundation Kenya is a non-profit charitable trust established in Kenya seeking to assist Kenyan people achieve better health and improved quality of life through patnership with communities, corporate organizations and public sectors.

Discography

October 2006: Jua CaliSekta Album
December 2008: Ngeli ya Genge Album

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