Juakali

Juakali is a Los Angeles resident, Brooklyn transplant and native of Trinidad and Tobago. He has traveled the world in recent years performing, collaborating with cutting-edge artists and igniting audiences in Tokyo, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Karlovy Vary, Dortmund and Mumbai, to name a few. In 2006, following his FIFA World Cup performances, 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 is the host of North America’s first and premier dubstep event, Dub War in New York City, reviewed and revered by The New York Times, Frank151 and URB Magazine, among others. He also brings his talent to Sub Swara, a live electronic crew based in New York City 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).

As an in-demand vocalist, Juakali has appeared on commercial recordings from Alpha & Omega, Raz Mesani, Pinch, Dub Gabriel and others, impressing both industry and audiences with his ability to innovate across dub, reggae, dubstep, dancehall, bhangra, electronic, and experimental genres. This lead to him being featured as one of the top 5 US Ragga MCs who are, “launching careers as artists and producers… pushing dancehall beyond its boundaries…” (Chat Bout, XLR8R Magazine – Issue 118).

His debut solo Extended Play release, Breakground on GunJah Records/Foreign Familiar (Winter 2008), integrated Juakali's fresh international aesthetic by incorporating dub, dubstep, and electronic genres with a blend of contemporary and inventive producers. Come From Yard is his latest Extended Play release on Foreign Familiar (Spring 2009), this time including dancehall in his repertoire along with lyrics clearly expressing dissent and those encouraging gratitude, community, and optimism.