Believing that being identified with the “thug life” will give them street cred and help them sell cds, some musicians and rappers hit you over the head with images of violence, greed, and misogyny. And when confronted about the themes in their music, some musicians will try to avoid responsibility by claiming that they are just “keepin’ it real”. But sometimes the music is not very real, but a marketing ploy by artists desperate to sell records. Some have gone so far as to invent criminal histories - not naming any names, just saying that it happens.

One musician who does not have to invent a violent background to sell his music is Emmanuel Jal. Jal is a Sudanese musician who is a talented writer and rapper, with crazy mike skills who can rap in four languages- Arabic, English, Swahili and Nuer. Born in the Sudan, Jal is a former child soldier who was taken from his family at age 7 and sent to fight in Ethiopia and southern Sudan. After nearly five years in the army, he was smuggled into Kenya with the help of a British aid worker, Emma McCune, who later adopted him. He started singing to help ease the pain of his experiences and in 2005, he released his first album, the critically acclaimed Gua. Gua means “peace” in Nuer, Jal’s his native language.

His newest release is Warchild, a cd inspired by his violent past but filled with the hopefulness of his new life. As he raps on the CD’s title track:
I’m a war child
I believe I’ve survived for a reason
to tell my story
to touch lives.

The CD’s positive message is not limited to his past experiences with the war in Sudan. Jal also tackles the music scene which he is now a part of, issuing a challenge to 50 Cent and other rappers to rise above on the track “50 Cent”.
You have done enough damage selling crack cocaine
now you got a kill a black man video game
We have lost a whole generation through this lifestyle
now you want to put it in the game for a little child to play.

Although much of Jal’s music is about war, violence and the challenges of living his message is always hopeful and uplifting. And that’s the true essence of “keepin’ it real.”