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Juma Mussa Mkabala is better known as Jux or ‘African Boy’, a famous Tanzanian artist and songwriter who was born on September 1, 1989, in Dar es Salaam.
Since childhood, the boy was imbued with music, especially the national Tanzanian genre Bongo Flava and hip-hop. In essence, these two genres are quite similar, although they have differences in sound. In Bongo Flava, you can hear traditional hip-hop and elements of reggae, afrobeat, and R&B, which make Tanzanian music genuinely original. Although Jux liked rap, in addition, he had a good voice, which gradually developed over time.
In 2005, when the boy was 16, he decided to start taking music more seriously in the rap direction. Although the first attempts did not bring him popularity, they became a great source of experience, which he will use more than once in the future. After three years, his skill level increased significantly, which allowed Jux to join the Wakacha group. Along with the development of the band, the artist decided to develop his solo career with the help of producer Manecky. Working with the A.M. record label, he decided to slightly change his performance style, and instead of the usual rap to move towards a more lyrical R&B. One of the first results of such cooperation was a track called "Nimedata". Probably they hoped for the success of this song, but almost no one expected it. The track was able to find its listeners and gain some local popularity. The music video for this song can now be watched on the official YouTube channel Jux (ArficanBOY).
Since 2014, the most active development of Jux's music career has begun. The number of singles increased significantly, and their quality became better and better. The first hit that brought the singer significant fame was "Nitasubiri", produced by Bob Manecky. Thanks to this song, Jux received his first major award in the Best R&B Song category at the Tanzania Music Awards. In the same year, he was also innovated in the Best Artist category. Of course, after such success, the scale of his professional growth has increased. In the same 2015, he managed to release such songs as "Nikuite Nani", "One More Night", "Jux Sisikii", and "Looking for You" (ft. Joh Makini).
Although 2016 did not bring a large number of singles but significantly advanced the popularity of the singer. Singles such as "Wivu" and "Juu" only cemented Jux's status as Tanzania's new star and increased public interest.
2017 started quite powerfully for the artist. He had enough time to understand in which direction to move on and what songs to give to the fans. The result of this work was "Utaniua" and "#Umenikatama". Jux paid particular attention to the music video of the song "Utaniua", which perfectly visually conveyed its motif. These efforts did not go unnoticed, and at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, the video won in the Best East African Music Video category.
Since 2018, Jux has significantly increased the number of released singles, and most importantly, began active preparations for the creation and release of his upcoming debut solo album. The first release this year was the single "Fimbo", a music video that has already garnered almost 2 million views on YouTube. From people's reaction, it was noticeable that most people like the musical direction that Jux took, and therefore the upcoming album promised to be interesting.
The second single in 2018 was "Zaidi", which surpassed even the popularity of "Fimbo". On the official YouTube channel of the artist, the music video has already received almost 3 million views. Zaidi can be called a traditional song about a love story, yet it is the manner of performance that makes it truly special.
"Tell Me" (ft. Joh Makini) became the third and last single released in 2018. Although the song did not become as popular as the previous 2, it still fueled interest in the album. In the same 2018, he made a truly unusual tour called "In Love With Money". It was remarkable for several reasons. First, it was not a solo tour as usual, but with the famous Tanzanian singer Vanessa Mdee, who was his girlfriend at the time. To this day, it remains one of Tanzania's largest independent tours.
Finally, in 2019, Jux released his debut solo album called "The Love Album". It consisted of 18 quite diverse songs, many of which were in collaboration with artists such as Ruby, Nyashinski, Vannessa Mdee, Diamond Platnumz, Singah, and others. Some of the previously released songs were also part of this album, such as "Zaidi" and "Tell Me". Many of the tracks on this album were some of the most successful in his career, so the hard work and desire to please as many people as possible were not in vain.
2020 proved to be challenging for almost all people. Many industries have suffered notorious killings, including music. The inability to hold concerts and festivals, the forced cancellation of all planned events, and self-isolation have greatly complicated the process of creating songs for all artists. Despite all these obstacles, Jux continued to release singles. During this time, songs such as "Wewe Tu" (with Izzo Bizness), "Covid-19" (feat. Maua Sama), and "JOGODO" (with King98 and Sheby Medicine) were released.
Since 2021, he has significantly increased the number of singles and collaborations released. Jux has worked with artists such as Abbah, Jay Rox, Kenz Ville Marley, Moni Centrozone, Blaq Jerzee, and others. Currently, the artist continues to develop in various directions actively. This includes not only music but also fashion. Jux has always been interested in unusual clothing styles, and later, he decided to try himself in this business. In 2018, Jux will create its own clothing brand, which is successfully developing to this day.
In general, Jux is not going to stop there and looking at the success of the first album, it is safe to say that the release of the next album is just a matter of time.