Warchild is an album from hell. Emmanuel Jal was a kid soldier in Darfur and he has seen more atrocities than you can imagine, carrying an AK-47 that was taller than he was. He was rescued by Emma McCune, a British aid worker who smuggled him into Nairobi to raise him as her own. To help ease the pain of what he had experienced, Emmanuel started singing. In 2005, he released his first album, Gua ("peace" in his native Nuer tongue), with the title track broadcast across Africa over the BBC and becoming a number one hit in Kenya. Gua also earned him a spot on Bob Geldof's "Live 8" concert in the UK.
His new album Warchild is a rap record that tells stories that need to be heard. While most hiphop albums are about dicks, chicks and all that crap with a braindead beat, this album swings and jumps, with a surprising nice rendition of Many Rivers To Cross. If you want to do something about Darfur, the least you can do is buy this album.
Watch the video for Warchild.
Warchild is released on Sonic360. Release date: May 12.
» sonic360.com/emmanueljal
» myspace.com/emmanueljal
» warchildmovie.com