From a small rural town in Alabama comes a smooth singing R&B artist
who goes by the name of Jali (Jay-la). His music defines him, and it
is unique in many ways. Jali can’t compare his style to any other; it
is personal. His music derives from his real-life situations like his first
experience falling in and out of love and understanding what being in
love really means. If you want to know more about Jali, listen to his
carefully crafted melodies.
many famous hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul musicians.” Jali joined an R&B
group, and they lived in the city for a year until a producer offered them
a deal. The group members sold all their belongings and moved to cold,
fast- paced New York City; however, the dream became a nightmare
when one of Jali’s band mates decided to sign a new deal behind his
back. The group fell apart, and Jali found himself without a job in one of
the most expensive cities in America.
Jali has been athletic all his life, and he began playing football when he
was five years old. He played in high school while also being involved in
the choir. The time came for him to make a decision on which direction
he was going to go. Should he dedicate the rest of his life playing
football? Or should he step out on faith and sing? He chose his love for
music over his love for football.
Failure after failure followed his music career. Jali says his spiritual side
kept him going through it all; singing was his dream and he was going to
reach it. Ten years passed before Jali’s prayers for his music career were
finally answered, but it was finally his time.
After high school, Jali moved to Atlanta, Georgia; in 2009, the New York
Times called Atlanta “hip-hop’s center of gravity,” and the city is home to
Jali is picky about the music he chooses; his lyrical content has to make
sense. He puts together his own photos and material for marketing.
Recently Jali met the CEO, Lawrence T. Eaton Sr. and VP Traci Furbet-
Gardner, of Tuffturf Record, Inc, who believes that Jali’s music can make
it to the next level. Jali now has a meeting with reputable record labels in
Miami, FL for marketing, promotional and distribution deals. Jali states,
“I love my team. I am blessed all around the board. I have good people
around me with positive attitudes.”
The advice he gives to people wanting to be an artist or are just starting
out in the music industry is:
“It is definitely not easy. It takes work. It is very, very, very time consuming. It is very stressful. If it is something you want to do, and I tell
everybody, God knows your heart, He knows if you are only in it for the
money or in it to make music, go for it. People are going to deny you,
people are not going to like you. You have to accept all these things
before you jump into it. Keep positive people around you. People that
want to do better than they were doing last year. Keep God first. You
have to believe in yourself to