The group became famous both for their musical compositions as well as their use of lyrics with metaphorical political messages, written by Sudanese and other Arab poets, such as Mahjoub Sharif or Muhammad Taha Al-Qaddal, "giving voice to the neglected, disadvantaged, and those who are left behind.
"[1] The group's name means "beaded necklace of jalād", which refers to a special kind of leather with a pleasant scent, made from the skin of a deer or a wild cat that is traditionally worn by a bride during the girtig ceremony.
This allowed the band to include both a range of modern instruments as well as male and female lead singers and a chorus.
This metaphorical criticism of the political situation during the military governments from the 1980s onwards prompted the police to ban some of their concerts and some of the members were even taken into custody.
[6] All through the period of political oppression of public musical activities by the military government and the imposition of Sharia laws starting in the 1980s,[7] Igd al-Jalād have been re-inventing their line-up by including younger musicians and composed new songs, making it one of Sudan's most long-standing and popular music bands.