Munga Honorable says he got “crucified” for styles he was doing before they got popular in dancehall.
The dancehall genre has evolved over years to become the exciting space that fans have come to love. The process of adopting new styles wasn’t always easy and some veterans had to endure criticism for trying to change the style and flow of the music. One of those veterans, Munga Honorable, shared his experience as one of the artists that tried to be innovative and the type of negative feedback he received. He shared his story with YouTube channel, The Fixx.
“I actually got crucified for this that is going on right now. Everything that take place now I got crucified for it. I stood the scrutiny, I stood the judgement fe bring in dem something in ah dancehall,” he said. Munga added that he didn’t mind taking the heat because it was the only way that the music could grow. He said if Bounty Killer didn’t like certain styles he would not have gone after artists and even in instances like that, the genre was growing. He said the same was true for artists like Vybz Kartel as well.
“Everything stem from somewhere and even me…. I didn’t invent autotune. I found it was a hidden tool being used by an elite few,” he continued. He used Tanto Metro & Devonte’s 2002 hit “Give It To Her” as an example of how autotune was being used. He said that song and all that followed on that rhythm were all autotuned which was an innovation at the time.
Munga Honorable added that he also thinks he was never given credit for the different styles that he infused into dancehall but that he was still proud of himself for all that he had accomplished to date.
He revealed that his style of music has always been focused on the jovial side of life and that many fans aren’t aware of the fact that he is a man who loves the lighter side of things. He also paid homage to the veterans that he learned to craft his musical career after.
“Dave Kelly, Tony Kelly, anyone one ah Jammins and him sons, the production that I was introduced by Don Corleon…You know how much international hit Cool Face write bout here. I learnt the value of constructing a composition properly,” he said.
These influences are what he uses to produce top tier music, he added. He said because of the way he approaches music he believes that he served as a bridge from older dancehall to new dancehall. “Like sub chorus. Tha song actually have two punchline…. Them do that after me,” he said.
He also spoke about the making of his hit, “Nah Mad”. He shared that the inspiration came from his now-deceased girlfriend 26-year-old Tashana Cumbermack. He said he would often write to random beats after taking a hiatus from music production. At one time when they were having a discussion about him not paying her enough attention, he blurted out “yuh feel yuh can mad me.” He said this was while a beat was playing and Tashana liked the sound and the lyrics and from there the song was born. Sadly, she passed away last year in a car crash. Munga was in the same car but only sustained minor injuries.
Munga Honorable has a long career which started in 1997 when he entered the Red Label Wine Superstar Competition with an original song “Who Drink Out The Red Label Wine”. He began learning the trade with Capleton and started touring with him in 2001 as his opening act. He continues to deliver hits and grow with the industry. His hit song “Nah Bad” has close to 13 million views on YouTube since its release in 2019.
