If you are an avid Munga Honorable fan that’s been eagerly anticipating his sophomore album, then we are here to tell you that isn’t ‘You Alone’ The ‘expensive’ lyricist from St Mary, is known to ‘electrify’ dancehall stages across the world but chooses to show us a more mature, evolved version of his artistry with Shine Your Light. Good artists have a responsibility to make music that is befitting of the times and Munga Hononorable like everyone else acknowledges, that 2020 was a difficult year. The usually impudent, tough-talking lyricist felt like with all that was going on in the world, he needed to channel the more conscious, introspective side of his songwriting. With thoughtful anthems under his belt like ‘The Prayer’, Munga stated frankly “I’m not one of the preachy rasta dem but we as artists influence the atmosphere, we influence the nation and we influence the people. Taking that into consideration, I decided to do a more jovial project.” Songs like the title track ‘Shine Your Light’ and ‘You Alone’ definitely captured the spirit of positivity and sentiments of hope.
One of the pain points of Munga’s career is that his unbreakable confidence has many times been perceived by industry colleagues as arrogance. Unconcerned with those opinions, Munga was very clear about the fact that he only wants to relate to his die-hard fans. He doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal but just wants to connect with the ‘avid Munga fans’ – as he referred to them as many times during our conversation. Sometimes the most profound sources of positive inspiration come from the simplest places. When CARIB VOXX asked Munga about his inspiration for this album, he said “Well first of all album is not as rowdy as my ‘gangster ras’ persona. Cartoons, comics and animations inspire me a lot. I also read a lot of Geography and Science fiction.”
The lyrical prowess and flawless flows conveyed on tracks like ‘Expensive’, Clueless Joe, and ‘Link Up’ stem from the mind of an artist who values reading but still has interesting social views especially on the education system in Jamaica. “My personal love for words came from the fact that my mother gifted me an encyclopaedia, from A-Z that I constantly read. I come from Islington, St Mary…and truth to be told, I was going to school to better myself until I realized that school was only teaching me how to live in servitude. I got the privilege of traveling from St Mary into Kingston when I was young and interacting with different youths made me realize we were not getting the same standard of education in the country as the youths in town. A youth at Campion is getting a different level of education from a youth at St.Mary High ”
For an artist that the media loves to portray as a villain, the thoughtfulness in Munga’s responses didn’t align with the negative perception of him that his detractors often try to create. Munga Honorable has remained true to his humble upbringings of Islington where principles like having respect for the elder generation are undying. Artistically, Munga made it his point of duty to honour Miss Lou with his hustler anthem ‘Good Morning’. Louise Bennett-Coverly was an iconic Jamaican poet whose masterpiece “New Scholar” set cultural precedence in Jamaica. Munga extolled the iconic poet by stating that “Good Morning is a motivational dancehall song that was inspired by a Miss Lou poem. I love how she spoke patois and was articulate with how she represented it”
Munga’s appreciation for women stems past extolling cultural icons like Miss Lou but is further expressed artistically on the project with tracks like ‘In My Room’ This song is a standout on the project as it channel’s Munga’s R&B influences. “My melodic slurs and high pitch notes were always inspired by artists like Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Sade.” Despite being the’, ‘gangster ras’ Munga always understood how to show vulnerability in his writing which was evidenced by classics like ‘In My Arms’ and now ‘In My Room’ is a modern reflection of these same sentiments.”
Munga only had words of gratitude and thanksgiving for his avid fans as he seeks to solidify his luminary status with Shine Your Light.
