Munga

Drawing his inspiration from hip hop (Jay Z) and dancehall (Capleton), Munga is the artist who popularised autotune (vocoder) in Jamaica. Easily recognisable by his "Yes Yes" catchphrase, Munga Honorable was born Damian Rhoden in Islington, in the parish of St Mary, in 1980. Leaving school in 1997, he did many street jobs before launching an artistic career and joining Capleton's David House Camp. He made his real debut in 1998 via a competition, the Red Label Wine Superstar Competition, with the tune Who Drink Out the Red Label Wine. The following year he recorded his first singles Hold a vibes (on the Loyal Soldier label) and Tears of joy (Militant Muzik).

A true mentor to the young artist, Capleton helped shape his image and gave him stage experience by having him open his shows in the Caribbean (2001) and the United States (2002). Buoyed by this growing fame, and still under the tutelage of the Fireman, Munga recorded his first hit for Don Corleon in 2004, Bad like I on the Sweat riddim. This is where he launched his Gangsta Ras concept, a paradox only Jamaicans can pull off, in which a Rasta sings for the gangsters. This single set everything off and became one of the most played dancehall tunes of summer 2005. From then on, Munga was one of Kingston's most in-demand young artists.

Smelling a good deal, Don Corleon signed him exclusively to his label and had him record on his best riddims: High Altitude, Heavenly, Artillery, Blue Tooth… 2006 was to be decisive, as he put his name at the top of the Jamaican charts with his Bad from mi born: the Munga hype had begun. Stringing together tunes for various producers (Gravi T, H2o, Purple Skunk, Pure Music, Mo Music), Munga is devoting himself to finishing his album "Bad from mi born" with Don Corleon, due for release in November 2007.