4. Nah Mad – Munga Honorable

Munga Honorable has always had a wicked lyrical flow, and I have loved this Jamaican sing-jay’s unique sound since 2007 when he released the classic ‘Bad From Mi Born’. It was a pleasant surprise in 2019 when Munga Honorable again resurfaced with another classic dancehall smash, ‘Nah Mad’, voted #4 on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019’ dancehall-reggae chart.
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Munga’s appearance in our Top 10 is a bit awkward – missing are the reggae artists of old, the former rulers, the dee-jays and foundation singers that were guardians of the old school styles and sounds. Munga is from this school, but because of the success of ‘Nah Mad’, he has managed to stay relevant and squeeze through the new school gates while not compromising his own vocal style or reliance on traditional reggae riddims. ‘Nah Mad’ is sweet, and Munga sounds like a brand new previously unheard artist on the track. The song currently sports 15 million views on YouTube, and has a hook that makes people want to sing the chorus out loud;
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‘Cause a boy like me, Mi nah mad (No!)
Mi nah mad ova nuh gyal’
Despite the addictive hook in ‘Nah Mad’, the song has another wonderful hidden component. One of its repeating verses, although slightly sexist, is very top 40-friendly; Munga changes up his restyled patter to resemble styles used by US pop artists, great for commercial radio and juggling affairs;
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‘Yuh can’t break my Confidence, All these lies is just Pretense
You fucked up girl Don’t blame me, Cuzzz That’s just your Incompetence
If you wah leave den Jump di fence, You must face the Consequence
Let’s just call it Self defense, Fuck yuh feelings And fuck your friends’
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The ‘Nah Mad’ video, while conceptually weak, is well produced, and Munga, a very energetic performer, looks young and fresh with his crew backing him. Arguably, the story could have been told better; in a year of missing anthems and under-representation from dancehall’s traditionally popular male and Rasta artists, Munga created a catchy phrase that many of our dancehall alpha males will salute.
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The topic has been covered before, but all it takes is one or two times to be crushed, betrayed or double-crossed by a woman you loved and trusted, and who you thought loved and trusted you, for the aftermath to see some men turning cold and reverting to standoffish states that lasting for years. They refuse to 100-percent trust love, or to ever be possessed by a woman again. Some protect themselves by never wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and chose spending prime times bonding with male brethrens and crews. These men do not see themselves as women-haters, just young men with a similar-to-sexist attitude refusing to be spellbound by ‘catty’ women using what they ‘got’ to get what they ‘want’.
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‘From a gyal a run di pussy, Yea mi ready mi up
But from a gyal a gimmi static, Yea mi ready fi cut’
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Munga’s ‘Nah Mad’ is a nice tune, and throughout 2019, radio needed it, as well as our dancehalls. The big winner in all of this of course is Munga himself, who, despite the good fortune of resurfacing with ‘Nah Mad’ has got his own demons to contend with. Sad for Munga, but he is still in the midst of fighting a murder case, currently delayed, as of last June.
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Munga, AKA Damian Rhoden, was charged in connection with the February 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith, who after after a disagreement with a group of thugs a dance, was reportedly accosted and shot, later dying in hospital. One of these thugs is alleged to be Mr. Rhoden AKA Munga. Reports later surfaced that the same Cleveland Smith, nephew of dancehall superstar Mr Vegas, was alleged to have attacked and ‘chopped’ Damian Rhoden in a separate incident which happened a year earlier. Since being granted bail in June of 2017, Munga has been fighting for his innocence while trying to carry on with his career as the case drags through the courts.

Munga had made the news earlier in January of last year after he survived a deadly automobile accident that unfortunately left one of his female passengers dead at the scene. Munga, the driver of the vehicle, as well as another passenger, were hospitalized and listed in serious but stable condition following the accident.
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Big up Munga – ‘Nah Mad’ is a clever tune, and is still the code many of our dancehall soldiers live by. On the flip side, we hope Munga Honorable did not go down that road, and will be proven innocent of the charges laid against him.  Our dancehall cannot afford to lose any more valuable artists the likes of Munga Honorable!
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The ReggaeMania.com Award for Song #4 on our ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall-reggae chart goes to Munga Honorable for ‘Nah Mad’ ’. Congrats Munga!

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