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HONOREBEL
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“What is a rebel but a man who is able to say yes to the impossible and no to the ordinary?” – Anonymous
It’s apparent that in today’s Mainstream Music Industry, pundits of all shapes and sizes like to put an artist in a box. For instance, one might hear repeatedly that Jay-Z is classic New York City hip-hop, while Whitney Houston is categorized as a straight-no-chaser R&B singer; sub-genre guys like Daddy Yankee is strictly Reggaeton and David Guetta is strictly for the clubs. With all this labeling and defining the musician’s music, it’s often an industry breakthrough when one finds an artist that’s impossible to categorize. In walks HonoRebel, a name so fitting for someone who enjoys rebelling against the status quo.
Born in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, Honorebel is the youngest of six children who were raised by a single mother. He remembers his childhood as being a rough uphill struggle, often riddled with street violence and poverty. In fact, Honorebel’s eldest brother was murdered by such unnecessary gang violence that often overtook Honorebel’s daily activities.
(With) Amongst all the negative events that surrounded his early life, it was by fate that Honorebel was heavily exposed to music. Growing up in the heart of Reggae Culture, it was no surprise that Honorebel would be exposed to the thundering bass lines of the local sound systems. Jamaican Dancehall Artists such as King Yellow Man and Beenie Man played a major role in keeping the young Honorebel off the streets. Instead of focusing on crime, he was now focusing on music; instead of picking up a gun, he was picking up an instrument! This passion eventually led him to learn how to play the trumpet and he soon found himself playing in various bands in and out of school. In Honorebel’s own words, “I didn’t find music, music found me.”
Aside from his musicianship, it became evident that Honorebel had a knack for writing songs as well as performing them. He soon found himself reciting his own lyrics on popular dancehall rhythms that eventually created a buzz throughout the Jamaican Music Scene. At the beginning of his growing music career, he took the name Honorable Apache. Because of his extraordinary talent, he quickly found himself in the booth with some of Jamaica’s biggest producers and artists such as Willie Lindo, Lloyd Campbell, Richie D, Black Shadow and Clifton “Specialist” Dillon of Shang Records, all the while racking up an impressive number of hits which included: Hurricane, Material Girl, Who Dis Mi Crew and Camouflage.
As his career began to progress, he took a new moniker by which he is now known: Honorebel, to which he explains that the Honor comes from his humbleness, while the Rebel is his Fighting Warrior Spirit. It was this very same spirit that took his musician status to the next level, often sharing the same stage with Jamaica’s biggest dancehall acts. His electrifying stage performances soon became the buzz of the country and Honorebel was sworn into the ranks of his childhood heroes.”
Honorebel launched his Musical Career in the late 90's and soon found himself collaborating with Reggae Legends such as Sly and Robbie, while infusing Hip-Hop Beats with producers like Scott Storch. It was inevitable that Honorebel’s music quickly morphed. He infused various styles to fit his deliverance, ranging from Roots Dancehall to crunk-hip-Hop and techno-pop to pop-rock. Honorebel began to widen his musical catalog and his audience appeal, reaching as far as Russia, where he performed live at the Russian MTV Video Music Awards in 2007 with Russia Pop Star, Julia Kova.
Because of his diverse musical style, Honorebel found himself standing outside the music industry box. Unable to label him as just a traditional reggae singer, Honorebel was quickly initiated as a cross-over artist. Honorebel explains, “I’m not afraid to experiment with different genre of music. Reggae Music is my foundation, but I feel my creativity transcends beyond that. You can throw me into Hip-Hop, Soca, Latin, Dance, Classical, whatever and I’ll deliver.”
So as the music industry continues it’s hardest to categorize and label, it’s official – Honorebel rebels against the status quo and continue to break barriers as he sets new sights and heights. He states it best, “I’ve fought all my life to achieve my goals and dreams. Even when I’m told that I can’t, I still fight to prove that I can.” And with all that’s going for him now, rebellion never sounded this sweet!
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