Dancehall artiste, Munga Honorebel screamed into the mic as if it were Babylon or his lover at Village Blues Bar in Kingston two Tuesdays ago but the outcome was absolute clarity.

The performance demonstrated that he was still active and that he didn’t need voice altering devices to make the crowd howl. From his falsetto screams to his death metal groans the audience heard vocal power and dancehall clarity. His voice belted above the crashing drums and dancehall melodies of the RPM Band as he performed tunes of love, gangsterism and loss.

“Bet you never know me could have perform like this with a live band,” he announced.

The self proclaimed ‘gangsta ras’ hopped from stage into the crowd and back in a sort of dance delivery. He wore white shirt, jeans and a bag pocket rag.

Munga gained popularity since Bad Like I in 2005 which led to other songs including Flippin Rhymez, Earthquake and Bad From me Born.

His contribution to the dancehall conversation also involved his usage of technology via Auto-Tunes music editing software which robotised his voice on many of his tracks. Also Munga was criticised in adopting the moniker ‘gangsta ras which linked Rastafarianism with gangsterism. He defended that moniker on Tuesday stating that his usage of gangster was a tool to fight Babylon. Also in his performance he explained why his popularity had waned over the past few years.

“People ask where was Munga — I was caring for my son and daughter,” he told the crowd.

The night ended after two in the morning despite Kingston being under a state of Emergency. Rock band Downstairs preceded Munga’s performance. The weekly Tuesday event is put on by RPM Promotions which is the partnership between poet Italee Watson and media promoter Carrie ‘Quizz’ Sigurdson. They event mixes rising and established acts.