Honorebel covered a lot of ground in 2023, releasing his 10th album, singles and music videos. He closes the year with Oh Mama, a genre-bending song that mirrors his approach to making music.

Oh Mama is the latest track from 444, his album which was released in September. The first, On Top of The World, came out during the summer and was well-received.

For Honorebel, keeping tabs on a constantly evolving music industry, is critical.

“It’s important to know what’s hot in the streets because it also alerts you on what’s trending. Not saying I’m one of those artistes that’s always following what’s trending but it’s always good to know,” he said. “For myself, I like to stay out of the box and be different.”

Released in October, Oh Mama is accompanied by a music video filmed in South Florida, Honorebel’s hometown. This year, he spent considerable time in Jamaica promoting 444; his previous visit being in December when he did radio slots for Oh Mama.

On Top of The World did well in South Florida, the tri-state area, Africa and Europe. It set the pace for a parent album that hears Honorebel collaborating with Snoop Dogg, Tory Lanez and Nigerian Afrobeats artiste, Joe El.

“My team and I are trying to capitalise on all the singles off 444 and the album itself throughout 2024,” said Honorebel.

Born in St Andrew, Honorebel made his name experimenting with different sounds on albums such as Above The Noise and Guru. In recent years, he has collaborated with reggae acts including Big Mountain on a cover of Beres Hammond’s If Only I Knew.

His biggest hit song, Now You See It (Shake That Ass) made the Billboard charts in 2010. It features Pitbull and Jump Smokers.

Howard Campbell