Aside from Saweetie, HER, Olivia Rodrigo, and apl.de.ap, there is another Filipino American who is conquering the American music scene and signing on to an American company. Meet rapper MBNel who is currently with San Francisco-based label Empire (same brand as Tyga, Fireboy DML, Tink, Jake Miller, Amber Liu, Alextbh and Afgan).
“I’m not afraid to go deeper than what appears on the surface,” explains MB Anil. “I make music like magazines.”
From Eighth Street in South Stockton, Neil’s accounts of life can be grim. He’s made millions of streams through rap about navigating street icons in a Northern California city, his Filipino-American upbringing, and trying to make his way through music.
MBNel has made millions of streams by rapping about Northern California street icons, his Filipino-American upbringing, and trying to make his way through music.
However, the 25-year-old is challenging himself and his voice. Songs like 2021’s “Opulent”, “Shooting Stars” and “Manifested” were close to the heart while showing depth and scope beyond rap.
These three tracks – each with two million streams or better – featured Neil’s melody composition, honest songwriting, and the ability to uplift audiences around the world.
“I’ve experimented with a whole range of different sounds,” he shared as he continues to amplify and expand his career with a series of dynamic singles in the coming months.
The Muddy Boyz/Empire artist has planned one of his most personal and honest songs to date with the release of “Fadeaway,” which he hopes will resonate with Filipinos. MBNel faces depression and suicide with melody along with melancholy piano and guitar in the studio.
“In 2019, I had a fan. She was supportive and was on my shows. I don’t just single her out. There were two people I know in my life who had depression and that fan committed suicide. While I was growing up, even with other family and friends, I saw people dealing with Depression. This song is dedicated to that. It’s more vulnerable and something completely different than what I did before,” MBNel shared in a virtual interview with Music Geek.
In addition to the subject matter, this is a very different recording from a phonological point of view of Neil, showing off his singing ability. This record includes a video that was filmed as a live performance. At the end of the video, a suicide hotline number is shown to those in need. The record was produced by Jemm and co-written with platinum singer/songwriter CVBZ
This song was released last September, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Half of an individual’s proceeds will be donated to a mental health facility that specializes in suicide prevention.
Here is more of the interview with the Filipino-American rapper:
How did you come up with your musical name MBNeL? What is the story behind it?
MB started as a rap group from our friends group in our neighborhood. It stands for Mud Brothers. We got this name because Stockton’s nickname is “mudville” and the mud from the mud means like from the bottom or poverty. And Neil is an abbreviation of my real name Juniel. So it was noble. It was meant to be spaced out, but for some reason every YouTube or streaming site did it this way, so I kept it like that.
Being an American and a Filipino, how have the two cultures in you shaped your music or influenced your voice?
My dad listened to different kinds of music so it influenced me to sing and things like that. I became a fan I grew up on. As a Filipino kid the rest of his family is from the Philippines, I really had to find myself as a California person. I was around kids of different races trying to prove myself.
What is music to you?
music is my life. I’ve been playing music all my life because of my father. I treat it as my diary. I’m not a really talkative or extroverted person. I’m not really open to people and I don’t feel comfortable opening up to people, so I think music is the best way to open yourself up if you’re such a person. Music is the best way to express yourself.
Can you give some random facts about yourself?
I am an outdoor person because my family is from the Philippines. I’m Visian. My mom is from Cebu and my dad is from Siquijor. They are really outdoors stuff.
What’s next for you and what are you excited about?
I have an international tour coming up. I hope to come back soon to the Philippines or Asia to perform there. I’m just dropping singles now which led to the EP.
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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