Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Junior Brown

If you don’t know 27-year-old rapper Junior Brown yet, you will soon. With his hit song “Madrinks” getting over a thousand views on YouTube. Junior since then released a string of hits such as ‘Phil Chiyangwa’ which had been topping the ZiFM Stereo charts for more than two moths”.  Junior Brown promises he’s more than just a clone. Here are top ten(10) things you might not know about Junior Brown below.  

1. Junior Brown was born James Mpakula in September 19, 1988.

2. He is the youngest in a family of four siblings. He is single but has a daughter.

3. Brown’s father passed away in 2013 at a time when Brown made his debut at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA).

4. Brown grew up rapping along to Notorious B.I.G songs and every time he did it, people would urge him on. His family, especially his elder brothers would ask him to do it over and over again. It was here that he then realized he could actually rap and started writing his own verses.

5. Brown continued rapping even at high school when he was at Marlborough High School. From there he and his fellow students would challenge each other refining his art in the process. He continued writing lyrics and making music but he was not recording. It was until later when ZiFM Stereo presenter Love Jones discovered him and assisted him to record his first song in 2006.

6. When the country went into recession, Brown turned to recording. He had been a producer for a long time. He had produced for TK Hollan and others. It was only in 2012 that he released his solo project.

7. Brown also joined the talented rapper Tehn Diamond and producer Take Fizzo to form the group Few Kings which won two awards at the 2013 edition of the ZHHA. It was voted the best group and also won the best album. In the same year, Brown and Tehn collaborated to produce the song ‘Happy’ which won a National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA).

8. 2013 was indeed Brown’s year as he won awards and also rubbed shoulders with some of the best regional giants. In September 2013, Brown performed alongside South African award wining rapper, Khuli Chana at the Shoko Festival. Brown also teamed up with fellow rapper MC Chita for the collaborative album Kings Rendezvous.

9. Brown has two awards to his name. In 2013, ‘Madrinks’ won the Best Song of the Year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards.

10. He was also voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the year at the same awards. This was a recognition for his immense contribution in pushing hip hop music in Zimbabwe.