Born in Lagos and raised in Dublin, Monjola moves between an effortless rap flow to smokey falsetto without making a thing of it, pulling from church music, Kings Of Leon and Kid Cudi in unexpectedly equal measure. The Cudi influence isn’t just a reference point either, he joined Cudi for seven dates across Europe, which is about as direct an endorsement as it gets.
New single ‘Weight On Me’ is a good place to start. Understated and soulful, it’s a reflection on self-worth, resilience and the burden of carrying unresolved emotions. The rhythmic foundation started life as Monjola hitting a table in the studio, recorded on an iPhone and reshaped from there.
“Usually I hide behind melodies or energy, but this time I wanted to be completely honest”, he explains. “Even though the lyrics come from a heavy place, the song still feels uplifting, like pushing through something instead of drowning in it”.
Monjola is also involved in building the scene that his music is part of. Chamomile Club, the collective he runs with his brother Moio and Aby Coulibaly out of a space on Dublin’s Fade Street, hosts listening sessions and independent events to nurture Ireland’s creative community.
Biig Piig and Coulibaly are both part of the wider Chamomile Records family, a Dublin scene that’s currently producing more than its size would suggest. “The scene is growing at a rapid pace”, Monjola has said. “People are making good shit”. So is he, evidently.
A new EP is on the way, and if ‘Weight On Me’ is anything to go by, it’ll be his most personal release yet, and worth keeping an eye out for.
🎧 Listen to ‘Weight On Me’ below