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Forget everything you’ve heard about real Hip-Hop to date, MONSTA aka MONSTA GANJAH is the genuine article. Hailing from the streets of Long Beach, California and introduced to the rap world by legendary Bay Area Don ‘Yukmouth’ (of platinum selling duo The Luniz), MONSTA has been patiently waiting to give fans a dose of his gruff West Coast narrative. 

Born and raised by a Samoan Father and a Mexican mother, Monsta was exposed to the harsh realities of two dominant cultures that co-exist on the streets of LA. 

The nephew of pioneering Samoan rappers and West Coast legends the BOO YAA TRIBE, Monsta is considered the Heir to the Polynesian Hip-Hop Legacy. 

Monsta first entered the professional world of the music industry appearing on Yukmouths album “United Ghetto’s Of America” in 2002. With Yukmouths prolific release schedule Monsta put in guest appearances with Tech N9ne, Z-Ro, Gonzoe, Planet Aisa, The Realest and Un-kasa (Dipset/ Purple City) as part of the West Coast Super group The Regime. 

In late 2002 MONSTA was tragically shot twice while attending a VIP industry event in Hollywood. The wounds from the shooting would take months to heal leading MONSTA to spend most of 2003 in recovery. Fortunately Monsta used the time to focus on changing his life, writing songs and developing a new sound. 

From 2003-2006 Monsta toured the world relentlessly with Yukmouth as part of the group “The Regime”, and made appearances on all three installments of Yukmouth Presents The Regime “All Out War” compilations. 

During his touring schedule Monsta made stop off’s performing in both New Zealand and Australia as part of the Kurupt / Luniz tour and found himself at home with the number of Polynesian people that turned out to support him at all of his shows. Seeing an opportunity to further his music Monsta based himself in Australia for two years and released critically acclaimed street mix CD’s “Hood Epidemick Vol 1 & 2” as well as the New Zealand radio hit “Butterflies” with Delani. 

MONSTA signed an exclusive distribution & Marketing deal for his Sour Diesel Muzik imprint through iconic Hip-Hop Label Dawn Raid Entertainment / Universal Records at the end of 2009. With a huge catalogue of music ready to unleash on the world, the first release from the dynamic new partnership is the EP titled “ Allow Me To Re-introduce Myself Vol 1”. The EP is a retrospective collection of his best US work and some new material that will give fans a taste of what to expect from his debut album scheduled for release 2010. 

You’ve been Warned…

 The story of UB40, and how this group of young friends from Birmingham transcended their working-class origins to become the world’s most successful reggae band is not the stuff of fairytales as might be imagined. The group’s led a charmed life in many respects it’s true, but it’s been a long haul since the days they’d meet up in the bars and clubs around Moseley, and some of them had to scrape by on less than £8 a week unemployment benefit. The choice was simple if you’d left school early. You could either work in one of the local factories, like Robin Campbell did, or scuffle along aimlessly whilst waiting for something else to happen.

By the summer of 1978, something else did happen, and the nucleus of UB40 began rehearsing in a local basement. Robin’s younger brother Ali, Earl Falconer, Brian Travers and James Brown all knew each other from Moseley School of Art, whilst Norman Hassan had been a friend of Ali’s since school. Initially, they thought of themselves as a "jazz-dub-reggae" band, but by the time Robin was persuaded to join and they’d recruited Michael Virtue and Astro – who’d learnt his craft with Birmingham sound-system Duke Alloy – the group had already aligned themselves to left-wing political ideals and forged their own identity, separate from the many punk and Two Tone outfits around at that time. The group had nailed their colours to the mast by naming themselves after an unemployment benefit form. Their political convictions hadn’t been gleaned second hand either, but cemented in place whilst attending marches protesting against the National Front, or rallies organised by Rock Against Racism.

By the time Chrissie Hynde invited them to tour with the Pretenders during the summer of 1980 and their debut single "King b/w Food For Thought" had sailed into the UK Top 5, all the essential elements of UB40 were already in place. Their line-up will remain unchanged for almost thirty years, and they will continue playing a mix of original material and inspired choice of reggae covers in a style that’s instantly accessible with its bright melodies and sweeping horn arrangements – one that’s allied to a formidable rhythm section, capable of holding its own with anything from Jamaica.

UB40’s first album was released the following September, on Graduate Records. Their deal allowed them more creative freedom than if they had signed with a major label. The cover artwork memorably duplicated an unemployment benefit card, with the title "Signing Off" rubber-stamped in red, but it was the music that quickly worked its way into the affections of a young, mainly student crowd with its knowing lyrics, solid reggae rhythms and dubby, instrumental passages, offset by warm horn solos and Jamaican style scatting. There was nothing else like it at the time. As a multi-cultural band from Birmingham, UB40 weren’t drawn into trying to sound "authentic," and there was considerably more depth to their music than that of many punk and 2Tone bands. "I’m a British subject, not proud of it, whilst I carry the burden of shame," they sang on one of the tracks. Accepting the truth of their own situation amidst a sea of other reggae songs proclaiming black heritage gave us a valuable insight into where UB40 were coming from. They were unafraid to stand up and be counted, and British audiences instinctively loved them for it. "Signing Off" duly went to No. 2 in the UK and stayed on the nation’s album charts for 72 weeks.

On September 2nd, 2013, UB40 released their latest album ‘Getting Over The Storm’ on Universal/Virgin Records.

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