Artist Introduction: Munk wit da Funk

Artist Introduction: Munk wit da Funk

Brief overview

Full name: –

Born: –

Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Genre: Hip hop, East Coast hip hop

Occupation(s): Rapper

Record label(s): Illadelph

Member of: One Way

Munk wit da Funk is a rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the label Illadelph Records, and released two EPs during his tenure on the label in the mid-to-late-1990s. He was later a member of One Way, which was a collective of Illadelph artists that united to release the album Civic Minded in 2000. After that, Munk didn't release any more music. I read a while ago on a YouTube comment section under one of his videos that he is now a hairdresser, but I don't know how reliable that is.

Munk's most complete project is his 1995 debut EP, the six-track I Been Here I'm Stayin. Munk served as the poster boy of Illadelph, and they put everything they could into advertising this product. For a minor artist on a minor independent label, Munk was given the luxury of having two music videos and two singles, which was a rarity for someone of his stature on a label of his stature. Illadelph figured Munk was to be the star of their label, and, though he may not have been a star, he still ended up being the most notable artist on Illadelph.

The two tracks with music videos and singles are "I Blame My Neighborhood" and "Exercize". The former is a collection of Munk's laments about fallen friends who have died as a result of the neighborhood they live in, while the latter is a lyrical exhibition that is just "exercize" to Munk. The low-budget nature of the music videos shines brightly in both, but they are a good representation of just how little money Illadelph had available to spend and serve as examples of just how real Munk's grind was. I Been Here I'm Stayin was produced almost in its entirety by Jared Kenny, who was a member of the Illadelph-signed Militant Mind State. Its production isn't the most incredible thing in the world by, but Kenny does create two instrumental gems: "Life of Luxury" and the title track. I feel very strongly that these two tracks would have been better to be released as singles with music videos as they are a lot more radio-friendly and marketable, although a music video for "Life of Luxury" (about Munk's dreams of having lots of money) may have been difficult to create convincingly. The b-side of the "Exercize" single, "Shadows", is very confusingly left off the EP, as I feel like it should have definitely been on there.

A three year pause followed, which ended when Munk released his second EP, Money, in 1998. It finds its title from its first track "Money", which is a reworked version of "Life of Luxury" with a nicer sounding beat, a rerecording of the vocals and the addition of singer Dina Pullen to add a more radio-friendly sound. The end result is fantastic, and it's a shame that this song did not catch on in a major way. The rest of the EP (which are two different original songs along with two instrumentals) pales in comparison, but "Money" is worth the money.

Munk's final release was as a member of One Way with the 2000 album Civic Minded. Unfortunately, I can't give much of a rundown on this album, as it is so rare a copy does not even exist on the Internet in a downloadable form.

Following the release of Civic Minded, Munk did not release any additional material or make any guest appearances. Besides not being blessed with a major label deal, groundbreaking production or the best voice, Munk's music sounds so authentic and genuine that it is easy to get past the negatives. Though his pledge to being here and stayin failed to come true, he did have a five-year span of releasing music from 1995 to 2000 that turned up a moderately good EP and a handful of great songs. Here's hoping he's living a life of luxury today.

Best projects: I Been Here I'm Stayin (1995)

Best tracks: "I Been Here I'm Stayin", "Shadows (Remix)", "Life of Luxury"/"Money" (also worth checking out: Debonair P remix of "Money")

Links
Discography on Discogs
Hip Hop Wiki page