Bran Muney is so far from fake, he’s a Lost Kid
Music called to Bran Muney at an early age. By the time he was eight years old, he knew he wanted to rap. Inspired by his father and encouraged by his cousins (DJ Mike in particular), Bran set out to hone his musical skills. As a young man, the Chattanooga native had already begun to make a name for himself locally before moving to Johnson City to attend ETSU.
Having returned home, Muney is now set to carve out his place in the scene with the release of his debut EP, Lost Kid. Considering the passion and intensity of his work, Muney has written himself a one-way ticket to the top.
One the first, most striking aspects of Muney’s work is its musicality. Before the first word is ever spoken the backing tracks demonstrate a level of style and sophistication often overlooked in hip hop. To put it bluntly, even if there were no words at all the music is powerful on its own. As it happens, this is just setting the stage for what is to follow.
Muney’s lyrics are brutal in their honesty, stark in their imagery and his rapid-fire flow is like a musical machine gun. I honestly don’t know where he finds time to inhale. Just listening to his work tends to leave one feeling short of breath. Delivered with surgical precision, the man clearly has a mastery of his art that cannot fail to impress. Whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, you’d have to be stone-cold deaf to not be dazzled by his skill and artistry.
The standout track from the EP so far (and the only one to have been officially released at this time) is “My People.” There is a tension in Muney’s voice that straddles the line between urgency and desperation. It is a plaintive quality that informs the listener that this isn’t some kid in a nice suburban neighborhood imitating the music he’s listened to on his iPod, this is a man who knows something about grit and grime.
It is passionate and authentic in its depiction of the day-to-day struggle all too many people face—and yet it is more than just another “life is hard” anthem. There is an underlying current of triumph, or at least a refusal to be broken (which is ultimately triumph) that reminds us that hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
For now, you can preview his work at the bran-money page on sound cloud. It’s worth noting that all the backing tracks for these tunes are soon to be updated with a live band consisting of some of the area’s top musicians (their names will be released in a video update at the beginning of February.)
Muney’s debut performance will be at JJ’s Bohemia on Sunday, Feb. 15 with Big Mike Mic and Shawn Cooley in what is being dubbed, “Thug Passion Party.” It will be a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a musician who is about to become a very big deal.