Press Releases

• Jun 26 2020 MBNel is "Heroic" in new song and music video

  MBNel debuts new song and video
  “Heroic” featuring Blxst

  Produced by Mike Crook & Keanu Beats

  Lead Single from Child Of The Trenches EP available July 17

  “For hip-hop fans on the west coast,
  MBNel is considered by many to be one of the hottest
  up-and-coming rappers in music.
  To the rest of the music world,
  MBNel remains a secret yet to be discovered.”

  – Elevator

  

  WATCH “HEROIC” MUSIC VIDEO
  LISTEN TO “HEROIC”

  Stockton, CA rapper MBNel shares the lead single and music video “Heroic” from the upcoming 6-song Child Of The Trenches EP available via Muddy Boyz/EMPIRE on July 17. Over a hopeful sweet-sounding track co-produced by Mike Crook [Doja Cat, Blueface] and Keanu Beats [Migos, Polo G, Lil Baby], MBNel takes the mic not only to bear witness to his past gang life and struggles with drugs and poverty, but also to seize the opportunity for a different life for his children. The music video is directed by Blu and the song features multi-talented Los Angeles producer and R&B artist Blxst.

  “I heard the beat by Mike Crook and it just spoke to me. Being a hero and chasing fame ain’t what it’s all about for me. Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they like being villains too. Nobody’s perfect and I’m just a regular guy like everyone else. So knowing that, if someone can relate to my songs and gets inspired to do better, then it’s all worth it,” explains MBNel.

  The new music follows MBNel’s collaboration with Long Beach rapper $tupid Young entitled The Yellow Tape 2. Their first collaboration The Yellow Tape EP featured stand-out track “On Me” that has gained over 6 Million views. Hypebeast calls MBNel a “fast rising Northern California native” and Elevator says he delivers an “authentic sound that carries lyrics with actual substance.”

  MBNel’s honest lyrics not only delve into his struggles in the streets but also delivers a pure message of hope to his fans. His breakout success came in 2018 with “In My City” that shined a light on life in his hometown that has racked up over 10 Million plays via YouTube and Spotify.

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• Jul 17 2020 MBNEL RELEASES NEW EP: CHILD OF THE TRENCHES

  MBNEL RELEASES NEW EP:
  CHILD OF THE TRENCHES

  NEW MUSIC VIDEO:
  HUMBLE

  

  STREAM – CHILD OF THE TRENCHES EP
  WATCH – HUMBLE MUSIC VIDEO

  Today, Stockton, CA rapper MBNel shares his Child Of The Trenches EP available via Muddy Boyz/EMPIRE. On the 6-track EP that was mentioned in XXL Magazine’s new projects this week feature, MBNel not only delves into his struggles in the streets but also delivers a pure message of hope to his fans. The EP contains production from multi-platinum producers Mike Crook [Blueface, $tupid Young, Doja Cat] and Keanu Beats [Migos, Polo G, Lil Baby] with guest features from Inglewood rapper Rucci and Los Angeles R&B artist Blxst.

  MBNel explains, “I wanted to show a child from a foreign country in the trenches. In this case it’s the Philippines, where my family is from. There are trenches all around the world no matter where you go. That reality means a lot of people are struggling, and many from a young start. The picture represents the “trenches,” but these are my trenches…this EP and photo signify my upbringing.”

  Lead single “Heroic” music video has gained close to 500,000 views on YouTube since releasing last month. The song has been supported by the LA Leakers’s popular SiriusXM radio show, Beats 1 Travis Mills Radio and Power 106 DJ Carisma’s official blog. MBNel says about the “Heroic” track, “Being a hero and chasing fame ain’t what it’s all about for me. Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they like being villains too. Nobody’s perfect and I’m just a regular guy like everyone else. So knowing that, if someone can relate to my songs and gets inspired to do better, then it’s all worth it.”

  Today, MBNel also debuts his second music video from the Child of the Trenches project for his track “Humble.” Directed by MBNel and frequent collaborator Snipe Films and shot in his hometown of Stockton, MNNel shows us that although an upbringing in the jungle was survival of the fittest, the survivors try to remain humble through it all.

  Child Of The Trenches EP follows a collaboration project The Yellow Tape with Long Beach rapper $tupid Young. Stand-out track “On Me” has gained over 6 Million views on YouTube. Hypebeast calls MBNel a “fast rising Northern California native” and Elevator says he delivers an “authentic sound that carries lyrics with actual substance.” His breakout success came in 2018 with “In My City” that shined a light on life in his hometown that has racked up over 10 Million plays via YouTube and Spotify.

  

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• Sep 11 2020 MBNel Releases New Song: "Thru The Night"

  MBNEL RELEASES NEW SONG: 

  “THRU THE NIGHT”

  “THRU THE NIGHT”

  LIVE PERFORMANCE

  CHILD OF THE TRENCHES II EP

  AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25

  

  LISTEN TO “THRU THE NIGHT”

  WATCH “THRU THE NIGHT” (OPEN MIC)

  PRE-SAVE CHILD OF THE TRENCHES II

  Today, Stockton, CA rapper MBNel shares “Thru The Night,” the lead single from his upcoming 6-song Child of The Trenches II EP. Alongside a steady, confident beat produced by ImThaOne, MBNel sheds light on his harshest times on the streets and gives his fans a new sense of hope. In an open mic performance of the track, the defiant rapper hits the sunny California coast to reflect on the darkness of his past gang life.

  “Whatever y’all are battling or struggling with in life, things will get better and brighter on the other side…even if it looks like it’s staying dark right now,” explains MBNel.

  Child of The Trenches II EP is available on September 24 via Muddy Boyz/EMPIRE. MBNel joined influencer @EinerBankz recently for an acoustic freestyle of another track from the project “Sincerely” that you can watch on his Instagram page here. The new EP is the second installment of his Trenches series that kicked off in July. Child Of The Trenches EP features included Blxst and Rucci with production from platinum producers Mike Crook and Keanu Beats.

  LISTEN TO CHILD OF THE TRENCHES

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  About:

  Stockton, CA rapper MBNel survived the streets wars growing up in “one of the most dangerous cities in America.” A first-generation Filipino-American, his music is inspired by personal struggles with gang life, drugs and poverty. Influenced by artists Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, Nipsey Hussle and Mozzy, he also relates heavily to Chicago rappers like G Herbo, Lil Bibby and Lil Durk who share a similar reality growing up around gang culture and use rap to share their stories. Elevator declares he’s “one of the hottest up-and-coming rappers in music [with an] authentic sound that carries lyrics with actual substance.”

  In 2015, around his junior and senior years in high school, MBNel began writing and recording raps while putting together music videos himself. In April 2017, he invested in his first official video for “Love My Gang,” which saw 20,000 views its first week and currently at over 2 Million views. A month later he dropped another hit, “Pose’ To” that followed similar success. The songs led to inquiries for performances and interviews and collaborations with artists across his region.

  In 2018, he dropped his mixtape debut with Forever in partnership with local tastemakers Thizzler On The Roof. Forever featured the hit “In My City” that has racked up over 10 Million streams to date and “Day Onez” that gained another 4.5 Million streams. That same year, he teamed up with Long Beach rapper $tupid Young for their fan-favorite “On Me” to launch the first installment of their The Yellow Tapes mixtape series. Thizzler On The Roof teamed up again for his next mixtape Lifestyle and an accompanying documentary about MBNel’s life in Stockton. After the new mixtape and documentary release, MBNel became the #1 most-searched artist on the site for a month straight. The success and feedback led to new fans and new collaborations with popular Bay Area artists Mozzy, Philthy Rich and more.

  EMPIRE Records reached out in 2019 to sign MBNel and release his projects Misunderstood, Countin’ Bands EP and Born To Win. MBNel’s latest release is the mixtape series Child Of The Trenches and Child Of The Trenches II.

  CONNECT WITH MBNEL:

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