The Liberian hip hop/hipco duo Soul Fresh first started back in 2006. Since then, the group consisting of JB and Shining Man has seen a lot of success. The duo received worldwide attention for their 2014 hit “Ebola is real” and has even been recognized at award shows. With the release of their first song “Monrovia Skatta” the two made a name for themselves and amassed a loyal fan base. This led to the duo winning Best Group at the Liberian Music Awards in 2014 and holding a Million Fan Festival in December 2016. In December 2018 Soul Fresh was nominated for Best Hipco artist at the Liberian Entertainment Awards but this did not stop the two from parting ways in early 2019.
It is hard to figure out exactly what happened but at JB’s birthday party on April 6, 2019 there seems to have been an altercation involving Shining Man, his girlfriend Sherine Huballa, and DJ Don. This altercation resulted in Shining Man being hospitalized. As a friend of both Shining Man and DJ Don, JB expressed disappointment at the drama that took place on his birthday but failed to take a side. This caused a rift between Shining Man and JB, causing the duo to split and pursue music independently. It was during this time apart that JB released “small boy” while Shining Man dropped “sergeant.” Fortunately, this was not the end for the award winning duo.
To the delight of their fans, the duo reconciled their differences in 2020 and made a song commemorating their comeback called “Brother For Life.”
The song details some of the lessons they learned during their ordeal while emphasizing the importance of allowing nothing to disrupt true friendship. Soul Fresh apologizes to each other as well as their fans, absolving all guilt and reasserting themselves as “brothers for life.” The music industry and the world at large could learn something from these two men who were willing to acknowledge their mistakes and, furthermore, learn from them so as to teach others.