Portland Rapper With 1.6 Million Views on YouTube Releases New Music

Six months ago Munya Mohamed released a song and had 1 million views on YouTube...in five days!

The Bangor Daily News did a great story about this Portlander six months ago when he was making his first splash with 'Aspirations'. Munya is better known as Shine. Short for Moonshine, because his first name sounds like moon. Shine is from war tore Somali and his family came to America when he was five. They settled in Portland when he was 10. He grew up in the impoverished area of Riverton Park. But that's where he would work on his poetry and record rhyming raps on his phone with friends. They didn't have a studio.  But his first video for 'Aspirations' WAS recorded in a studio and it hit a chord with people who couldn't get enough of it. And yes, that Rolls Royce IS a rental.

WARNING: There is some spicy language.

Shine’s life and career are on the upswing, but he's been through a lot. When he was younger, he got in trouble with the law. But he's grown up a lot and gotten his act together. He now wants to show his kids and his community that dreams are worth chasing!

He knows that a lot of people will judge him from his past (car break-ins, misdemeanors, drugs) but he's moved on and gets inspiration from his time in trouble.  He told the BDN...

... your history can make you a better person.

He's been releasing music since 2015, but it was 'Aspirations' that took off this year because it got Instagram shoutouts from established hip-hop stars Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and Lil Reese. Boom. Within a week, a million views on YouTube. It's currently sitting at around 1.6 million. Now he's releasing new music with 'Aspirations II'. This is 'Flyaway' and yes, there are some explicit lyrics.

Shine still has his day job and does music as a hobby. But one day he will be quitting his job as he takes his poetry and rhyming and rapping to more and more people!