MBR releases single as tribute to late CEO

US-based independent label Mineral Boss Records (MBR) has released a new single, The Realest, by emerging artiste Stinga J to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of its former CEO and artiste Cleon 'Corey' Jones.

The single and its accompanying video were released on November 4, Jones' birthday. His widow, Tawanna Jones, a principal of MBR, said it was her way of saying "it's OK to let go emotionally".

"It took me five years to release the project, but it was voiced five days after his death... but I didn't want to come to terms with it. But I am going to come off the road and start focusing on my producing now, and I was going through my catalogue and I decided it was time to release it," she added.

When Jones was gunned down on December 12, 2017, his death shocked the entire entertainment community. According to information obtained from the police's Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), Jones was shot and killed in his community of Caymanas Bay, St Catherine, by unknown assailants.

The CCU said the attack happened at 9:30 a.m. while Jones was in the company of a woman. Both were shot during the incident and taken to hospital, where Jones was pronounced dead.

Jones and Tawanna founded MBR over 15 years ago and produced a plethora of songs, including Mavado's 2016 hit Progress. The single was featured on American producer DJ Khaled's Grammy-nominated Major Key album.

Since her husband's death, Tawanna has single-handedly kept the record label relevant with timely releases and hits.

In the summer of 2022, MBR released the 'Ruku' rhythm, which created a major splash in dancehall with its interesting line-up of artistes. Lisa Hyper's Sculpture, MBR engineer and artiste JoviDiPree's Cash Lingo, and I-Octane with Kudos were all featured.