HOMAGE: Miles Mussenden and Majah Hype Beyond the Awards
In a candid conversation with Caribbean EMagazine, the filmmaker and his award-winning star discuss survivor’s guilt, the limits of loyalty, and the lives that continue after the street story ends.
Miles Mussenden wasn’t interested in making another film that left its street figures frozen in their younger years. He wanted to know what happened afterward. What became of the men who survived, built families, and tried to live differently? And what happened when someone from the life they had escaped returned expecting a place in the life they had built?
“What happens to those men when they grow up?” he asks, recalling the question that helped shape HOMAGE.
For Mussenden, the answer drew on experiences close to home. Two family members served markedly different prison terms after facing similar charges. Friends from his youth never made it out. Others survived with wounds that were harder to see. Those experiences gave him something more complicated to explore than a straightforward confrontation between a man and his past: the guilt of having moved forward when someone beside you could not.
Directed by and starring Mussenden, HOMAGE follows a reformed street figure who tries to help an old friend newly released from prison, placing his hard-earned peace and family life at risk. Its premise carries an uncomfortable question. When does gratitude for a shared past become an obligation—and who pays when that obligation goes too far?
The film received Best Caribbean Film of the Year at the Caribbean Film Awards, while Majah Hype won Best Actor for his portrayal of Squeeze. For an entertainer whose comedy has made the details of Caribbean life instantly recognizable to audiences, the role required a different use of his observational skills. He had to resist the impulse to deliver a laugh and allow silence, discomfort, and vulnerability to do their work.
“I wanted people to see Squeeze and forget they were watching Majah Hype,” he says.
Following Caribbean EMagazine’s earlier review of HOMAGE, Mussenden and Majah Hype joined us for a written Q&A about the experiences behind the film, the choices behind its performances, and their ambitions for Caribbean storytelling. Their answers reveal two artists thinking carefully about what recognition makes possible—and what they still want to say.
Miles Mussenden: The Lives Behind the Story
Caribbean EMagazine: Congratulations on HOMAGE winning Best Caribbean Film of the Year. What did that recognition mean to you after the work it took to bring this independent film to audiences?
Miles Mussenden: It means a great deal to have our work recognized by the Caribbean community. I’ve been part of that community all my life—from where I grew up to my years as a reggae and dancehall music producer. I’ve often preferred to work behind the scenes, but these days I find myself stepping forward more and more. This award made that recognition especially meaningful.
Caribbean EMagazine: What inspired the central story of a reformed street figure trying to help an old friend fresh out of prison? Was there a particular experience or question you wanted to explore?
Miles Mussenden: Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s was tough. Many people didn’t make it out, and those who did often carried the scars. A friend kept encouraging me to make a project about where we grew up. I resisted at first because I didn’t want to glorify anything negative. But I thought about films like Shottas and Paid in Full and wondered: What happens to those men when they grow up?
I wanted to explore survivor’s guilt and the consequences of past choices. I also had two family members go to prison on similar charges. One accepted a plea; the other went to trial and received a life sentence. One served about 15 years, while the other was fortunate to be released after 30 years, following changes to the crack sentencing laws. I often wondered whether the person who served twice as long would come out bitter. Those questions helped shape the emotional heart of the film.
Caribbean EMagazine: The film asks whether loyalty to an old friend can threaten the family and peace someone has built. Where do you draw the line between helping someone and allowing their past to endanger your future?
Miles Mussenden: It’s an individual decision, and you have to be in tune with yourself to take that kind of chance. You may sense when something isn’t right, but you have to be willing to listen to that inner voice. If you have doubts, look for another way to help that doesn’t put you or your loved ones at risk.
I learned that through experience. I was in Miami for work and met up with an old friend from the music business. While we were driving, I noticed he became nervous when the police got behind us. It turned out there was something in the car that I knew nothing about. Since then, I’ve been more careful about who I ride with and learned to trust my discernment.
Caribbean EMagazine: How did your Caribbean background shape the characters, family relationships, and the way loyalty is understood in HOMAGE?
Miles Mussenden: I grew up in a beautiful Caribbean-American community—a melting pot of the Black diaspora. But alongside that beauty, there was also violence and the temptation to cut corners in search of a way out of circumstances that could feel like a nightmare. For many people, the American dream seemed just within reach if you compromise. That tension—the richness of the community alongside the pressures people faced—shaped the world and relationships in HOMAGE.
Caribbean EMagazine: As both director and star, which scene challenged you most, and how did you work through it?
Miles Mussenden: One of my biggest challenges was finding the right authenticity for the younger versions of Face and Squeeze. The actors I cast in Atlanta were talented, but some of the cultural nuances weren’t familiar to them. I worked closely with them to help find the right rhythm and energy. Sometimes I’d put on music, dance, or step into the scene to demonstrate how the men from that time might move and carry themselves.
Even then, I had to make adjustments in the editing room. Some footage that didn’t feel right ultimately had to stay on the cutting-room floor.
Majah Hype: Finding the Man Inside Squeeze
Caribbean EMagazine: Congratulations on winning Best Actor for Squeeze. What first drew you to the character, and what did you need to understand about him before you could play him convincingly?
Majah Hype: Thank you. First and foremost, I’m truly honored to receive this recognition. What drew me to Squeeze was the opportunity to step outside of what people normally expect from Majah Hype. People know me for making them laugh, but I’ve always believed that being an entertainer is about more than just comedy. It’s about making people feel something.
For me, I had to understand Squeeze as the character before anything else. I didn’t want to just play a character. I wanted to understand his mindset, his struggles, his decisions, and the things that shaped him. Because sometimes people make choices that we don’t agree with, but that doesn’t mean we can’t understand what led them there.
I wanted people to see Squeeze and forget they were watching Majah Hype. That’s when I knew I was doing my job.
Caribbean EMagazine: Audiences know your comedy, but this role called for something different. What did you bring from your comedic experience, and what habits did you have to set aside?
Majah Hype: People don’t realize that comedy and dramatic acting have a lot in common. Both require timing, emotion, observation, and the ability to connect with people.
As a comedian, I’ve spent years studying human behavior. I pay attention to how people speak, how they react, their body language, and even the things they don’t say. All of that helped me bring Squeeze to life.
But the biggest adjustment was learning that I didn’t always have to entertain. In comedy, your instinct is to find the funny moment or get a reaction. With this role, I had to learn to embrace silence, vulnerability, and uncomfortable emotions.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do as an actor is say absolutely nothing and let the audience feel what’s happening.
Comedy taught me how to command attention. Drama taught me how to hold that attention without saying a word.
Caribbean EMagazine: Without giving away spoilers, was there a scene or character choice that changed how you understood Squeeze?
Majah Hype: Without giving too much away, what really changed my perspective was realizing that Squeeze couldn’t be approached as simply a good guy or a bad guy.
There’s a difference between understanding someone’s actions and agreeing with them. Once I understood that, I stopped trying to judge the character and started trying to understand him.
That changed the way I approached his emotions, his reactions, and even the quieter moments.
One thing I’ve learned in life is that everybody has a story, and sometimes the person you see on the outside is completely different from the person fighting battles on the inside.
That’s what I wanted to bring to Squeeze. Not just a performance, but humanity.
The Debts That Remain—and What Comes Next
Caribbean EMagazine: The synopsis suggests that some debts return to collect. Beyond money, what kinds of emotional or personal debts does HOMAGE explore—and what do you hope audiences debate afterward?
Miles Mussenden: There’s the feeling that you owe something to the people you came up with who didn’t have the same opportunities or success. At the same time, those people may believe you owe them, even when you may not. There’s also the grief of missing friends who didn’t survive, and the limits people can face when a criminal record follows them—affecting where they can go and what they can do.
I hope audiences leave knowing that your past doesn’t have to define you. If you have the ability to help your brother, do it—but not at the expense of the people who depend on you.
Majah Hype: I think one of the most powerful messages in HOMAGE is that not every debt is financial.
Sometimes we owe people apologies. Sometimes we owe people the truth. Sometimes we owe ourselves forgiveness. And sometimes the biggest debt we carry is the consequences of decisions we made years ago.
Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. You can run from certain situations, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve escaped them.
What I hope audiences take away is a conversation about accountability, loyalty, forgiveness, and redemption.
I want people leaving the film asking themselves, “Does someone’s past define who they are forever? Can people truly change? And at what point does someone deserve a second chance?”
Because those are real conversations that go far beyond the movie screen.
Caribbean EMagazine: With the awards recognition and availability on Tubi and Prime Video, what would you like this next chapter to make possible for the film and your future work?
Miles Mussenden: I’d love for the Caribbean diaspora to watch and embrace the film, and for it to reach a wider audience too, because its themes are universal. I also hope HOMAGE helps show that audiences will support our stories and that telling them can be profitable. That would help me make more films on a larger scale.
Majah Hype: First, I’m grateful. Grateful for the recognition, grateful for everyone who believed in this project, and grateful for the opportunity to show another side of my talent.
For years, people have known Majah Hype as the comedian who brings Caribbean culture to life through laughter. And I’m proud of that. I built my career on that foundation.
But I never wanted to put limitations on what I could become.
Winning Best Actor is special because it represents growth. It reminds me that you should never allow people to put you in a box just because they’re comfortable seeing you one way.
My hope is that HOMAGE reaches audiences around the world and opens more doors, not just for me, but for Caribbean actors, filmmakers, and storytellers who deserve opportunities to have their work seen and respected internationally.
Moving forward, I want to take on more dramatic roles, create meaningful films, and continue building projects through my production company, Hype Media and Films Inc.
I want my legacy to be bigger than making people laugh. I want to make people laugh, cry, think, and most importantly, feel.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my journey, it’s this: Never let what people know you for become the limit of what you’re capable of.
This is just another chapter. The story is far from over.
After the Awards, the Story Continues
Mussenden began with a question: What happens to the men who survive the street stories after the credits would normally roll? In HOMAGE, survival comes with obligations—to old friends, to family, and to the person someone is trying to become. His own experiences give those tensions weight, while Majah Hype’s approach to Squeeze leaves room to understand a man without excusing his choices.
The awards mark a milestone for both men, but their ambitions extend beyond this film: larger productions for Mussenden, more dramatic roles for Majah Hype, and a wider audience for Caribbean stories. For now, HOMAGE leaves viewers with a difficult question of their own: How much do we owe the people we survived with—and who pays when that loyalty asks too much?
HOMAGE is available on Tubi and Prime Video. Watch HOMAGE on Tubi.
By Janet Miller, Entertainment Editor
Photo credits:
Homage
Mark Paris
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