Music for the motivation.
Connecticut-based Jamaican artist Papa Biggy is spreading hope in his new song “Walk with God.” The popular calypso and soca-fused gospel song focuses on the failures of friendships and other relationships, and encourages finding faith in between it all, said the singer.
“It’s an inspirational song about something that I have experienced myself in regards to disappointment by the people you love the most and people close to you, and it’s a general song saying you can’t just trust friends so you have to walk with god,” said Papa Biggy. “It’s really an inspirational song.”
Making a return to the music scene Papa Biggy started his music career in 1982 after winning a national deejay contest, which would also lead to his scholarship to attend the Jamaican School of Music. Having worked as a producer with artists such as Sizzla, Luciano, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, he is not a rookie to the industry and wanted to try something new in his sound this time around, said Biggy.
The upbeat rhythm for “Walk with God” instantly drew him when he heard it and became the incentive for the song, said Biggy. Hoping to also reach more listeners he chose to go with a fusion beat combining reggae, calypso, and soca.
“It had a different sound and I’ve been doing this for years but this time I wanted to do something different and new, and the words just exploded off of my tongue with it,“ he said. “I also wanted to do something that would appeal to a wider crowd and not just reggae audience.”
The song has religious context but all kinds of audiences can enjoy the message summarized in the song, said Biggy. Likening his song to Mr. Vegas’ 2012 hit song “I am Blessed,” he says his track has a similar mass appeal to listeners.
“It has the same type of vibe and the song has a general message — it can be played in the dance hall or anywhere,” said Biggy. “This song is something that is motivating and uplifting and you’ll feel empowered.”
Papa Biggy says that as a Christian-raised artist and lover of music, he is not a religious fanatic and only wants to share the guidance of teachings that helped him to inspire other people. But most importantly he wants to entertain people in the purest way that he can, he said.
“I strongly believe in God but I don’t make religion determine the way I look at others because I look at it as a concept of love and as long as you believe in love that’s fine by me,” he said. “I’m a cultural dancehall and reggae singer and a conscious artist. My songs are inspirational and have social messages that come across to the diaspora and different people on different levels.”
