Papa San Gets Love From MTV

Dancehall gospel superstar Papa San is all smiles these days as his video, Love About You, has been added to the rotation of international video stations, Vh1 Soul, MTV Jams, MTV U and MTV VOD.

“This is the first time that I am getting a video on MTV as an independent gospel artiste. This is not the first that the Lord is doing it for me though, and we are spreading it even further. It is not easy to get in there, it’s tough, they get hundreds of videos a day and can only play one a time. When I was signed on Gospo Centric Zamba (Music Group), videos for songs such as Step Pon Di Enemy was on BET Gospel a lot, but this feels different to get there as an independent artiste,” Tyrone ‘Papa San’ Thompson told DancehallMag. 

GospoCentric Records was a California based Gospel music record label, which started as an independent label by Vicki Mack Lataillade and Claude Lataillade in 1993. The label rose to prominence in the 1990s, largely on the runaway success of gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

“In my secular days, most of my old hits went through VP Records, and afterwards, I was mostly on international labels with gospel songs, and my latest album Life Lessons is on Beloved Records, my label, and distributed through VP Records, so this success is even sweeter,” Papa San said.

The single, Love About You, was released on his 10-track album, Life Lessons.

Papa San is the pastor of his own Florida-based church, Our Father’s Kingdom International Ministries. He just celebrated 25 years of marriage. His children are doing well as his sons Beam, who was recently worked with megastars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna, and Timothy also have production credits on his new album.

“I am highly blessed. Praise God, I am doing it for God, I am not doing it the secular way, and I am still doing it. It’s just God,” he said.

He is presently promoting two singles, Love About You, which was produced by Dwayne ‘Supa Dups’ Chin-Quee and Bother Me, which was produced by Timothy. Both songs have been added to the playlists of several radio stations.

“ Life Lessons is about using the Word of God as the medicine, as the antidote to really bring healing in people’s lives. Life Lessons is one of those albums that prepares you to push through adversity. How do I overcome this? It’s by the Grace of God,” he said.

Papa San won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981. He went on to become one of the major dancehall artists of the late 1980s and 1990s, with hits such as Animal Party, I Will Survive, Style and Fashion, monster hits Legal Rights and Round Table Talk feat. Lady G, Strange, and the fan-favourite Maddy Maddy Cry.

One of his favourite songs was ‘I Will Survive’.

“The video for ‘I Will Survive’ portrayed my family lifestyle and what I was going through at the time, a true life story. If you watch the video, my whole family is in it, my daughter, my mother, my father. My song came from Gloria Gaynor’s hit, but my version is talking about family life, how to survive, and it was a smash hit. I used the melody from Gloria Gaynor and built my own lyrics and the song took off,” he said.

Another hit, Who Dem a Program, was recorded in 1994 with David Morales, which went to the top of the Billboard Dance Chart and made him a world ragga/hip hop name during the 1990s.

Another major hit was Eenie Meenie Minie (Gimme Luv) which also topped the Billboard Dance chart. Both songs featured videos that made it to MTV, winning him stardom stateside with his very own blend of reggae and rapid rhythms.

However, Papa San surprisingly cited the crossover appeal of his ethnic dancehall hit, ‘Maddy Maddy Cry’ which won him many fans in the Caribbean, Japan, Europe and Africa.

“One of my biggest crossover hits is ‘Maddy Maddy Cry’, which is one of the biggest dancehall songs to cross into Africa. I had to sing it two to three times when I went to Uganda. At the time, only a few artistes like Yellowman and Shabba had gone there at that time as a dancehall deejay. When I went there, Maddy Maddy Cry was huge. I performed in Curacao in front of thousands of people in their stadium, and I was told that people all over the world and the Caribbean used the song for public protests for people who wanted change, and even for funerals,” he said.

Papa San traveled to Holland to do a tour based on the popularity of songs such as Dancehall Good to Me but found that Maddy Maddy Cry was a dark horse that was almost irresistible in its appeal to the masses.

Talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who is a huge reggae fan, featured the song on his night show and one of Fallon’s band members told Fallon that he used to play ‘Maddy Maddy Cry’ in his club. The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy and 3rd Eye sampled Papa San’s “Maddy Maddy Cry” on Super Cat’s Dolly My Baby song. 

“I went to Holland for a small tour, for that album, but Maddy Maddy Cry overtook all those other songs, and the same thing happened in Canada and UK,” he said. 

‘Maddy Maddy Cry’ was released on Papa San’s Survival label, and distributed by Jet Star and VP Records. The rhythm was created by Danny Browne. 

“Remember that Maddy Maddy was not distributed by an international label, yet it did well in several overseas markets South America, Europe, Africa…all the rappers knew it, it was a huge hit locally. For me, Maddy Maddy Cry and Strange are bonafide dancehall hits that cross over, wider than the normal dancehall market,” Papa San added.

Papa San turned to Christianity in 1997.

The 1999 album Victory (Interscope) debuted at #5 on the Billboard Reggae charts. His follow, the 2003 album God & I (Gospo Centric) and Real and Personal (Gospocentric) in 2005 both hit #8 on the Billboard Reggae album charts.

In 2008, his Higher Heights album (Abakkuk Records distributed by Universal Records) hit #4 while My Story (Beloved) peaked at #8 in 2012.

A 14-time Marlin Award winner, Papa San’s efforts have also earned him the GMWA award and Stellar award (in 2003), as well as nominations for the Soul Train and Dove awards.In 2013, Papa San featured on Church Clothes, Vol 2 by Christian Hip Hop artist Lecrae, with Andy Mineo, on the song “The Fever”. His album One Blood topped the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart in February 2014.

All of Papa San’s seven albums have hit the top ten of the Bullboard despite the fact that there is reggae gospel Billboard chart, a marvelous feat.

“I know that it is God’s work. One Blood debuted at #1, all of them in the top ten. Now, my market in Africa is bigger than when I was a secular artiste, my music is doing  better than ever before in Nigeria, Uganda and Malawi for several years. I give God the glory and the praise for all the accolades but more importantly,  for the souls that I have been able to bring over to the kingdom of God,” he said.

In 2011, Papa San and his wife, having been ordained ministers of the Gospel,  launched into pastoral ministry and started Our Fathers Kingdom International Ministries.

“There are many who have come to know Jesus Christ through my ministry. I gave up the secular life, and God has rewarded me in abundance in the right and proper way,” he said.