Episode this artist appeared in
Brief History
In 1978 once again the fabled Studio One Label was positioned at the forefront of Jamaica’s newest music revolution. Head honcho, Coxone Dodd, introduced a new crop of artists, and among them is the sensational deejay duo, Papa Michigan and General Smiley. The twosome eagerly accepts their roles as pacesetters of a new and exciting period in dancehall’s history.
Michigan and Smiley got out of the blocks quickly as the single, “Rub A Dub Style” hits the local charts, and also their first commercial success! Consecutive chart toppers followed and made dancehall anthems such as ”Nice up the Dance” another monster hit and Jamaica’s song of the Year for 1979. “One Love Jamdown” was their second Song of the Year in 1980, and again in 1981 “Diseases” became their third acclaim of song of the year (all penned by Papa Michigan). As chief rockers, their rapid success was enough to establish Papa Michigan and Smiley as one of Reggae’s most prolific musical forces.
Now a solo artiste, Papa Michigan continues to write, record, and perform ground breaking material. The 2004 album, " It’s All Good ”, yielded the hugely popular underground single "400 years“, "Barack Obama", "Hustler", & "These Streets” has served once again to reinforce his artistic brilliance. Now conscious of the need to be relevant, Michigan is employing a variety of strategies including a unique fusion of streetwise hip hop flavour that he blends with his native sound. Donning the caps of songwriter, producer and performer, it is evident that Papa Michigan has not only mastered several areas of the business but has continued to blossom over the years. His success as a producer for such powerhouses as Luciano, Glen Washington, Tristan Palma, George Nooks and Half Pint, has done little to quell his premier his passion. Performance and recording still beckons. After years of working behind the scenes, Papa Michigan has returned to the performing arena without losing a beat. In his own words, “it takes an experienced soldier to lead an army”.