Singjay Mission da gr81 has pounded the dancehall pavement for many years, performing at dances and stage shows throughout New York City and Florida. Now, he is ready to make a mark as a recording artist.
Last year, he officially got off the mark as a studio act with ‘Champion’, a song produced by Lighthouse Records. That company, based in rural Trelawny parish, western Jamaica, did similar duties for ‘Off the Hook’, his follow-up.
Most of the songs Mission da gr81 recorded since the early 2000s were never officially released. Many of them were uploaded to YouTube, but with ‘Champion’ and ‘Off the Hook’ now on the market, he has revisited some of his earlier work. “I’ve made some changes to the chorus of some or some verses to make things sound different and fresh,” he explained.
In addition, he has been collaborating with several producers such as JonFX, the man behind Gyptian’s ‘Hold Yuh’, and platinum-selling singles by rapper XXXtentacion.
‘Champion’ and ‘Off The Hook’ hear Mission da gr81 expressing himself on hardcore jams, the type he grew up listening in The Bronx, where he migrated from Jamaica in 1989. He was born in Linstead, a market town in St. Catherine parish, but grew up in St. Mary parish.
While many of his songs have a dancehall flavor, he has boundless admiration for reggae’s elders.
“I listen to a lot of artists people don’t hear about often, like Hugh Mundell. I like Culture and Gregory Isaacs too,” said Mission da gr81.
