Papa San

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Papa San
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Papa San in 1988
Background information
Birth nameTyrone Thompson
Also known asPapa San
Born (1967-07-01) 1 July 1967 (age 58)
Kingston, Jamaica
Origin Spanish Town, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall, gospel reggae
Years active1978–present
Website www.myspace.com/papasanminister

Tyrone Thompson, (born 1 July 1967) [1] [2] [3] better known as Papa San, is a Jamaican reggae, dancehall and gospel singer.

Contents

Biography

Born in 1967 in Kingston, Jamaica, [1] he was raised by his Rastafarian grandmother and began performing with sound systems (including Stereophonic the Bionic, Black Scorpio and Creation) in the late 1970s. [4] He won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981. [4] 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", "Legal Rights" and "Round Table Talk" feat. Lady G & Maddy Maddy Cry. [5] [6]

His brother and fellow deejay Dirtsman were murdered in 1993. [7] In the three years that followed, his sister was killed in a motorcycle accident, his cousin was killed by police, and he himself had legal problems after being arrested on weapons charges. [5] He turned to Christianity in 1997. [8] This is also reflected in his style, as he started off as a true dancehall deejay, later adopting traits of gospel and Christian music. [2] [3] [9] [10]

Papa San sponsored a concert known as Papa San and Friends, to raise funds for orphanages in rural Jamaica. Since becoming a Christian, he has continued to produce his roots reggae sound, but with the message of Christ to the beat instead of his previously popular secular music.

He has six children and lives in Weston, Florida, with five of them and his wife, Debbie Thompson. In 2011, Papa San and his wife, having been ordained ministers of the Gospel, were launched into pastoral ministry and started Our Fathers Kingdom International Ministries.

In 2013, Papa San featured on Church Clothes, Vol. 2 by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, with Andy Mineo, on the song "The Fever". Papa San's album One Blood topped the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart in February 2014. [11]

In 2021, he was awarded by ABGMA with the Soca and Urban/R&B/Pop Award. [12]

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 Carpenter, Bill (2005). "Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia". The Gospel Music Encyclopedia: 322–23.
  2. 1 2 "Papa San Review - ChristianMusic.com". Christianmusic.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Jamaican Entertainment community for Christian, dancehall, reggae". YardFlex.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dabcehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN   978-0-313-33158-9, pp. 230-1
  5. 1 2 Kenner, Rob (2000) "Boom Shots", Vibe , August 2000, p. 163. Retrieved 2 November 2013
  6. ↑ Williams, Leighton (2002) "Dancehall Elders Want Respect Archived 4 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine ", Jamaica Gleaner , 8 December 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2013
  7. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1994). The Guinness Who's Who of Reggae (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 195/6. ISBN   0-85112-734-7.
  8. ↑ "Westbury Music Ltd - Articles". 194.154.164.100. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Papa San drops One Blood today", Jamaica Observer , 2 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013
  10. ↑ Rommen, Timothy (2007) “Mek Some Noise”: Gospel Music and the Ethics of Style in Trinidad, University of California Press, ISBN   9780520250680, p. 96
  11. ↑ Jackson, Kevin (2014) "Papa San's Blood tops gospel chart", Jamaica Observer , 2 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014
  12. ↑ "2021". Global Awards, Radio, Tv, Magazine, Promotion. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
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