Nigy Boy hails Shabba, Beenie Man as inspiration for ‘Continent’
Published:Sunday | January 14, 2024 | 12:07 AMAnthony Turner - Sunday Gleaner Writer
NEW YORK:
Nigy Boy is one of the hot, trending dancehall singers, who has been blazing the charts with his recently released, global hit single, Continent. The song has got more than a million views on YouTube in eight days and last Friday was number-one on trending. It has also featured on multiple music charts.
The visually impaired musical phenom, whose real name is Nigel Hector, is thankful for his success and felt obliged to acknowledge the pivotal role dancehall Grammy icons Shabba Ranks and Beenie Man played in the song choice.
“Songs from giants in dancehall like Shabba Ranks, who sang about Trailer Loads of Girls and Beenie Man who sang about “having girls in a bundle” gave me some inspiration,” he confessed.
Central to the success of Continent, which was recorded on Rvssian’s Dutty Money rhythm, is producer himself, who the singer acknowledged for his musical wizardry and professionalism.
“Working with Rvssian was a fluid and seamless process,” Nigy Boy told The Sunday Gleaner. “Everything just happened like magic. It was an experience I’ll never forget for the rest of my career,” he reiterated.
The aspiring law student at the State University of New York (SUNY) said that he came up with the lyrics for Continent, based on his knowledge of basic geography and his interaction with women from different parts of the world.
“Instead of focusing on girls from individual countries, I decided to take a more global approach,” he shared.
Fans have been impressed, describing the singer as a genius for his vision to steer clear of overused topics like guns, misogyny, taboo sex, drugs and scamming which have proliferated many of the songs dominating the dancehall space.
“It’s definitely an indescribable feeling to know that I am the most trending artiste in the reggae/dancehall space,” he acknowledged. “I think Continent became beloved by fans because it was something different from the popular music of modern dancehall as it relates to lyrics and how the song was composed.”
While new fans of Nigy Boy are awed by his current success, overcoming obstacles and exceeding expectations is something he has done all his life. At birth, his mother was told by doctors in Montego Bay that he would not survive outside of the womb. He not only survived, but is now thriving.
The New York-based singer began turning heads from 2021 when R&B superstar Chris Brown acknowledged his musical chops on Instagram saying, “this brother is super raw” with tons of fire emojis. The Continent boss has also received thumbs up from Bounty Killer, Dexta Daps, Shenseea, Jada Kingdom, Karnium and Izy. In 2022, Dexta Daps invited him onstage at two summer performances.
Fourteen months ago, moments after delivering a scintillating performance at his first major gig in New York, Blue & Bougie party promoter Jerry McDonald said he felt compelled to book him given his exceptional talent.
“He was still a relative unknown at the time, but we felt confident to book him. We knew someday soon Nigy would become a household name, not just in reggae circles, but in mainstream America, given that he is already being compared to The Weeknd, Usher and Stevie Wonder,” McDonald stated.
Since the release of Continent, requests for live performances and dubplates for Nigy Boy have quadrupled.
“Bookings are coming in. I am extremely thankful and appreciate that more people are now recognising and endorsing the talent. I personally intend to leave a lasting mark wherever I go,” reggae’s newest sensation shared.
Having performed at Rebel Salute last year, and given his current popularity, has Reggae Sumfest called?
“Well as far as the organisers of Sumfest reaching out to me for an appearance this year, let’s just say, expect the unexpected, because there are a lot of things going on in the pipeline at the moment. I am always ready for a performance in my hometown. MoBay is my place and it’s an honour to be among individuals who are out representing the parish to the fullest” he explained.
Nigy Boy’s catalogue include Superwoman, which was dedicated to his mom; Waterfalls, featuring Mr Vegas; You and I; and Lover not a Fighter.