Since stepping out onto the dancehall scene in 2003, Busy Signal's undeniable talent and lyrical dexterity has taken him quickly to the front of the pack. Busy's breakout hit single - "Step Out" - was one of dancehall's hottest songs for 2005 and with a thugged-out video to match, it signalled the arrival of dancehall's next superstar.
Busy Signal, an alias given to him by a friend because of his constantly busy persona, has always approached his craft from a different perspective, not trodding the usual road of trying to voice on every rhythm out there to try and catch a break. Instead, Busy chose to record songs with concepts attached to them on purpose-built rhythms. The first such track to catch the attention of a wider audience was "Born and Raised", a song in which Busy Signal reps his birthplace and narrates the gritty realities of Jamaica.
"Even though I was an unknown artist and there was no-one else on the riddim," says Busy, "the track got good airtime which encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Producers don't want to give young artists a break more time, so young artists can get stifled. I just work hard on putting creative flows and melodies together and so far people have been feeling it." Already with a big following worldwide, Busy doesn't see his music as stopping in Jamaica. A slew of Busy Signal mix CDs flooded the streets from Halfway Tree to Brixton to Flatbush and beyond, creating and spreading the hype that lead to Busy being the strongest young artist to emerge from 2005.
Busy's self-production and businesslike approach to the industry has seen him already launch his own label, Network Records. The first releases, "Tell Santa Dis" and "Where I'm From" are distributed worldwide and are selling well.
Although Busy didn't rely on familiar rhythms and producers for a break, he has no problem recording for other labels, such as Renaissance, for whom Busy recorded "Not Going Down," showcasing his singing and deejaying abilities. Other tracks from Busy include "Because of You," with Tami Chin on the Throwback Giggy beat, "That Bad," and "Pharmacy" for Don Corleon, "Fade Away" for John John and "Too Much Gun," which sees Busy in explosive form, delivering rapid fire lyrics atop the reworked Man Fi Dead (Petty Thief) soundbed.
The end of 2005 saw Busy Signal garner immense critical success from show-stealing appearances on all the major stage shows across Jamaica, including the Smirnoff Experience alongside Sean Paul, Bobby Valentino and others, as well as Island Explosion, Camp Fire and West Kingston Jamboree. And of course there was the already-legendary debut appearance at 6.45am on the toughest stage in the world - the infamous Sting reggae concert. Busy stepped out in the rising sun adorned in full black and underlined why he is here to stay.
2006 has seen no ease up in Busy's momentum, with a headline grabbing performance at Reggae Sumfest 2006, where he performed solo on Dancehall Night and was also called up by G Unit on International Night. With successful tours of the UK, the Caribbean and Japan already knocked down and with Step Out breaking new ground on the esteemed Billboard chart, Busy is already being heralded as a new icon in the business.
On and On
Busy Signal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till the early morn
One and on, gyal bubble and turn me on
Love how the gyal them gwaan
Hey, work wid the program
So much gyal deh yah cyaa stuck paw one
Great them wid the Blackberry Z10
Shi waan gimmi the pin fi link mi so long
So much a gyal a pass mi tempted to touch
Brace paw one shi ready fi wine up
A hotter gyal a pass da one yah time up
Party a gwaan and the place it ram
Gyal the bruk out when them hear which song
Hoy my gyal how yo gwaan suh?
Hoy my girl how yo bad suh?
Brace it paw mi slowly
Member fi save little wine fi mi baby
Freakyness sweet in the streets you a lady, maybe
The lyrics to Busy Signal's "On and On" describe a lively party where there are many attractive women ("gyals") present. The party continues "on and on" until the early morning hours, with the women dancing and "bubbling" (moving their hips seductively) and turning the singer on. He enjoys the way the women are behaving and encourages them to continue with the program, meaning to keep the party going. There are so many women in attendance that he cannot pick just one to focus his attention on, and they all seem to be interested in him as well, as demonstrated by a woman who wants to exchange Blackberry pins with him.
The second verse of the song focuses on the singer's temptation to touch some of the passing women. He recognizes that there is another woman near him who is ready to dance with him, but he is distracted by the many "hotter" women passing by. The party is lively and crowded, with women dancing to the music and the atmosphere becoming more and more frenzied. The singer asks one of the women to "brace paw" him, meaning that he wants her to get close to him so they can dance. Despite the many women around him, he saves a bit of his attention for a special someone whom he refers to as "my baby." He closes the song by commenting on the "freakiness" that can be found in the streets, but asserting that even in the midst of this wild party atmosphere, the women he is with are still ladies.
Line by Line Meaning
On and on in a the party the girls them gone
The party is going on and on, and the girls have left.
Till the early morn
The party is going on till the early morning.
One and on, gyal bubble and turn me on
The girls keep moving and dancing, and they turn me on.
Love how the gyal them gwaan
I love the way the girls are behaving.
Hey, work wid the program
Hey, let's follow the program or plan.
So much gyal deh yah cyaa stuck paw one
There are so many girls here, and I can't only stick to one girl.
Great them wid the Blackberry Z10
The girls are showing off their Blackberry Z10 phones.
Shi waan gimmi the pin fi link mi so long
She wants to give me her Blackberry Messenger pin to keep in touch for a long time.
Ice in a glass, liquor in a cup
I have a glass with ice and liquor in it.
So much a gyal a pass mi tempted to touch
So many girls are passing by me, and I'm tempted to touch them.
Brace paw one shi ready fi wine up
One girl is ready to dance and wine up on me.
A hotter gyal a pass da one yah time up
A hotter girl has passed by, and this girl's time is up.
Party a gwaan and the place it ram
The party is still going on, and the place is crowded.
Gyal the bruk out when them hear which song
The girls start dancing when they hear a particular song.
Hoy my gyal how yo gwaan suh?
Hey, girl, how are you doing?
Hoy my girl how yo bad suh?
Hey, girl, how are you doing? Are you bad?
Brace it paw mi slowly
Dance slowly with me.
Member fi save little wine fi mi baby
Remember to save some dancing or wine for my baby.
Freakyness sweet in the streets you a lady, maybe
Being freaky is great on the streets, but you're a lady, so maybe not.
Writer(s): W. Philwit, , Vernon Spencer, Rodney Price
Contributed by Muhammad Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yazminrahman2848
Still a banger in 2017☝🏽👊🏽
@ssendijjaderrick2678
This was sweet way back when I got fired from work
@jasonmatovu358
busy signal ah di baddest, maaaaaad chunne
@kanyeful
Only Busy can sing like that. ....
@IAMMUTWIRI
love the voice..
@EmmaWM1
More fire from Busy!!!!!
@theroaine
up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@shannnicoleparker-john3430
big tune...foaming
@AMUNRETIZBETNEGUS
yeah like it
@jandellhaywood434
it bukk large up Troath D Madking