Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - sta… Read Full Bio ↴Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - started singing hymns at his Mother's church, which is where he received his first encore. When church was over, Reanno would sit on the corner with his friends and flip the devotional lyrics, until his Mother's guiding hand cautioned him for altering the Lord's songs. Reanno continued performing at school, beating his fists in time on his desk and deejaying Bounty Killer's songs (he claims to know all of Bounty's lyrics) before progressing to his own material.

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.

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Busy Signal Lyrics

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Anywayyy
BUSY casava piece pop arff a piece poppin everything lackeen dah sacka de boi dem diss ya na, boy inform war start any wayyyy
Full clip gun nah slip when me run out me three star me use an cut ya fuckin tonge out come a hype widya gal when we dun out is this a run out rize di gun out (busy)a true di boi dem a flip so me pop arff attack dem bullet 12 gauge di mouth chup arff dem head gap arff unu pop off unu back arff a gunshot me dun shot dem bark lack arff
U warn c how di youth a step out inna black work when man a tek it to the street jus like a clock work push me wood ina ya gal aso me cock work BACKA BACKA BACKA so me glock work nah stop work dem fi no man slick inna war bullet dun me use ice pick inna war 3 star when e russ politic inna war bombobloodclart run chip ina war di tugz dem ina di garrison dem long fi diss me an me fatha familage nah fuckin plan fi dis

Overall Meaning

The song "Full Clip" by Busy Signal featuring Mavado is a hard-hitting, aggressive track that talks about violence and war. The lyrics speak of a gangster lifestyle with guns, bullets, and attacks on enemies. The artists speak about how they are not afraid to fight or kill their opponents, and they show no mercy to anyone who comes in their way.

The chorus the lyrics, "Full clip gun nah slip when me run out, me three-star me use and cut ya fuckin tongue out," shows the extent to which the artists would go to eliminate their enemies. The references to ice picks and bombs show the weapons they would use to get rid of the opposition. The lyrics also touch upon the idea of loyalty, with the artists vowing to protect their friends and family from harm.

Overall, "Full Clip" is a song that doesn't hold back in its portrayal of violence and aggression. It paints a picture of a world where only the toughest and most ruthless survive.

Line by Line Meaning

BUSY casava piece pop arff a piece poppin everything lackeen dah sacka de boi dem diss ya na, boy inform war start any wayyyy
Busy is boasting about how easily he can defeat his enemies. He uses a slang term, casava, to describe his gun, and brags that it pops off and shoots anything in sight. He calls out his haters for disrespecting him and starts a war.

Full clip gun nah slip when me run out me three star me use an cut ya fuckin tonge out come a hype widya gal when we dun out is this a run out rize di gun out
Busy warns his enemies that his gun, loaded with a full clip of ammunition, won't malfunction. If he runs out of bullets, he'll resort to using his three-pointed star, which he'll use to cut off their tongues. He mocks those who try to act tough with their girlfriends, reminding them that he can still use his weapon even if they run out.

(busy)a true di boi dem a flip so me pop arff attack dem bullet 12 gauge di mouth chup arff dem head gap arff unu pop off unu back arff a gunshot me dun shot dem bark lack arff
Busy explains that he has to attack his opponents first because they're too unpredictable and might 'flip' on him at any moment. He shoots them with a 12-gauge shot, which makes their mouths shut and leaves a hole in their head. He then taunts them for trying to retaliate, telling them that they'll end up dead while he takes shots at them.

U warn c how di youth a step out inna black work when man a tek it to the street jus like a clock work push me wood ina ya gal aso me cock work BACKA BACKA BACKA so me glock work nah stop work
Busy implies that he's like a clock, always ready to act and attack. He steps out in his black attire to intimidate his enemies. He talks about using his 'wood' to satisfy his sexual desires, but also puns on 'cock,' referring to his gun. He warns others that his weapon won't stop firing, making a 'backa backa backa' sound.

dem fi no man slick inna war bullet dun me use ice pick inna war 3 star when e russ politic inna war bombobloodclart run chip ina war di tugz dem ina di garrison dem long fi diss me an me fatha familage nah fuckin plan fi dis
Busy explains that no one is safe in a war, and he's ready to use any weapon available to him. He talks about using an ice pick if he runs out of bullets. He uses a three-pointed star to attack Russ, who tries to use politics to gain the upper hand. Busy tells his enemies to run away in terror when they hear his gunshots. He also mentions that people in his community are eager to help him and his family in case of danger.

Writer(s): David Brooks, Reanno Gordon, David Harrisingh, Craig Marsh

Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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