Biga Ranx Interview

Biga Ranx - Reggae Artist.

Interviewed By: LiamPaddy

Firstly tell me some background information about yourself for our readers to learn more about you what it is that you do?

Ok, so I’m a reggae artist from Tours, in France. My name comes from French verlan, which is like a slang which inverses words... So I am called Gabriel, which shortens to Gabi and the verlan is Biga. My music is kind of a mix between reggae, ragga, dancehall and hip hop... I like to play with different styles!

When did you first discover a passion for reggae music?

Well my family taught me a lot about music; my mum would always listen to classical music when I was young and my sister made me listen to Bob Marley and UB40 when I was 5 years old, that’s how I got hooked. My older brother who’s a DJ (Atili Bandolero) also taught me a lot. So I already had this passion for reggae but it was when I went to Jamaica when I was 18 that I realised my voice was a real talent and a gift that I should do something with. Tours is a little town, but I was keen, so started going to every reggae night there was and taking the mic anytime I could. At the start, everyone would laugh at me when they saw me come up to the mic like ‘look at this kid trying to jam like us’ but they actually liked it, you know! It was the same in Jamaica, they’d say ‘Biga Ranx? You don’t look so big!’ 

What's been your biggest achievement regarding your career within music?

Well obviously I am really proud to have brought out two albums ‘On Time’ and ‘Good Morning Midnight’ with my label X-Ray Production... Apart from that I am honoured to work with one of my reggae idols Joseph Cotton; we recorded a song called ‘Air France Anthem’ which now has something like a million views on YouTube, I wasn’t expecting a little freestyle to get so big! He was the one who gave me the name ‘Ranx’ and helped me a lot to develop my style. And I can tell you this little anecdote, from when I was in Jamaica... one of the biggest Jamaican reggae artists who I was with told me one night ‘you sound like us’, that meant a lot to me. 

How would you describe yourself to be different from other artists out there at the moment?

I think other people could respond to this question better than me haha... but I think the fact that I am French but have learnt to speak Jamaican patois is pretty unusual. When I went to Jamaica they really tested me, like there’s two of you and someone lays down a rhythm and then you just have to go for it, toasting over it and keeping up the flow, you’ve got to follow the vibe. So that was kind of their test for me. I passed hahaha... they saw that I had a good voice, even though I’m white and French! I went back there a second time in 2011 with France O to film the documentary ‘Biga Ranx en Jamaïque’ (Biga Ranx in Jamaica) which was another incredible experience, it felt like home.

What would you say inspires you to write the music you write?

What inspires me is everyday life, the ups and downs.  Lots of artists want to spread a serious message, but I don’t want to impose one particular teaching on people or try to be a prophet or something.  I think that the people who listen to my music are like me, they don’t want to be managed or influenced by someone they just want to escape the crap in their lives by listening to a good album and sharing some good music. I want my music to be fun and entertaining, to bring a positive vibe.

Another thing that inspires me is not giving up in the daily struggle. So in the song ‘I’m Hungry’ I sing about my struggles in music and daily life. ‘Ordinary Day’ is another song which is more conscious; about how each day is different so make the most of it. I sing about hope as well and always make my tracks full of hope. I think ‘Ordinary Day’ is like a prayer, I am thanking God for the life he has given to me. I want to get my passion for life despite the hard times.

If you could work with any artist out there at the moment who would it be and why?

I’ve been lucky to work with many artists who I admire and who have become my friends, people like Kanka, Joseph Cotton, and Potential Kidd who I met and got on really well with musically and personally. I met Popcaan and we really clicked so I’d love to work with him. I’m also excited to be playing in a line-up with him and Major Lazer at Summerjam. But because my music has a lot of influences from other genres like hip hop there are just too many artists I admire and would love to work with, so the list would be way too long... But I’m open to any propositions haha.

How did you get to where are today musically?

I guess because I have worked hard to get to where I am today. One of the things that helped me the most I think was learning English at school, and I often travelled to England with my Father. After I had learnt English really well I learnt patois, listening to reggae all the time helped a lot. I work hard every day, when I started I did a lot of mixtapes with my brother and performed at every bar and venue I could find.

Then meeting my label X-Ray was probably what gave me my break, so I could record my music and go on tours meeting fans who have supported me since the very beginning. Cos really, that’s the best part of the job - being on a stage in front of people who love what you do.

Have you got anything upcoming in the pipeline for the future?

Yeah I’ve got a lot of exciting stuff planned for the future; I’m bringing out a vinyl with Joseph Cotton including the ‘Air France Anthem’, a vinyl with Kanka, another with Mungo’s Hi Fi. We’re also filming the music video for the next single off my 2nd album and I’m already working on my 3rd album. I’ll be really busy too with more live dates around France (we have more than 70 in total this year) and festivals in France and Germany this summer. So loads of stuff!

Where do you see your career heading within the next 12 months?

Well, I would really like to share my music internationally more and get my music heard abroad, like in the UK and Germany where the reggae scene is big. The fact that I sing in English means more people can understand my lyrics and share my love for reggae. As I said, I’m working more on my 3rd album as well which I am really excited for.

Would you ever go on tour to the UK?

Yeah definitely, I’m really looking forward to getting to that stage!

What artist from the UK Music industry would you love to make music with?

I really enjoyed working with Charlie P and DJ Aphrodite who are both English, and Mungo’s Hi Fi, from Scotland, we worked together on a couple of things. I would also love to make music with Kid Cudi, that would be cool. Again, I’m open to propositions! 

What advice would you give to someone attempting to gain a career within the music industry?

The most important thing is to love your work and not give up on it! So keep going and believe in what you do. I make my music for other people, for the shared enjoyment of music. Be passionate!