Baddiz

Born Greg Bryan on 15th March 1974, the youngest child to Alfred Bryan and Veronica Baker, Greg started his life in Big Lane Central Village, Spanish Town, St Catherine, Jamaica. Greg was brought up by his father from a baby, in Barbican, St Andrew and St Mary. Greg’s love for music started at the early age of six when he attended Rasta Man meetings with his father in Barbican. The community would congregate to study the Bible, cook and chant together.

“This had a profound effect on my life as a child. I felt as if I have a divine purpose with music.”

Playing instruments such as the shanty drums and bass box, Greg relished in the spiritual connection invoked and procured during these times.

Sadly, Greg’s father died in 1983, and he went to live with his mother in Duncans Pen, Spanish Town where he shared a five bedroom home with eight family members, attending Jews Land Primary and Pembroke Hall Secondary school.

When Greg left school he worked various jobs as a security guard, a pharmacy assistant and then as a baker at Tastee Patty, until he married, and migrated to England in 1998. Greg’s first job in England was a Bus Driver for London Central; this is where he gained the nickname ‘Baddiz’ by his fellow colleagues.

A significant turning point for Greg occurred on a normal afternoon when his two young daughters, Monique and Tiffany, played in the garden whilst he prepared dinner. The youngest, aged six came to him and said; “Daddy, you’re always singing. When you’re cooking, you sing. When you’re driving, you sing. When you’re taking us to school, you sing. In everything you do, you sing. So, Daddy, is it your dream to become a singer, why don’t you follow your dream?”

These words reminded Greg of the feelings evoked when he would commune with the Rastas back in his formative years in Barbican and he could not deny that feeling of divinity from that spiritual connection. Shortly after this occurrence he emancipated himself from his day job to dedicate his life to singing and has not looked back since.

From the conversation with his daughter, Greg started writing and producing his own songs and released his first nine track album in 2015, called ‘The Great Rise’. The songs on the album are called ‘My Heart’, ‘We No Need It’, ‘Jah Jah Prophet’, ‘I’m Sailing’, ‘See These Things’, ‘She Don’t Know Me That Well’, ‘Lift Me Up’, ‘Disaronno’, ‘Touch Screen’, all of which Baddiz wrote based on life experiences.

Baddiz’s favorite artists were Peter Tosh and Garnet Silk. He drew inspiration from some of the greats: practicing his dancing skills like Bob Marley, with the cool demeanor of Gregory Isaacs and as melodious as Dennis Brown and created his own style on stage.

“I want to thank Jah for the gift of reggae music and for sending my six year old daughter to remind me of my responsibility in the music industry.”