WHILE attending Montego Bay Community College, Donte Johnson had aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur. However, music was what he pursued professionally.

Now, three years after establishing his music label Papi Don Muziq, Johnson is one of the most in-demand producers.

The production house is carving out a niche in the industry, having worked with a long list of acts, including: Teejay ( Up Top); Chronic Law ( Pain); Gage ( Motivation); Shaneil Muir ( Yamabella) and Alien Mode by Takeova. Other acts include Christopher Martin, Stylo G, and Jahvinci.

“In all truth and honesty, what I bring to the table is just my uniqueness, my ears, my sound. I try not to target one specific audience, because I produce music for each and everyone. While some are violent, some positive, you have others that are explicit and others in which people turn to whenever they just want to vibe. I try to produce content that’s somewhat relatable,” the self-taught 24-year-old producer told Jamaica Observer’s Splash.

“I started doing music with a school mate from high school (Cornwall College), around January 2017. From school days, we know him bad and we started doing some music together. I thought of how to make my music reach a wider market, and at the time, Montego Bay artistes like Ryme Minista and Teejay were creating a buzz and I already had a connection with them. So, I reached out to them and they were both willing to give me the strength. Then, you know we have to give the brand a name, and Papi Don Muziq was official by May 2017,” said Johnson.

Squeeze by newcomer Flammy J was the first song he produced in 2017.

Once known for producing balladeers like The Blues Busters, A J Brown and E T Webster, Montego Bay’s music scene has long outgrown its cabaret past. The rise of acts like Jah Cure, Merital Family and Tommy Lee Sparta inspired an outburst of dancehall acts including Rygin King, Teejay and 6ixx collective, which includes Squash and Daddy1.

Johnson feels it’s just that artistes based in Jamaica’s western end are now taking the music more seriously and lifting their standards. And this is something he can identify with.

“My productions don’t really have a particular sound or feel because I try to produce a variety, in other words, I don’t produce just one type of music. I try to touch each and every vibe, that way you can hear a Papi Don Muziq track in every segment of a party,” he added.