The 16-song album 1998 by French reggae artiste Biga*Ranx, was certified gold in France in December for sales exceeding 50,000 units.

The certification was issued by the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (SNEP). Released six years ago, 1998 was inspired by his visits to Jamaica.

“All the songs on this album are partly inspired by my trips to Jamaica. I composed and recorded a few songs in hotels with my woman. During this journey, I even took the mic with Yellowman at an event in Negril. Those experiences helped to turn the disc into gold,” said Biga*Ranx.

He is pleased with the album’s certification.

“I feel very grateful to God, the listeners and those who made this album with me. Teamwork makes the dream work. First, we make music to express vibes and feelings and to turn thoughts, notes, and rhythms into gold is a wonderful thing,” said Biga*Ranx.

The album was released by WLAB/ALTER K and produced by X-Ray Production. It features collaborations with Blundetto, Lej Akhenaton, Biffty, Ruffian Rugged, Prendy, and Art-X.

“I composed or co-composed most of the instrumentals with a pocket keyboard/studio with a built-in microphone called OP1. I bring this device everywhere I go, so I was able to make music under the palm trees, on the beach, or even on the plane,” Biga*Ranx disclosed.

Four singles from 1988 — Liquid Sunshine, My Face, Monday, and Petit and Boze — made the pop charts in France.

Biga*Ranx says his real name is Telly* Del Mundo but his parents also call him Gabriel Piotrowski. He is from Tours, one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France.

“Back in the days, my brother Atili was running a sound system and I used to MC and select on it. And, as a kid around the age of 13, I was working in reggae record shops,” said Biga*Ranx. “I come from Tours which is a strong place for culture and music especially reggae, lots of artistes and musicians come from there. My inspirations are artistes like U-Roy, Billy Boyo, Super Cat and on the other side French singers.”

Biga*Ranx has done freestyle combinations with dancehall artistes such as Joseph Cotton, U-Roy, U-Brown and Big Youth. He has opened reggae festivals and shared stages with Gregory Isaacs, Sizzla and Capleton.

He spoke about his visits to Jamaica.

“My first experience on the Island was in 2006, I was only 18 and I followed some sound (system) activists to cut dub plates with artistes like Beres Hammond, Fantan Mojah, Chronicle and Frisco Kid. Then in 2012, I came back to make a documentary about Jamaica for French TV and radio.”

As for new music, Biga*Ranx has a lot planned for 2023.

“I am actually working on a new album for my Biga*Ranx project, mixtapes on my Telly* project, and preparing for the summer tour in Europe,” he said.