FLORIDA-BASED producer, rapper and songwriter BEAM added some Jamaican flavour to Canadian superstar Justin Bieber’s two recent projects.

BEAM is featured on the song Love You Different, from Bieber’s sixth studio album Justice. He also collaborated with the singer on Freedom, from Bieber’s gospel-inspired EP of the same name.

Justice was released in March and topped charts in 10 countries, including the United States where it has been certified gold. Freedom was released on April 4 and peaked at number 172 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. It topped Billboard’s Christian Albums Chart.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer’s Splash, BEAM — whose father is deejay Papa San — explained how the collaborations with Bieber came about.

“We linked up through Skrillex (American DJ and producer). Skrillex wanted me to help out on a song with Bieber on it so I ended up writing a verse and Justin loved it. Justin ended up saying that he really wanted to continue this journey with me and that he wanted to keep writing and collaborating,” BEAM shared.

He continued, “I started writing more for Justin and one of the songs I co-wrote ( Love You Different), he just literally kept me on the verse and that’s how that came about. He’s like one of the nicest guys I have met to this day. The second time, he just randomly called me like two days before Easter and was like, ‘I really want you to be a part of this’. I’m thinking, I’m going to help him write this and he was just like, ‘Man, I don’t want you to help me write anything, I want you on the record’. And I was like, ‘Wait, what the hell?’ I was tripping out, man but you know it’s a blessing. Only God knows how things really happen, you just have to accept the blessing from that.”

BEAM said working with Bieber can help spread Jamaican culture globally.

BEAM — whose given name is Tyshane Thompson — was born in Kingston and grew up in middle-class Smokey Vale. He moved to Florida 17 years ago. Now 26 years old, he credits his father for introducing him to music.

He produced tracks for two of Papa San’s gospel albums — 2012’s My Story and 2014’s Billboard-chart-topping One Blood.

As an artiste, 95, his debut EP, was released by Epic Records in 2017.

BEAM has also produced songs for rappers 2 Chainz and Yo Gotti as well as American Christian hip-hop artiste Lecrae. He has a Grammy for his work on Lecrae’s 2013 set Gravity which won Best Gospel Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. It also earned Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2013 Dove Awards.

He worked on Lecrae’s Gravity: The Remix EP. Last year, he earned a nomination in the Latin Grammy Awards for the Best Urban Song with Rave de Favela with Major Lazer and Anitta.

“I’ve been recording my dad from I was 10 years old to about 17. I didn’t start recording myself until I was 20. I was an engineer and producer most of my life because I was too scared to fit my foot in my dad’s shoe until a mentor of mine told me to just jump out of the plane, so I did and now we’re here,” said BEAM.

In addition to his father, Kanye West, James Brown, Young Thug, Vory and Pharrell are his biggest influences.

In terms of Jamaican acts, BEAM has worked with Projexx and Meleku, the son of dancehall artiste Sizzla.

“Those two guys are extremely talented and they definitely inspire me when it comes to dancehall and reggae,” he said.