OG Rapper/Producer Figg Panamera fka JT the Bigga Figga Announces Cali Boy Down South, Drops Single with 21 Savage
After Month-Long Hospital Stay, The Fillmoelanta Entrepreneur Formerly Known as JT the Bigga Figga Returns with New Project
5.12.2017
Critical Praise for Figg Panamera
“[Figg] has a knack for crafting catchy hooks without diving into the superficial territory occupied by so much radio rap.” – SFWeekly
“One cannot deny this San Francisco area rapper’s talent with a mic.” – AllMusic
“Figg has grown into a rare well-rounded rap artist.” – RapReviews
The Announcement:
A legend on two coasts as a rapper and a producer, few underground rappers have had as big an influence on the streets as Figg Panamera fka JT The Bigga Figga. Fully recovered from a recent near-death experience, Figg is ready to reassert his OG status on Cali Boy Down South, his upcoming album. Riding atop warm, trap symphonies from the likes of Zaytoven and Cassius Jay with his gruff, rhythmic growl, Figg provides the connective tissue between the eccentric slick talk of the Bay Area and the blunt force of the Dirty South. Featuring appearances from Kevin Gates, 21 Savage, and Killa Twan, Cali Boy Down South hits the internet on June 9th.
Born in the historic Fillmore district of San Francisco, the home of Bay Area MOB music, Joseph Tom founded his first record label in the early ’90s when he was in his teens “out of necessity” after being ignored by the major labels. Leading the way with his talents as a rapper and a producer, JT the Bigga Figga founded Get Low Recordz, a respected and prolific label in the region, in 1991. In 1993, JT dropped “Game Recognize Game,” a bonafide Bay Area anthem that grew to become a standard catchphrase in rap culture. Reaching a distribution deal with Priority Distribution, Get Low released 10 albums its second year and JT’s production graced hundreds of albums, from local Bay Area artists to bigger stars like Game and Master P. Having conquered all there was to conquer in his native turf, JT moved to Atlanta, changing his name to Figg Panamera and founding Fillmoelanta, a record label meant to showcase young talent. Assuming his role as an elder statesman, Figg was a major influence on Zaytoven, worked with artists such as Young Thug and he helped launch the careers of Kevin Gates, who owes a lot to Figg’s style, and Young Scooter. In March of this year, two days after the birth of his child, Figg was volunteering at a homeless shelter when he was the victim of a botched robbery attempt and shot several times before finding cover in a bulletproof car. After spending a month rehabilitating in the hospital, Figg is fully recovered and ready to drop his first full album as Figg Panamera.
Finding a hypnotic rhythm with ATL phenom 21 Savage, Figg Panamera shares “Money Talk,” a sinister, swinging street anthem and the first single from Cali Boy Down South. Exchanging infectious ad-libs and weaving their flows around cascading, creepy, candelabra piano from Cassius Jay, Figg and 21 discuss the real currency of the streets on the new banger. Premiered by XXL, “Money Talk” is a good summary of what to expect from Cali Boy Down South: tough talk, a deep musicality, and Figg’s unmistakable voice tearing up some of the best beats Atlanta has to offer. Cali Boy Down South is currently available for pre-order, with “Money Talk” included as a gratis track.
Explains Figg, “In the streets a lot of time, you might be in situations where your conversation might not be effective, but if you put that money on the table, you can get a lot of things done. It’s savagery. It’s gutta, it’s underground, it’s mob-oriented. Money moves the pieces on the board. It’s chess, not checkers. It’s bad guy shit. Nothing nice about it, nothing positive about it. When things go bad, you let that money talk.”
Listen to “Money Talk” ft. 21 Savage: https://soundcloud.com/figgpanamera/money-talk-feat-21-savage
Check out the XXL Premiere: http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/new-music/2017/05/21-savage-jt-the-bigga-figga-money-talk/
Pre-order Cali Boy Down South: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cali-boy-down-south/id1233394557
Cali Boy Down South Tracklist:
- Hand in da Pot (prod by Cassius Jay)
- Bon Appetit (feat. Loso Loaded and Lotto Savage) (prod. by Cassius Jay)
- The Ups (prod by Zaytoven and Cassius Jay)
- Do What You Want (feat. Killa Twan) (prod. by Cassius Jay)
- Riding Round wit Racks (prod by Zaytoven and Cassius Jay)
- Black Car (prod. by Cassius Jay)
- Money Talk (feat. 21 Savage) (prod. by Cassius Jay)
- Phone Ringing (feat. Kevin Gates) (prod. K-Rabb)
- Extra Grams (prod. by Cassius Jay)
- Coming For Me (prod. by Yoksta)
Please contact Michelle or Isabel for more info.
Figg Panamera Background:
“Drugs and stealing aren’t as exciting as becoming a business owner,” explains Figg Panamera (FKA JT the Bigga Figga.) As a rapper, producer, CEO, philanthropist, and serial entrepreneur, Figg is the epitome of a Fillmore hustler; he’s done it all and done it independently.
Born in the storied Fillmore district of San Francisco, Figg learned how to rap from his mother. As he was being sent to jail at the age of 16, he promised his mother he’d become a successful rapper upon release. He made good on that promise…and then some. Fueled by frustration from being ignored by major labels, he founded Get Low Recordz, which quickly became a mainstay in the Bay Area Street/MOB Music scene. Figg’s second album on Get Low had the hit single “Game Recognize Game,” which became a bonafide anthem for the Bay Area and a catchphrase for the culture at large. In the early 1990s, he built a studio, signed a distribution deal with Priority Distribution, and Get Low released over 20 studio albums their second year. During this time, he produced music for over 100 albums, working with everyone from Master P to Game, along with Bay Area street heroes such as San Quinn and Messy Marv.
Having conquered his native soil, Figg moved to Atlanta in 2010 at the urging of Zaytoven, to whom he taught production, and founded his second label, Fillmoelanta. In 2012, Figg founded Mandatory Business Magazine giving Future, YG, Sonny Digital, and many others their first cover stories. In 2012 he began working with Young Scooter and Kevin Gates, helping them with their sound and production. In 2013, Figg started working with the homeless, feeding and housing them, and gave them jobs such as holding promo signs for Jeezy on busy Atlanta intersections. In 2015 Figg created Trapflix, “the trap version of Netflix,” an app that streams trap movies, documentaries, and concert footage. In 2016, Figg traveled to China to manufacture his own smartphone, preloaded with 6 Trapflix movies and to manufacture light-up sneakers called Trap Kicks and TrapForce1 that he sold in his neighborhood. In early 2017, Figg traveled to Birkina Foso in Africa to capitalize on the booming mobile business but upon seeing their living conditions, switched up his focus to build FillmoeAfrica Business School, water wells, and bathroom, upon 5 acres of land. In March 2017, two days after the birth of his child, Figg was the victim of a botched robbery while feeding the homeless. Dragging himself into a bulletproof car, Figg managed to survive and was hospitalized for a month, only to be released last week. Fully healed and tapping into his Fillmore hustler roots again, Figg is ready to take his honed business instincts back to the rap game, and is poised to release his first full album as Figg Panamera.
Links:
twitter | instagram | youtube | soundcloud | spotify
“Money Talk” ft. 21 Savage: https://soundcloud.com/figgpanamera/money-talk-feat-21-savage
Pre-order Cali Boy Down South: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cali-boy-down-south/id1233394557
“Pocket Watchin” ft. Migos: https://youtu.be/qTN26W7ZFEM
“Cash Talk” ft. Young Thug & Offset: https://youtu.be/NngE0s3ycak
“Know I Can Change”: https://youtu.be/1xdSHHmUl3E
Bio, photos, and streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/figg-panamera/