Single: Figg Panamera ft. Kevin Gates – “Phone Ringing” (Prod. K-Rabb)
The Artist Formerly Known as JT The Bigga Figga Shows Off His Flow in the Mass Appeal-Premiered Track
5.23.2017
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 Single:
Spreading his signature style from the Bay to the A, Figg Panamera is a beloved and influential figure in multiple time zones. Attacking a piano-heavy trap instrumental with a melodic and metronomic flow, Figg boasts about his booming business on “Phone Ringing,” his latest single. Chopping it up with his stylistic descendant Kevin Gates, a man perfectly at home on phone-related bangers, the two emcees trade witticisms and count their cash as their Nextels chirp in the background. “On the song, you hear me say ‘wind it up,'” explains Figg. “That’s a shout-out to the old school wind-up rotary phones.” Premiered by Mass Appeal, “Phone Ringing” is the latest single from Cali Boy Down South, Figg’s upcoming album, following “Money Talk,” Figg’s hard-hitting collab with 21 Savage. His first official album since moving from San Francisco to Atlanta and changing his name from JT The Bigga Figga, Cali Boy Down South hits stores on June 9th.
Figg Panamera speaks on “Phone Ringing”: “When Kevin Gates started his own label around 2012/13, I helped mentor him about digital distribution and running an indie label. We talked a lot about trapping and the important of keeping your phone busy. We recorded a full album, which I released but I held onto this song because I knew it was special. He’s a phone fanatic. He came up with the concept of ‘Phone Ringing’ and this was before his big hit ‘2 Phones.’ With me and him, the phone stay ringing. He just got sentenced to 30 months and I want to help keep his name out and keep his buzz going. Trapping isn’t just about doing illegal things. Trapping is taking advantage of time to make money. You’re trapping if you’re a publicist calling your clients. Trapping is constantly working. You could be sitting in the office on Facebook or Instagram liking pictures but a trapper will be sending DM’s for business while they’re on these platforms. You wasting time.”
An OG with over 25 years in the rap game, Joseph Tom founded Get Low Recordz in 1991. Releasing dozens of albums per year by Figg, then known as JT The Bigga Figga, and others, Get Low became one of the most beloved independent labels in the Bay Area. Born in Fillmore, San Francisco, JT The Bigga Figga was one of the original proprietors of the neighborhood’s Mob Music scene, dropping one of the first major Bay Area rap hits in 1993 with “Game Recognize Game.” After producing and rhyming on hundreds of tracks in the Bay Area and elsewhere, with his production appearing on albums by the likes of The Game and Master P, JT relocated to Atlanta in the late ’00s, founding the label Fillmoelanta and changing his name to Figg Panamera. In Atlanta, Figg leant his experience and wisdom to artists and producers in the city’s bustling Hip-Hop scene, mentoring Zaytoven and working with artists like Young Thug and Young Scooter. Earlier this year, Figg was the victim of a robbery gone wrong–he suffered multiple gunshot wounds and spent over a month in the hospital. Fully recovered from his near death experience, Figg is ready to bounce back in a big way with Cali Boy Down South, his first full album as Figg Panamera.
Listen to “Phone Ringing” ft. Kevin Gates: https://soundcloud.com/figgpanamera/phone-ringing-feat-kevin-gates
Check out the Mass Appeal premiere: https://massappeal.com/figg-panamera-ft-kevin-gates-phone-ringing/
Pre-order Cali Boy Down South: https://empire.lnk.to/CaliBoyDownSouth
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
Pre-order Cali Boy Down South: https://empire.lnk.to/CaliBoyDownSouth
“Phone Ringing” ft. Kevin Gates: https://soundcloud.com/figgpanamera/phone-ringing-feat-kevin-gates
“Money Talk” ft. 21 Savage: https://soundcloud.com/figgpanamera/money-talk-feat-21-savage
“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/