Today THE STAR brings the final part of Busy Signal's bio. Busy will be featured as STAR of the Month for October.

Busy rose to prominence as a member of Bounty Killer's Alliance and it shows.

This was an aggregation of artistes designed to strengthen and highlight the talented youngsters - like Busy and Mavado - who looked to Bounty as their chief inspiration and mentor.

Busy, real name Reanno Gordon, was born and schooled in Brown's Town before moving to Kingston with his mother and two brothers as a teenager. His mother raised her three sons alone, and has been a practising Christian all her life.

First musical experience

Busy's first musical experience came from singing alongside her in a church choir, but it was in the dancehalls where he heard the music that made his spirits soar most. At 13, he would sneak out of the house to hear sound-systems like Bass Odyysey, Star Force and Stone Love, and thrill to the sound of Bounty Killer's stentorian voice booming out of the speakers.

Later on, after being named Busy by a friend who marvelled at his eagerness to be everywhere at once, he gained a little studio experience by voicing dub plates for Kilimanjaro and Renaissance.

International recognition

It was at that stage he learnt about voice projection, breath control, timing and all the other skills that would one day bring him international recognition, although it was Bounty Killer who first introduced him to dancehall crowds in Jamaica, by inviting him on stage, and giving him the royal stamp of approval.

Busy's debut tune, Shake It Fast, was shared with a singer called Kenny and voiced over Renaissance's Tunda Clap rhythm. This was in 2004, and songs for Fire Linx, Blaxx, Legends, Stainless, Yellow Moon and Black Chiney, among others, soon followed.

It's All Because Of You, with Tami Chyn, and Step Out, produced by Gravi T, then provided him with breakthrough hits in 2005, together with another Renaissance production, Not Going Down.

Outstanding prospect

By now, it was already apparent that Busy was an outstanding prospect. Born and Grow was the first of his striking ghetto narratives, and his live act began attracting widespread acclaim as he made show-stealing appearances at all the major Jamaican stage shows, including the Smirnoff Xperience, Island Explosion, Camp Fire, West Kingston Jamboree, Sting and Reggae Sumfest 2006, where he performed solo on dancehall night and was also called up by G Unit on international night.

Greensleeves released Busy's debut album, Step Out, that same year.

Welcomed by fans and media

Warmly welcomed by fans and media alike, it featured hits like Born And Grow and Not Going Down, and guest appearances from Bounty Killer, Alaine, Kris Kelly and Mavado, who traded lyrics with Busy on the gangster tunes Badman Place and Full Clip.

It was an auspicious beginning, and also heralded the initiation of Busy's own label, Network Records, and his debut as a producer on the title track, Where I'm From.

Busy continued voicing apace, and for younger, progressive producers like Don Corleon, H20, Arif Cooper, Fresh Ear (Up Into The Club), Stephen McGregor (Power Cut) and Stephen 'Lenky' Marsden. Their releases - together with Busy's teardown c****ination with Papoose on K. Salaam & Beatnick's Whose World Is This project - proved influential in Busy being crowned as the most exciting and creative dancehall artiste of his generation.

But it is the new album that represents this next, crucial stage of Busy Signal's development best of all, and that will spread his talent far and wide, way beyond the confines of his original audience.