Recording artiste and 'Flossing King,' Byllgatez has revealed that despite the rich lifestyle that he portrays, there were times when he could barely put food on the table. The artiste, whose given name is Carl Bartley, said the name Byllgatez, which is a play on that of tech billionaire Bill Gates, was bestowed upon him due to a lifestyle that included "flossing, shell out the bar, tipping waitress". This led to persons naming him 'the richest Jamaican - Byllgatez'.
After contemplating the name's connotation, he said he used it as a motivation. "So mi just hold on to the name. Remember, word is powerful, suh yuh affi a talk things into existence.
So everywhere, every party mi go inna, me hold di microphone and seh, 'Nuh man nuh gwaan like dem rich dan mi tonight enuh.' Yuh see dem time deh when mi a seh dat, when mi go home not even dinner mi nuh have, a guinep a mi dinner," he shared with a laugh. "So it happened that I just become the 'black Byllgatez'.
I talk things into existence; now, I'm going to transfer the money from my mind to my account and mi see it a work, because look at me, I look like Bill Gates; I am the black one." He said that he started receiving international bookings just to stand in events and "rich up di parties", despite his actual meagre finances. He said he had to seize every moment and fake it until he made it, because he does not believe in the notion of 'good things come to those who wait'.
Due to his hustling mentality, he decided his main goal after all that 'faking' was to be an artiste. The Manchester native, who relocated to Cockburn Pen in St Andrew at age 11, has been hustling all his life. However, while being a Jack of all trades, the recording artiste said he's now ready to give his all to music.
Byllgatez, who once went by the moniker 'Razor Stone', said despite getting his start in the industry in 2007, he didn't feel as if he had made it until he rebranded his image and changed his name. He later did a collaboration titled More Money, featuring reggae stalwart Anthony Cruz. The accompanying music video featured several prominent people, including Agent Sasco, Nitty Kutchie and Sky Juice.
Singles such as Own Don and Scamma Whine followed, as well as Fire , which he did with a Latin American label. But he felt that his music career was only slowly manifesting. "I think sometimes mi too laid-back, and true mi have other business a tek care of, such as rental cars and mi sell clothes as well, mi still nuh get fi duh music how mi really waah fi music - [going] studio often, finding the hot riddim dem.
But right now mi find out all a dat and affi guh get smaddy fi manage weh mi a duh, because mi a put mi two foot inna music now," he reiterated with confidence. Though the dynamics and pace have changed in the music, the '90s dancehall artiste said he's ready to give the Gen Z artistes a competitive run. "Lyrics a nuh my problem, suh mi can match up wid whateva dem a duh.
Mi can adjust, that's no problem. And inna music yuh affi hungry fi it," Byllgatez stated. The artiste said he is currently working independently and hopes to release an album in the near future.
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