SLIMZ aka PAVARATCHIE
- Written by NewsServices.com
As he begins to share his vibrant reggae-rap fusion vibe and energetic storytelling with the world, Barbados born and raised, Brooklyn based emerging artist Slimz (aka Pavaratchie) must make one thing clear: “I can listen to hundreds, even a thousand beats and nothing gives me goosebumps. But that singular beat that does that and piques my interest, that’s the one that sparks the creative process.” On his official debut single and video “Pandemic Show,” the multi-talented singer/rapper speaks whimsically, incisively and insightfully to our current moment as we collectively move past the pandemic era and into a place of cautious hope and optimism.
Produced by Slimz’ musical collaborator I-Kirk at Brooklyn’s Bomsteppah Studios, the soulful, piano and crunch groove driven track finds the rapper and singer defiant in the face of the trials of the past year and a half and determined to overcome the setbacks we all experienced: “I don’t trust nobody/I don’t need no one around me/I’m on that social distance s*** and that became a hobby/Got my hater blockers on that should be self-explanatory/If I offended anybody, my apologies, I’m sorry (no I’m not)…” He then powerfully asserts his sense of independence and the will to not only survive and thrive: “F*** all y’all cuz I don’t need yuh help/I rock thousand dolla shades, I got Gucci on my belt/I got money in the bank, I pay fa s*** all by myself. . .”
Maybe we can’t all relate perfectly to his blinged out imagery, but after these past 19 months, we can all relate to Slimz’s next, most impactful line: “Man I’ve been through hell and back/I play the cards that I been dealt.” To get his clever points across about the importance of a positive attitude and sheer determination, he invokes the names of everyone from film hero John Wick to real life icons Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali: “Levitating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, I’m the thriller, I’m Manilla, I’m Muhammad Ali (bomaya)/Beat you wid the nunchucka Bruce Lee, Muhf***ah I’m a ninja, I ain’t just an MC…” He also raps: “People call me Michael Vick” in reference to the NFL quarterback who successfully resumed his career after serving a nearly two year prison sentence for his involvement in a dog fighting ring.,
Calling in great favors from his wide circle of friends, Slimzshot the dynamic video for “Pandemic Show” mostly on the streets of his Flatbush neighborhood (what he calls the local “barbershop vibe”), complete with high end cars borrowed for the shoot, including a Rolls Royce and a Tesla wagon.
Unlike some artists whose COVID era trauma was centered on a year of missed gigs, Slimz had a deeper, heavier go of it, as he (an asthmatic) and various family members (including his mom) all contracted the illness and he was literally on the front lines for month, watching the sick suffer and die before his eyes working his day job as an anesthesiologist technician at New York Presbyterian Hospital in those dark early days of the pandemic.
“I called the song ‘Pandemic Show’ because I wrote it and we produced it at the peak of that first wave of COVID,” says Slimz, whose nickname “Pavaratchie” – a reference to opera legend Luciano Pavarotti - was given to him by an older gentleman when he was a kid growing up in Barbados in honor of his powerful voice. “The mood for me was tough at that point because I had seen some horrible things at a hospital where hundreds were dying every day. There wasn’t much I could do and I was scared. Music was more of a hobby at that point, so I wrote some music and lyrics about not trusting anybody and social distancing.
“Along the way, I got COVID myself, and because of my asthma, there were days where I could hardly walk five steps without being out of breath,” he adds. “I felt pressure on my chest and the fatigue was intense. Fortunately, I avoided hospitalization by going back to classic homegrown Caribbean remedies that made me feel better physically. Writing songs helped me deal with the emotional trauma because I’ve always found music to be therapeutic. I needed that sense of empowerment and the song helped me take back control of my circumstances and give me hope during a rough time. The hook I keep going back to in the song is like me saying, ‘tra la la, I made it. I got out of it. And hopefully you did or can, too!”
Slimz is hopeful that any mainstream success he finds with “Pandemic Show” and other tracks he intends on releasing soon will get him back up on stage, performing for and bringing joy to people. The one time he experienced that was crazy memorable, at the Reggae Beach Festival in Barbados, singing and rapping his original tunes in front of 20,000 people, on a bill with headliners like popular Jamaican dancehall artist Mavadoand Jamaican DJ, singer and songwriter Popcaan.
Though he had moved earlier to the U.S. to be with his mother and pursue his Bachelor’s in Communications, Film and Broadcasting from St. Francis College in NYC, Slimz was thrilled to be invited back to his home island to do that show. It was the fulfillment of a vision he had for himself when he was coming up. That performance inspired him to keep writing and posting music on Instagram and other platforms, slowly gaining an appreciative and loyal following whose feedback continues to encourage him – even as he pursues his nursing degree as a practical matter while working on developing his artistry.
“There’s something about being from the islands, with all the calypso, soca and reggae you’re exposed to as a kid, because it truly became the foundation of my life,” he says. “My main influence was reggae, artists like Buju Banton, Beanie Man, Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel, but growing up, I also got heavily into American rappers like The Fugees, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Biggie and everyone else who was popping at the time. My dad was a great singer who played shows in Barbados and my grandmother was a churchgoing lady who taught me hymns. I never played instruments, but spend my childhood making up songs to entertain people in the neighborhood.
“For me, music calms the savage beast and I’m always in a cool and comfortable mindset when I’m making it. Despite all those influences, I never owned CDs and I’ve always felt it was important to develop my own style rather than borrow from those I’ve admired. As much as I love reggae, I feel that rapping and freestyling allows me to create powerful and interesting stories that people can connect with. My goal now is to bring happiness to those many wonderful people who respect my craft and think I’m good, and to make them smile. I don’t need to be the biggest star in the world, I just need to be heard.”
