Local talent shines as Jamaican dancehall star Nigy Boy produces music video in Guyana
Jamaican Dancehall artiste Nigy Boy
With over 470,000 views and counting on YouTube, Nigy Boy’s “Karma” music video – scripted, directed, produced, and filmed in Guyana by Guyanese – is a testament to the vibrant local talent pool.
Nigy Boy is an upcoming Jamaican dancehall star, popularly known for his songs ‘Judgment’ and ‘Continent’ – with YouTube views in the millions.
The visually-impaired artiste had performed in Guyana in May 2024, at the Unforgettable Burna Boy concert.
It was during that visit that his team engaged Skeldon-born producer Ridwaan Razack and the idea was formed for them to shoot a music video in Guyana.
Ridwaan is no stranger to the industry – having worked with other dancehall sensations such as Movado, Shenseea, Jada Kingdom, Demarco, and Konshens, among others.
Dwayne Jordan of Dwayne Jordan Studios
He had been in talks with Nigy Boys’ team for some time but the decision to produce the video in Guyana was only made when the team was here for the concert. “The day after the show, we just linked up to chat and then the idea came up…,” Ridwaan recalled.
Presented with a tight deadline of just a few days, Ridwaan assembled a squad of creative geniuses to get the job done.
Dominic Remar Weekes, the owner of Meridian Concepts, and Dwayne Jordan of Dwayne Jordan Studios, excitedly jumped at the opportunity to work on such a major project. Both Weekes and Jordan have tons of experience working in the creative industry – producing and filming corporate productions, advertisements as well as music videos.
Owner of Meridian Concepts, Dominic Remar Weekes
But the Nigy Boy “Karma” project was probably their biggest one yet.
“I picked Dominic because I’ve known him for a while and I like his creative mind…,” Ridwaan explained, noting that Dominic, who has previously collaborated with Dwayne, brought him on the project.
Together, they quickly secured filming locations, hired models, and brainstormed ideas for a script.
“The video was scripted, and planned in 36 hours, filmed in two days, and took about two weeks to edit and for us to arrive at a version my team, and his were pleased with,” Dominic explained.
“None of us can take full credit…as we were shooting, everybody has different ideas: ‘get these angles, this would be a nice scene to play out’…,” Ridwaan added, noting that their friend, Jonathan Beepat also contributed to the project.
Skeldon-born producer Ridwaan Razack
Due to the time crunch, some parts of the video had to be filmed after the Jamaican team departed Guyana. Nevertheless, the entire experience was nothing short of amazing for the local creatives.
“I was in awe the entire time, and couldn’t help but be inspired being around Nigy. Here’s this guy with what many may consider a disability, but he’s here on an all-day video shoot. He has the most vibrant spirit, always cracking jokes, always filling the room with laughter,” Dominic expressed.
“Nigy Boy and his team, they’re really easy to work along with…they trust the producers’ vision…and everything just went well,” Ridwaan added.
“It was a pleasure to work alongside them…,” Ridwaan further noted, hinting at another possible collaboration with a Jamaican musician.
“Karma”
The “Karma” music video tells the story of Nigy Boy struggling to be faithful in his relationship and as such, he consults a therapist.
During the session, he falls asleep and has a dream of being deeply in love with a woman who is being unfaithful to him.
The story ends with him being awakened by his therapist, and Nigy Boy finally feeling accountability for his actions of unfaithfulness.
According to Dominic, he and his team wanted to literally and metaphorically demonstrate the concept of karma in the music video.
“So, in the very literal and visual aspect, you see Nigy in the video, get a taste of his own medicine in a dream, with the woman in his life being unfaithful. It shook him up in real life—woke up from his dream in a therapy session where he grapples with the concept of accountability, in shock and terrified. The Ferris wheel which is shown throughout the video is an artistic and metaphorical representation of ‘what goes around comes around’,” he explained.
A scene from the music video filmed in a restaurant on Sheriff Street, Georgetown
He noted that the highlight of the entire experience was when the music video was released and it went viral.
“It was the moment where all the hard work, scrambling, thought and planning came to fruition for the world to see. As creatives, having your hard work recognised is always fulfilling,” Dominic noted.
Local Talent
The success of this music video is a testament to the magnitude of the creative industry in Guyana.
“There used to be a time when people would say “this ting look farren”, when they saw video or photography production of a high quality. It was almost as if nothing of a high quality, production-wise, could’ve come from Guyana. Now we’re having some of the Caribbean’s and world’s best seek out our talents and expertise. That’s huge for us,” Dominic noted.
Ridwaan shares similar sentiments, expressing that “people have to be willing to invest in their craft and it might not pay off immediately but it will set the stage for more to come.”
For Ridwaan, while he has worked on major projects in the past, this is the first time he has produced a video in Guyana and in such record time.
Riding the wave of success from the music video, Ridwaan said there is now a lot of interest from other artistes to have their projects filmed in Guyana and produced by Guyanese.
For Dominic, he believes the local creative industry can reach even greater heights.
“I think we have the most eyes on us now, more than ever than at any other time in history. That’s owing, of course, in large part to oil discoveries. When there’s a buzz about a nation, or region, for a particular reason, it’s seldom that that exposure or publicity would be isolated. So, we’re seen as an opportune place to do business, that will spill over into tourism, the arts, etc. We also have a responsibility as Guyanese creatives to keep our feet on the gas, and to continue to produce a high level of work which shows the beauty of our country,” he noted.