Taking the term “multi-talented” to new heights, Mista Vybe is not just your average musician. Hailing from the Caribbean island of Trinidad, this Versatile Young Black Entertainer (thus the acronym Vybe) certainly lives up to that title: effortlessly switching between sweet-voiced R&B singing, Hip Hop rapping, “chatting” in Dancehall Reggae fashion, “freestyling” lyrics spontaneously, dazzling with energetic live stage performances and even singing his own background vocals, in addition to writing all his own material and producing and arranging as well in some cases. He has already written and performed several local hits, topped the charts in the French-speaking Caribbean islands, scored an underground hit in France, recorded with legendary 90’s “super-producer” Teddy Riley, and is a well-known performing sensation in his homeland.
Born Patrick Gordon in the capital city of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Mista Vybe grew up as an only child in the quiet middle-class district of Trincity. He started studying piano and classical voice at age six and went on to add the trumpet, steel drum and percussion to his repertoire in a few short years. In high school he played with his school’s marching band, was a featured soloist with classical, folk and church choirs, sang and acted in youth concerts, free-styled with classmates in his own Rap group and even fronted a Pop cover band.
He learned much of his studio skills as a teenager, honing his chops by working on countless demos at the state of the art, multi-million dollar Caribbean Sound Basin studio complex in Trinidad with his writing/production partner at the time: local producer/programmer Sheldon “Shel-Shok” Benjamin. There, the duo was privileged to sit in on recording sessions for past and present industry giants like Raphael Saadiq, Guy, Hip-Hop producer Ali Shaheed Mohammed and Bad Boy Entertainment’s notorious Hit Men production team, including infamous music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Mista Vybe got his first “big break” as the lead vocalist of the now defunct group Blak Mayl. The group was signed to the French arm of the EMI label in 1994 after dazzling executives with their raucous live performances and unique sound at that year’s MIDEM conference. Their unreleased debut album featured tracks penned almost entirely by Mista Vybe and included a song written and produced by legendary hit-maker Teddy Riley, on which Mista Vybe had the honour of singing lead. In addition, several of the album’s cuts featured backing vocals by Riley’s Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum group BlackStreet.
Unfortunately, like countless acts before them, Blak Mayl fell through the industry cracks. Undaunted, Mista Vybe kept working as a solo artist, writer, arranger, producer and backup vocalist. He gained particular notoriety for writing and co-producing hits for local artists like Andy Stephenson (better known as the “Soca Michael Jackson”) and Soca band Surface.
By this time, he had also accumulated extensive performing experience, opening at concerts for acts like Kris Kross, Buju Banton and Beres Hammond. In 1999 and 2000, he fronted popular Soca band Atlantik, which played at some of the biggest shows during Trinidad’s Carnival celebrations, often performing for audiences over 40,000 strong. His stint with Atlantik also brought him together with fellow lead vocalist Keishea Stewart, with whom he recorded the hit “Frenchman Jam” on the band’s critically acclaimed “Harder Than Steel” album in 2000. Written and produced by Mista Vybe, the genre-bending smash and went on to become one of the most popular songs of that year’s Carnival, earning Mista Vybe and Keishea a much-coveted spot in the finals of the International Soca Monarch competition. Undoubtedly, one of his solo career’s high points was the smash single “Joe Le Taxi”. more of BIO on next page...