Dancehall diss songs are a dime a dozen. A gospel diss song? Not so much.
British gospel DJ Minister Taf airs his grievances against Satan in his upcoming single Bam Bampadded with personal experiences of the “little punk” trying to get him a “season of work” – a reference to the rich but righteous man whose faith was wickedly tested by the devil.
“I was inspired by the fact that I really don’t like the waster, Satan, and frankly, I believe I can say I hate him,” said Minister Taff DancehallMag. “After hearing the beat as well, I felt that this song should be a bit rough or should I say an aggressive, lyrical and catchy vibe while expressing that aggression towards the little punk. It’s also personal because in the song where I mentioned him causing me an accident, I was literally in a car accident in Jamaica where the car was written off and I came out unscathed.”
But it’s not all about killing Satan. Bam Bamproduced by longtime collaborator Jvmmie Jae, also praises the Most High for being a guiding and ever-present light.
“As a child of God, he is always trying to stop me or slow me down, so I had to tell him that I will not back down – I am protected by God,” he said. “I will not lose faith, even in the midst of trials and tribulations, and I will forever fight him with the word of God, as Jesus did. Boof in his head!’
The song is scheduled for release on May 26 and Minister Taff expects it to win hearts as well as be a commercial success.
“I want him to do what God wants him to do, but if I had to add more, I’d like to see him change other people’s lives, open a lot more doors for my ministry, see people doing dance challenges on it, for to cross in the caribbean dances and the world secular space because the soul affi saves, and Jesus seh a nuh di healthy need a doctor, a di sick. No, I’m lying, I’d love to see the song get a few million streams and views.”
Bam Bam is the lead single from his second album different, which will premiere in June.
Although tight-lipped about the album drop, he described it as “his best work yet” and hopes people will support him. Different made possible through a grant from Help Musicians, a UK-based charity that supports professional musicians throughout their careers.
Minister Taff did not always sing the gospel. His name is Tafari Henry, he comes from Reserve and Doanvale in Trelawny where he attended Cedric Titus Comprehensive. He actually aspired to professional football, but wrote music for fun. This would later develop into a secular career before he was baptized in 2010.
Since realizing his life’s purpose, Minister Taff has won awards from the international gospel fraternity, including the 2016 Best Gospel Reggae Act at the Praisetek UK Gospel Music Awards.
Releases his debut album life in 2019 and also dropped the EPs Diversity (2016) and Ena Minima (Message) (2021).