Stamma Gramma Returns: Dancehall Artiste Reflects on Prison, Pain, and Purpose
Kingston, Jamaica — After serving two years in a U.S. federal prison, dancehall artiste Stamma Gramma is ready to reclaim his musical spotlight—this time with a reformed outlook and a message of redemption.
The entertainer, born Michael Williams, first gained notoriety in 2013 with his controversial breakout track Scammer Anthem. The song’s theme, which blurred the line between commentary and confession, would eerily foreshadow his later legal troubles.
In 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to production of false identification documents and bank fraud following coordinated raids on properties in New York and Connecticut. He was sentenced to two years at Allenwood FCI, one of Pennsylvania’s most notorious federal correctional institutions.
“It was rough. It was challenging on a mental, psychological and spiritual level,” Williams said. “Being investigated by the long arms of these American federal agencies really brings you to your knees. It humbles you, exposes you and strip you to the bare bone.”
The former Jamaica College student, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, described the ordeal as life-altering. “I have had sleepless nights, tormented days and moments where I was in the world physically but my mind was somewhere lost in a vacuum of emptiness,” he shared. “It was me; a likkle youth from Jamaica College against the World’s most powerful and resourceful government. One man vs 100 gorillas, literally.”
Ahead of sentencing, a psychological assessment conducted by Forensic Mitigation Specialist Reynaldo Cusicanqui detailed a childhood marked by violence, neglect, and trauma. The report concluded that these factors impaired Williams’ emotional regulation and decision-making abilities.
Despite the hardships, Williams found a lifeline in creativity and faith. He wrote 368 songs and two unpublished books while incarcerated. He also read over 200 books across genres including psychology, leadership, philosophy, and theology.
Now home and focused, Stamma Gramma is working on a new album titled Baby Face Assassin and is using his experience as a cautionary tale for young people enticed by fast money.
“Take it from me brethren, yuh nuh wah go federal prison, not even for a day,” he said. “The humiliation and the degradation of that system will break the toughest of us… I gained the world while I was making fake ID’s but I lost a part of me that I will never get back in prison— not broken but shaken.”
With a renewed spirit and deepened faith, the deejay hopes to turn his darkest chapter into a blueprint for personal growth and positive influence in the dancehall community.
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