Born in England, but of Jamaican parentage, Papa Levi first worked with the Jah Man and Prophecy Sound Systems as a DJ. He joined the Saxon Sound System while still a teenager, working with Maxi Priest, among others. "Mi God Mi King," his first single, charted well both in England and Jamaica. Levi performed with Aswad, Gregory Isaacs and Yellowman on a Reggae Sunsplash concert, later releasing Back to Basics on the Ras label.