His first recording was "Love Is A Message" for producer Bunny Lee when he was eight years old, which was followed by "A-Class Girl" for the Black Solidarity label, which was co-run by Palma and Ossie Thomas.
[2][3][4] Palma made a major breakthrough with his performance in 1979 at the General Penitentiary Memorial Concert for Claudie Massop, which also featured Bob Marley.
[5] They included his biggest career hit, the dancehall influenced "Entertainment" produced by Nkrumah Jah Thomas and using a reworking of the rhythm from Vin Gordon's "Heavenless".
Palma has worked with Linval Thompson, who produced his Joker Lover and Settle Down Girl albums, and also George Phang, Tony Robinson, Sugar Minott, Bunny Gemini, and Castro Brown.
[2] His popularity continued through the 1980s with dancehall hits that included "Lick Shot", a track that utilized rhythms by Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar,[4] and in the 1990s he recorded the Three Against War song and album with Dennis Brown and Beenie Man.