[Dancehall Songs] Bounty Killer and Beenie Man - Clash | Review

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Dancehall became a subgenre distinct from other styles of reggae around 1977, a time in Jamaica when deejays were becoming as prominent as singers. In turn, the singers began adopting the call-and-response hooks and improvised couplets of deejays, creating a whole new hybrid style of singing they called sing-jay. Those vocals became a defining feature of dancehall, along with harder, sparer rhythm sections and an emphasis on slackness (raunch or decadence).

Another major driver of dancehall’s development, as a culture and art form, has been the competitive sport of soundclash. Soundclashes are gladiatorial face-offs between rival sound systems or mobile DJ crews who vie for the biggest crowd reactions. Each attempt to fortify their position with higher walls of custom-built speaker boxes. Song selections are delivered with taunting microphone commentary in a war of words — something like a cross between a hip-hop DJ battle and a playground game. Some sound systems also record labels and may bring affiliated singers or deejays to represent them.

Then Dancehall has been one of the famous styles of Reggae music.

Tonight I share with you a song by Dancehall Giants, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer with Clash. Both of them face-off at Jamaica’s long-running Sting festival in 1993. This song may be the single most infamous onstage clash, but the history books will also forever record epic match-ups like Superman versus Batman.

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Who is Bounty Killer?

Bounty Killer was one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk. There were many other facets to his music - condemnations of corrupt authority, collaborations with hardcore hip-hop artists, tributes to his mother, an ongoing DJ rivalry with Beenie Man - but his main persona was so dominant that many fans instantly associated him with his more violent material. With such seeming contradictions in his personality, his image in Jamaica was not unlike that of 2Pac in America, though of course he was a far less tragic figure. Making his name in Jamaica during the early '90s, Bounty Killer was working extensively in hip-hop crossover territory by the end of the decade, but retained his hard edge no matter what the musical context.

Bounty Killer was born Rodney Price in the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown on June 12, 1972. One of nine children, I've spent a lot of his childhood in another ghetto, Riverton City, which was built on the former city dump; his family later moved to the rough Seaview Gardens area. His father owned a small sound system, and he first tried his hand at DJ chatting when he was only nine years old. At age 14, he nearly fell victim to the gun violence he would later document so thoroughly in his music; while walking home from school, he was hit by a stray bullet from a gun battle between rival political factions. Fortunately, he made a full recovery, and soon began performing under the name Bounty Hunter for area sound systems like Metromedia, Bodyguard, and Stereo Two. Meanwhile, he and his friends hung around King Jammy's recording studio, hoping to catch a break. Eventually, I've met Jammy's brother Uncle T, who produced his first recordings in 1990.

Bounty Killer
You can find him in his official website, Deezer, and Spotify.

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Who is Beenie Man?

Beenie Man is one of Jamaica's biggest exports, Beenie Man's recording career stretches back to 1981, although it was in the sound systems where he later made his mark. The witty toaster began his true ascent to stardom in the early '90s, and by 1994, his reputation couldn't be beat. Beenie Man was born Moses Davis in the tough Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, on August 22, 1973. By the time he was ready for school, the toddler had already decided on a career as a DJ. He wasn't the first tot with dreams of the limelight, but Beenie actually had a true gift for gab. His shot at stardom came when he was only eight, when he took first prize at the national Teeny Talent contest. This led to a meeting with producer Junjo Lawes, who recorded the diminutive DJ's debut single, "Too Fancy." Bunny Lee then took the boy under his wing and put him to work at his Unlimited sound system.

Junjo Presents Two Big SoundBy 1983, the youngster found himself appearing on Lawes' Junjo Presents Two Big Sound, which was recorded live and featured such DJ heavyweights as Dillinger and Fathead. Along with Unlimited, Beenie was also DJ'ing at Prince Jammy's Volcano sound system, had a hit single to his credit, "Over the Sea," produced by Niney Holness, and even had a debut album out. Produced by Lee, The Invincible Beenie Man, the 10 Year Old DJ Wonder's title pretty much summed it all up. He recorded some songs with Barrington Levy in 1984, two of which, "Under Mi Sensi" and "Two Sounds," would resurface in remixed form later in the '90s. But for the moment, his recording career came virtually to a close, bar the occasional single. But the young DJ remained a sound system favorite, even as he now turned his attention to his schoolwork.

Guns OutNot surprisingly, Beenie's younger brother, Little Kirk, was keen to follow in his footsteps, and five years later the siblings hooked up with producer Patrick Roberts and began recording a series of singles that quickly brought them into the national spotlight. In 1992, Beenie appeared at Reggae Sunsplash and such was the response that the DJ now felt ready to take on the big guns. Beenie's first target was the acclaimed Bounty Killer, although the young DJ had cause for his attack as the veteran had stolen his catch phrase, "people dead," and the war was on. There was a lull in the very public battle in 1993 when Beenie left Kingston for almost a year after being booed off the stage at a national show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. Upon his return the next year, there was a public reconciliation with Bounty Killer, which resulted in the split album Guns Out.

Beenie had a major change of heart, further evidenced by his single "No Mama No Cry," a version of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," a scathing indictment of violence, inspired by the murder of fellow DJ Pan Head. The song topped the Jamaican chart and brought the DJ instant acclaim. Pan Head's murder would go unsolved, adding to Beenie's emotional devastation, with additional contemporaries lost to violence later that year. Beenie was affected by these events and Sly & Robbie, the producers of his "No Mama No Cry" single, were instrumental in guiding the young DJ towards his conversion to Rastafarianism.

You can find him in his official website, Spotify, Deezer, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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You can find it and other songs of the album on Evidence Music, Spotify.

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