Beenie Man

dancehall

Anthony Moses Davis (born August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), better known by the stage name Beenie Man, is a well established reggae artist and DJ. He was involved in the music industry from a young age when he won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981. Only one year later, when he was eight years old, he recorded a single, Too Fancy, with record producer Junjo Lawes. By 1983, Beenie Man was recording with heavyweight DJs, such as Dillinger and Fathead and released his debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder and the single Over the Sea. He was booed off stage at a show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. In 1993 at the very popular show Sting he accused fellow deejay Bounty Killer that the elder artist had stolen his catchphrase, people dead. This triggered a lyrical battle which continued on the air with each artist counteracting the other's songs. Finally, in 1995, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer settled their differences on the air by actually signing a peace treaty and the two recorded an album together, Guns Out. This was followed by a single, No Mama No Cry, a rehash of the Bob Marley classic No Woman No Cry, speaking out against violence and inspired by the murder of Pan Head, another popular Deejay. Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man soon converted to the Rastafari movement. In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed. In 1995, Beenie Man rel...