Source NationWide: Icons of Jamaican dancehall music, ‘Beenie Man’ and ‘Bounty Killa’, have both been awarded the Order of Distinction for their contribution to the development of the genre.
The entertainers are among 150 Jamaicans who have been selected for national awards this year. The awards will be formally presented on National Heroes Day, in October.
At the Independence Day Grand Gala at the National Stadium on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness dubbed the men icons and hailed the work they’ve done to popularise dancehall music around the world.
Both ‘Beenie Man’, whose given name is Moses Davis, and ‘Bounty Killa’, given name Rodney Price, are trailblazers in the industry.
Emerging in the 1990s, in an era considered the golden age of dancehall music, the artistes garnered acclaim for lyrics about the harsh realities of life growing up in the slums of Kingston.
Their paths would diverge, with Beenie Man finding popular acclaim in a type of popular dancehall that focused on lyrics detailing a party lifestyle and women.
The style led many to dub Beenie Man the “King of the Dancehall”, and made him a staple on the international scene. This culminated with Beenie Man winning the Grammy award for best Reggae Album in 2001 for ‘Simma’.
Meanwhile, Bounty Killa became the self-styled ‘Poor People Govana’, with his raw lyrics and aggressive delivery endearing him to the dancehall base.
Songs like “Look Into My Eyes” and “Poor People Fed Up”, which detail the perils of poverty and violence, became staples of Bounty Killa’s story telling and cultural impact.
That impact extended to the development of several protégés, including dancehall greats such as ‘Vybz Kartel’, ‘Mavado’, ‘Busy Signal’, and Wayne Marshal, who were all once a part of the super group known as The Alliance.
Bounty Killa also gained widespread international acclaim and won a Grammy as the feature artiste on No Doubts smash hit ‘Hey Baby’.
As the two biggest names in dancehall, ‘Bounty Killa’ and ‘Beenie Man’, spent years at loggerheads, trading direct and indirect barbs, and ‘clashing’ for top spot.
The confrontation continued to escalate until the mid-aughts when both artistes shared a romantic connection with entertainer ‘D’Angel’.
Beenie Man also sided with ‘Vybz Kartel’ in an infamous falling out between the deejay and ‘Bounty Killa’ in the lead-up to one of the most sensational and violent episodes in dancehall history.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (left), Bounty Killa (centre) and Beenie Man (right)
However, in later years, the entertainers buried the hatchet, famously appearing on the Covid pandemic-era Instagram show, Versuz, engaging in a playful dancehall clash that broke streaming records.
The Order of Distinction award is the latest thread connecting the two pillars of dancehall, something both men acknowledged in accepting the public proclamation from Prime Minister Holness.
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Finally this labor party Government has done something worthy amidst all the negative news that come out of this country. Still think this Government needs to go.
It’s great that they’re being recognized now, but it feels overdue. These artists have been shaping dancehall for decades and deserved this acknowledgment much earlier
The award is well-deserved, but it’s essential to reflect on the violent episodes in dancehall history that involved these artists.
Beenie Man and Bounty Killa represent different facets of dancehall, from party anthems to socio-political commentary. This award celebrates the genre’s diversity.
contributing overwhelminglyh to the GUNMAN, VIOLENT, “culture” in Jamrock
The warlord looking prettier than the “girls dem sugar”
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