Beenie Man
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Beenie Man (born Moses Davis August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), is one of the most famous DJs in Jamaica. He was a child star at a young age, when he won the Teeny Talent contest and recording a single, "Too Fancy", with record producer Junjo Lawes. By 1983, Beenie Man was recording with Dillinger and Fathead, and had released a debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man and hit single, "Over the Sea".
After a break, Beenie Man returned in 1992 at Reggae Sunsplash, where he made waves by insulting Bounty Killer, a popular performer. In 1993, Beenie Man was booed off a stage and left Kingston for a year. Upon his return, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer made up and recorded an album together, Guns Out. This was followed by a single, "No Mama No Cry", which condemned violence; it was inspired by the murder of Pan Head, another popular DJ. Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly & Robbie, Beenie Man soon converted to Rasta.
Beenie Man released a series of early 1990s hit singles, including "Praise him" and "World Dance", as well as multiple LPs, such as Defend It and Dis Unu Fi Hear. After signing to Island Records, he released his most acclaimed album, Blessed. In 1995, Beenie Man released a remix of "Under Mi Sensi" (Barrington Levy) in the United Kingdom, and then two duet albums with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma (Three Against War) and Lt. Stitchie (Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man). In 1996, he released another critically acclaimed LP, Maestro, which launched his fame in the UK. In 1998, Beenie Man signed to Virgin Records to release albums in the United States. During the period from the mid to late '90s, Beenie Man dominated the Jamaican charts to the extent that he perhaps had a good claim to the crown of "Dancehall King", a title only bestowed previously on Yellowman in the early 1980s.
His first American release was The Doctor (1998), followed by Y2k. In 2000, Beenie Man teamed up with Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (the Fugees) to release The Art & Life.
During the late 1990s, Beenie Man began to make a name for himself in America with the reggae hits "Who Am I" and "Girls Dem Sugar", which featured American superstar R&B singer, Mya.
In 2002, he had a sizeable hit with a duet with Janet Jackson called "Feel It Boy". But, his biggest break in America came in early 2004 with the release of the single and video for a remix of the song "Dude", featuring guest vocals on the chorus by fellow Jamaican star, Ms. Thing, as well as rhymes by up-and-coming rapper, Shawnna.
In 2004 Beenie Man was investigated by police regarding his controversial lyrics, inciting hatred and murder against homosexuals. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual action group OutRage! of the UK, and a growing coalition of human rights organizations has been calling for action against the more extreme lyrics of Beenie Man and others. This includes boycotts, exclusion from tours and product sponsorships, and even prosecution - since 2003 - under either the Public Order Act, the common law offence of inciting violence and murder, or the solicitation to murder clause of the Offences Against the Person Act.
MTV had plans to include Beenie Man in their roster of performers at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, to be held in Miami, Florida, but gay groups threatened protests, and MTV decided not to include Beenie Man after all.
External links
- Official Site (http://www.beenieman.net/)
- Beenie Man News (http://bandnews.org/band/Beenie+Man)
- "Beenie Man" Lyrics (http://lyrics.activelyrics.com/B/beenie%20man/index.html)