Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican

Dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

deejay.

Biography

Davis was born in the

Waterhouse district of Kingston Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Intern ...

in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 24 He was involved in the music industry from a young age, started toasting at the age of five, and was encouraged by his uncle Sydney Knowles, who played drums for

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

.Roper, Rasheen (2005
"One-On-One with Beenie Man – Pursue whatever you desire"
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 18 January 2005 He won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981,Jackson, Kevin (2003
"25 years of top class music from Beenie Man"
''

'', 22 August 2003 and Radio DJ Barry G introduced him to local sound system operators, who helped to establish the popularity of the young deejay, who became known as Beenie Man. He recorded his debut single, "Too Fancy", with record producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes in 1981, with Lawes also including him on the 1983 album ''Junjo Presents Two Big Sounds'' alongside established stars such as Dillinger, Fathead, and

Ringo Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

. His debut album, ''The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder'' was produced by Bunny Lee and released in 1983, his first hit single following the same year with the Winston Holness-produced "Over the Sea". In 1984 Beenie Man recorded some material with Barrington Levy (released ten years later), but his music career was put on hold while he finished school, and spent time travelling to the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.

1990s return

Beenie Man continued performing and honed his craft beside the then dominant

figures including Ninjaman, Admiral Bailey and Shabba Ranks. He found his artistic home at the Shocking Vibes studio where he continued to record singles with only moderate success in the early 1990s. His career gained momentum after a performance at the

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

festival in 1992, and a rivalry with Bounty Killer began the following year after Beenie Man was accused of stealing Bounty Killer's style and catch phrases. The rivalry was captured on the 1994 album ''Guns Out'', with the two artists settling the feud with a soundclash. Beenie Man had his first number one single in Jamaica in 1993 with "Matie" (Produced by Ephraim Barrett, Donovan and Dave Mills on the Shelly Power Records label) and he won the DJ of the Year Award the same year, the first of eight consecutive awards.

International stardom

Partially as a result of prodding from his producers,

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...

, with whom he recorded

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's "Crazy Baldhead" and "No Woman No Cry" in 1994, the latter a Jamaican chart-topper, Beenie Man converted to the Rastafari movement, as did several of his contemporaries at the time, although in 2005 he stated "I have not converted. I was baptised an Ethiopian Orthodox and at the age of 10 I became a Judah Coptic." In 1994, he was signed by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

and released the critically acclaimed album ''

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

'', which established his reputation internationally. In 1995 he toured the UK and joined up again with Barrington Levy to record an updated

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...

version of Levy's "Under Mi Sensi". In 1995, Beenie Man collaborated with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma to release ''Three Against War'' and Mad Cobra and

Lieutenant Stitchie Cleveland Laing (born 29 September 1965), better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the short ...

on ''Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man''. He also collaborated with

Lady Saw Marion Hall (born 12 July 1969; formerly known by the stage name Lady Saw) is a Jamaican singer and songwriter whose career has spanned over two decades. Formerly known as the Queen of Dancehall, she is the first female deejay to be certified ...

on "Healing", Sanchez on "Refugee", and Michael Prophet on "Gun 'n' Bass", further establishing his reputation. He took another step up the ladder in 1996, releasing the seminal ''Maestro'', produced by Patrick Roberts and shot him to UK fame. During the period from the mid to late 1990s, 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. Beenie Man's first real break into the United States came in 1997. He heard an instrumental rhythm by an unknown producer named Jeremy Harding, and demanded to add his voice to the rhythm. So this was the birth of his first international hit; he recorded "

Who Am I Who Am I? or Who Am I may refer to: Film * ''Who Am I?'' (1921 film). a silent drama directed by Henry Kolker * ''Who Am I?'' (1998 film), a Hong Kong film starring Jackie Chan * ''Who Am I?'' (2009 film), a Cambodian film * ''Who Am I'' (2 ...

" and the single quickly went Gold. It opened the doors for the world to see a new reggae star in the pages of Newsweek and other major media outlets. The same year, Beenie Man topped the Jamaican singles chart with seven different singles. Beenie Man appeared as himself in the 1997 film ''

Dancehall Queen ''Dancehall Queen'' is a 1997 indie Jamaican film written by Suzanne Fenn, Ed Wallace and Don Letts, starring Audrey Reid, who plays Marcia, a street vendor struggling to raise a bad-tempered daughter, Tanya (Cherine Anderson). Directed by Don L ...

''. In 1998, Beenie Man headlined Reggae Sunsplash and signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

to release albums in the United States. His first American offering was ''The Doctor'' (1998). During the late 1990s, Beenie Man began his conquest of America with the hits, "Romie", "Who Am I", and "

Girls Dem Sugar Girls Dem Sugar is a reggae fusion song by Jamaican deejay Beenie Man and features singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by The Neptunes for Davis' 2000 studio album '' Art and Life'' and inspired and conceptualized from his 1997 Jamai ...

", which featured American R&B singer,

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

. During this time he received an impressive number of international music awards including a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act in 1998,Rodgers, Jennifer (1998
"Music: Toasting the many moods of Beenie Man"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, 6 February 1998 while remaining at the top of the local charts. In 2000, Beenie Man released ''Art & Life'', which featured Arturo Sandoval and

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

( The Fugees), for which received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Reggae Album. In the same year he co-produced (with

) the debut album by actor Steven Seagal. Beenie Man, like many dancehall artists, is outspoken on a number of social issues, as exemplified by songs such as "Steve Biko" and "Murderer". In 2002, he had a sizeable hit with a duet with

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

called "

Feel It Boy "Feel It Boy" is a song by Jamaican dancehall musician Beenie Man featuring American singer Janet Jackson from Beenie Man's 15th studio album, ''Tropical Storm'' (2002). The song was written by Beenie Man, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Cl ...

", but his biggest break in America came in early 2004 with the release of a remix of "

Dude ''Dude'' is American slang for an individual, typically male. From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous citified person who was visiting a rural lo ...

", featuring guest vocals by fellow Jamaican Ms. Thing as well as rhymes by Shawnna. He thus cemented his fan base on both sides of the Atlantic. He had hits in the UK in 1998 with "Who am I" (#10), in 2003 with "Street Life" (#13) and "

" (UK #9), a duet with

, and in 2004 with "Dude" (#7) and "King of the Dancehall" (#14). Also in 2004, The Associated Press observed that Beenie Man had "become a name-brand artist worldwide" and called him "king of the dancehall reggae scene". He was also a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. In April 2008, it was announced that Beenie Man was to co-write and star in the film ''Kingston''.Peru, Yasmine (2008
"Beenie Man to co-write, star in movie"
, ''

'', 25 April 2008 In October 2010, Beenie Man came out with the EP ''I'm Drinking Rum and Red Bull'', which included four songs, "Im drinking Rum and Red Bull", "I'm Okay", and two versions of "Stack and Pile". He later released the full album on 28 February 2011. "Im Drinking Rum and Red Bull" features Future Fambo. In September 2008, Beenie Man was cleared of charges of tax evasion."Beenie Man cleared of tax evasion"

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, 1 October 2008 In April 2009, Beenie Man signed with Brookland Entertainment, a new record label formed by

Eric Nicks Eric Nicks is the founder of Alpine Music Group, home to R&B sensation Justine Skye. Eric Nicks is a music industry veteran, having been named the Sr. VP of A&R at Universal Motown. He also founded R&B Live NY, an industry showcase in New York Cit ...

and The Trackmasters, in preparation to release his new album ''The Legend Returns'', the music video for the release of his new single "Gimme Gimme" being shot in Canada on 18 April 2009. The song "Let's Go" was released on the ''Overproof Riddim'' compilation album in 2011. In 2014, Beenie Man and long-term rival Bounty Killer put aside their differences and recorded a single together, "Legendary". The two performed a well-received Verzuz battle together on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

on 23 May 2020. Around that time, Vibe described them as "two of the most legendary icons in dancehall."

Personal life

Beenie Man married Michelle "D'Angel" Downer on 22 August 2006.Sadeke Brooks
We are still not together – D'Angel
Jamaica Star online, March 2010 In June 2007, Beenie Man separated from his wife. In March 2010, they released a duet single entitled "You Are My First", although at the time they were separated. The couple divorced in 2011.

Controversy

Anti-gay lyrics

The lyrics to some of his songs have been criticised for inciting the murder of homosexuals. He was removed from the 2004

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

after protests by gay-rights activists. That same year, Beenie Man was stopped by police at

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

in London, after the cancellation of a concert in the United Kingdom.Branigan, Tania (2004
"Beenie Man concert axed over homophobia fears"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 25 June 2004 He then issued an apology for the lyrics through his record company.Clennell, Andrew (2004
"Beenie Man offers apology for his homophobic lyrics"
''

'', 4 August 2004 In 2005, gay rights group OutRage! suspended their opposition to Beenie Man after he agreed not to play songs featuring homophobic lyrics, and he performed in London that year."Beenie Man gets London reprieve"

, 18 March 2005 The following year, he claimed his lyrics were anti- paedophilia, not against consensual homosexual relationships.Egere-Cooper (2006
"Beenie Man: 'I'm not homophobic' "
''

'', 11 August 2006 In 2007, it was reported that Beenie Man, along with several other artists, had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, an agreement to cease performances of anti-gay material.Swash, Rosie (2007
"Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton renounce homophobia"
''

'', 14 June 2007 He later denied that he had signed the act.Wright, Keril (2007
"Beenie Man denies signing deal with gay group"
''

'', 22 July 2007 As of 2010, protests have continued to cause cancellations of his concerts in some countries, including New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2012, Beenie Man apologized to the gay community for his earlier homophobic lyrics: "Let me make this clear and straight. I have nothing against no one. I respect each and every human being, regardless of which race or creed, regardless of which religious belief you believe in, and regardless of which sexual preference you are, including gays and lesbian people. I respect all human...Please I am begging you do not have me up for some songs I wrote a long time ago. I love each and every one and am just begging each and everyone to do the same."Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2012)
Beenie asks gays for forgiveness
, ''

'', 17 May 2012, retrieved 1 June 2012 In other interviews, however, he was quoted making statements such as "I never apologized" and "I told them to leave us alone, to try to understand where we are coming from." In 2015 prior to coming to New Zealand for a concert,

GayNZ.com GayNZ.com is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community website for New Zealand. Prior to the websites closure in 2018, it posted daily local and international news stories, monitors fundamentalist Christian politics in New Zealand a ...

news site asked Beenie Man about the homophobic lyrics in his earlier songs. He hung up the telephone without answering.

Yellowman feud

In 2006, veteran deejay Yellowman publicly chastised Beenie Man for his hit " King of the Dancehall". Known as "King Yellowman" since the 1980s, the deejay took exception to Beenie Man proclaiming himself "king", as well as comments Beenie made regarding his appearance. Regarding the title of "king", Yellowman stated: "Him trying to make people feel like him was here before me, but him never deh here before me, because dem planning to do dem official crowning them claim say is an official crowning but dem a use some a di media as some of them organisation ...". Beenie Man made comments later that year in German-based Riddim Magazine, comparing Bounty Killer to Yellowman in appearance: " Bounty Killer is a great artiste and he's ugly, too. He's got a rough thing about him, Jamaicans like that from the Shabba Rankin' days and the King Stitt days and the Yellowman days. They like ugly people." Yellowman responded, "Him can diss me all him like, but him caan diss the Jamaican public. What kinda ting that him say inna ''Riddim'' magazine? If me ugly, him pretty, me know say me wear shirt, him wear blouse, me wear pants, him wear skirt."

Legal issues

Court case

On 1 January 2021, Beenie Man was charged for breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) and the Noise Abatement Act after he held an event in Jamaica in violation of measures to combat the

Discography

Notes

References

* *

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beenie Man 1973 births Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Virgin Records artists Island Records artists Jamaican dancehall musicians Reggae fusion artists Grammy Award winners Jamaican reggae musicians Living people Sony Music Publishing artists VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists