Beenie Man

reggae musician; singer

Personal Information

Born Anthony Moses Davis on August 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica.
Education: Attended public schools in Kingston.
Religion: Rastafarian.

Career

Dancehall reggae recording artist and performer. Won Teeny Talent competition at age eight; released album The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder, early 1980s; numerous hit recordings in Jamaica in dancehall style, early 1990s; U.S. release of Blessed, a compilation of his Jamaican recordings, 1995; first U.S. release of original material, Many Moods of Moses, 1997; released The Doctor, 1998; released Art & Life, 2000.

Life's Work

The distinct Jamaican tinge heard on U.S. urban radio around the turn of the millennium was partly the creation of Beenie Man, a Jamaican deejay (DJ) and dancehall reggae star who succeeded in transplanting his popularity to North America. One of those rare child stars to reach adulthood with stardom intact, Beenie Man was already a veteran musician by the time he reached his early 20s. The large range of music to which he was exposed helped him, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, "stretch reggae in exciting directions without abandoning his roots." "From little youth days, way back when days, I talk and sing," Beenie Man told Billboard. "Because, obviously, me born to do the music still."

That he had made music since "little youth days" was no exaggeration, for Beenie Man (the word "beenie" means "little" in Jamaican dialect) first performed at the age of five. Born Anthony Moses Davis in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 22, 1973, Beenie Man grew up in a city whose poor neighborhoods were breeding grounds of musical creativity. "I cannot say that life in the ghetto is hard, because there are certain things you can do in the ghetto that you can't do anywhere else," the artist told Down Beat. "Freedom of speech. The ghetto is the truth of life." Beenie Man's uncle was a drummer in the band of crossover reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff, and from his very earliest school years Beenie Man showed unusual skill in "toasting," a Jamaican form with close affinities to U.S. rap music that features spoken, often improvised poetry over a rhythmic accompaniment.

Won Talent Show

Attending school during the day, Beenie Man got an education of a different sort in the evening as he worked on his deejaying and toasting skills using his uncle's electronics array. At age eight he won a national competition called the Teeny Talent show. That led to a single called "Too Fancy" and, two years later, to an album called The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder. That album, produced by Jamaican hitmaker Bunny Lee, brought Beenie Man wide public recognition, and during the 1980s he recorded with various producers.

Taking several years off and then re-emerging as an adult, Beenie Man enjoyed several chart-topping Jamaican hits in the early 1990s. He worked in the style called dancehall, a music that merged the lyrical concerns of older reggae styles--among them spirituality, drug experimentation, political change, and violence in urban culture--with modern technological influences. The vocals fall in between singing and speaking, and the manipulation of that juncture is an important part of dancehall artistry. As in U.S. hip-hop, the DJ is a crucial figure in dancehall, both supplying a recording's vocal component and creating its characteristic sound through the use of musical electronics.

Beenie Man, sometimes seen as a successor to the classic figures of reggae such as Bob Marley, has stressed the links that connect dancehall to earlier Jamaican styles. "It may change, but it's still the same music," he told the Toronto Star. "I don't care where reggae goes, it all comes back to one thing: Jah [God]. You have the high tempo, the remix tempo, it's nasty, but it leads you right back to Jah."

Showdown with Rival DJ

With numerous hit singles under his belt by 1993, Beenie Man came of age as a performer at the 1993 Reggae Sunsplash Festival with a set that inspired fans to call him back on stage for five encores. A DJ showdown with fellow star Bounty Killer only added to the publicity he received, and word of his talents began to circulate beyond Jamaica. In 1994 Beenie Man landed atop dancehall DJ lists in both Jamaica and New York City, and the stage was set for his attempt to conquer the larger U.S. market. He never moved away from his Jamaican roots, however, continuing to score hit records in Jamaica throughout the 1990s. By the year 2000, Beenie Man had notched more Number One singles than any other artist in Jamaican musical history.

The 1995 CD Blessed, released on the Island label, was a collection of Beenie Man's Jamaican recordings. Intended to familiarize North American artists with his style, it was also a fine introduction to dancehall in general. "Beenie Man is a story teller and a dancer, often creating new dance steps to emphasize his words," noted the Toronto Star. One of his hits entitled "Tear Off Mi Garment" inspired a dance called "The Urkle," and also pointed toward another facet of the artist's image: his appeal to women. Reggae is not a music known for an abundance of sex symbols, but, the Washington Post observed in reviewing a Beenie Man performance in the nation's capital, "the women in the audience groped for him like candy junkies battling withdrawal symptoms." The biggest hit included on Blessed was "Slam," a 1994 track that praised the qualities of women from the ghetto.

Beenie Man followed up Blessed with The Many Moods of Moses, a 1997 album that yielded the crosssover pop hit "Who Am I?" The artist's first U.S. release of original material inspired a new stylistic range, even including a country-styled track recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The album won two Grammy nominations, but its successor, The Doctor, stalled on the charts. Beenie Man had already complained to the Toronto Star that the media had a tendency to anoint one particular reggae DJ as the flavor of the month, and often to favor non-Jamaican artists over those from the music's homeland. Now U.S. audiences seemed to be turning to the more pop- and R&B-oriented sounds of Beenie Man's rival, Shaggy.

Joined with Non-Jamaican Musicians

In the year 2000, however, Beenie Man's fortunes took a turn for the better. He was signed to a new major-label contract, with the Virgin label, and released the album Art & Life. That album was a stylistic tour de force, featuring guest appearances by Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, the progressive Haitian-American hip-hop star Wyclef Jean, rising hip-hop performer Mya, and even retro swingster Steve Perry of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Art and Life took the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album of 2000 and kicked off a successful U.S. tour for the artist.

Beenie Man continued to work from his Kingston base in 2001 and to maintain his status as one of Jamaica's top artists. The U.S. public had long shown a notoriously fickle attitude toward Jamaican music, but Beenie Man was among the artists who seemed ready to inaugurate a new period of popularity for island sounds. Still under thirty years old, he remained a developing artist in the best sense of the word. Dancehall had for many years exercised a strong influence on U.S. hip-hop, and Beenie Man seemed the artist who might most successfully fuse the two forms.

Awards

Two Grammy award nominations, for Many Moods of Moses, 1998.

Works

Selected discography

Defend It, VP, 1994.
Blessed, Island, 1995.
Maestro, VP, 1996.
Many Moods of Moses, VP, 1997.
Doctor, VP, 1999.
Art & Life, Virgin, 2000.

Biography

One of Jamaica's most crucial DJs, 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. Then again, when you're a recording veteran at age ten, one wonders just what took him so long. Every country has its child stars; just look at Shirley Temple, but few treat their prodigies with the respect of Jamaica. Talent competitions lead to radio and TV appearances, and even record contracts, but what's truly amazing is how many of these charming tots continue their career into adulthood. Elsewhere, early stardom inevitably leads to adolescent failure as they're a lot less cute at 18 than they were at eight. But not Jamaica, where they love them as toddlers, adore them as teens, and worship them as adults. Beenie Man is just one stellar example.

Beenie Man (aka Moses Davis) was born 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. By 1983, the youngster found himself appearing on Lawes' Junjo Presents Two Big Sounds, which was recorded live and featured such DJ heavyweights as Dillinger and Fathead. Along with Unlimited, Beenie was also DJing at Prince Jammy's Volcano sound systems, 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 sums 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.

Not 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 obviously 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. Jamaica's violent crime rate remains shockingly high and affects people at all levels of society. While drug overdoses and suicide are a proportionately high cause of death for American artists, murder is often the tragic cause in Jamaica. That many of these crimes go unsolved, Pan Head's included, add to the emotional devastation and so does the fact that the violence seemingly comes in waves, carrying off a number of noted figures in the course of a year. Beenie, too, was affected by these events and Sly & Robbie, the producers of his "No Mama No Cry" single, were instrumental in guiding the young DJ toward his conversion to Rastafarianism.

A new attitude and a new hit single instantly turned Beenie's career around. Now working with all the island's top producers, the DJ recorded a slew of singles, many of them religiously themed, "Praise Him" and "World Dance" (which took the Best Single Award at the Jamaican Music Awards) included. The hits-heavy Defend It and Dis Unu Fi Hear were both released in 1994 and combined more culturally themed raps with a hardcore dancehall sound. Many of these singles, bar the Taxi releases, were rounded up on Gold by the British Charm label. Beenie's stardom was confirmed by his taking the DJ of the Year Award that same year. Signing to Island Records, Beenie released the seminal Blessed album, which featured another clutch of hits, including the dancehall smash "Slam."

While in the U.K., the DJ fired the British dancefloors with a jungle remix of "Under Mi Sensi." 1995 also brought a pair of collaborative albums, including Three Against War, which united the DJ with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma, and Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man, a tag-team dancehall affair. Joined by Lady Saw, Beenie also scored a major hit with "Healer" that year, just one of many successful collaborative singles that included "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," which paired him with Third World. By the end of the year, Beenie was a shoo-in for the DJ of the Year Award. 1996 brought Maestro, Beenie's first "real" album, as compared to his previous hits collections. Produced by Patrick Roberts, it was a stunning effort featuring a kaleidoscope of moods. The following year proved to be his break out in Britain, when his and Chevelle Franklin's "Dance Hall Queen" bounced up the national chart. Both that single and its follow-up, "Who Am I," were number ones back at home, while the latter rocketed its way into the U.K. Top Ten. In fact, Beenie Man could now do no wrong, and a sound system's worth of his singles flew their way up the Jamaican chart that year and the next. The autobiographical Many Moods of Moses features a number of these smashes, including "Oysters & Conch" and "Foundation."

After headlining Reggae Sunsplash in 1998, Beenie signed to Virgin Records in the U.S.; The Doctor was the first fruit of this new union and was an instant dancehall classic. 1999 brought the King Jammy-produced album Y2K, which never actually mentions everyone's greatest fear that year -- the millennium bug, but does take on a host of other issues from AIDS to illiteracy. And the hit singles just kept on coming, and coming, and coming. Beenie was unstoppable, whether on his own or with other artists, and at times the Jamaican chart seemed to be the DJ's private preserve. "Hot Bwoy" with Buccaneer, "Mi Nu Walla," "Forget You," "Ruff Like We" with Redrose, "100 Dollar Bag," "So Nice" with Silvercat, "In This Together," "Skettel Tune" with Angel Doolas, and "L.O.Y." are just a sampling of the singles the DJ released between 1999 and 2000. The Art & Life album, released in the new century, showcased the DJ at his most eclectic and included guests Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean of Fugees fame. The following year, Beenie reunited with Jean behind the mixing board to produce the debut album by actor Steven Seagal. Janet Jackson, the Neptunes, Lady Saw, and Lil' Kim all turned up as guests on 2002's Tropical Storm, the Beenie Man album with the most crossover appeal. 2004's Back to Basics was just that, a straight-up return to dancehall. The hit-collecting compilation From Kingston to King of the Dancehall appeared in early 2005, and Undisputed, which featured production work from Scott Storch and Don Corleon, among others, was released the next year. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

Discography: Beenie Man

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Show More Albums

Hundred Dollar Bag Buy this CD	All the Best Buy this CD	Monsters of Dancehall Buy this CD	Best of Two Badd DJ's: Beenie Man & Spragga Benz Buy this CD	Doctor Buy this CD
Magnificent Buy this CD	Magnificent Buy this CD	Who Am I Buy this CD	Greatest Hits So Far Buy this CD	Defend It Buy this CD
King of the Dancehall [2 Tracks] Buy this CD	Miss Angela Buy this CD	Undisputed [Bonus Tracks] Buy this CD	Girls [Single] Buy this CD	Portland Reggae Buy this CD
Heavyweight Dancehall Clash Buy this CD	Back to Basics Buy this CD	Back to Basics [Clean] Buy this CD	Art and Life Buy this CD	Art and Life [Clean] Buy this CD
Street Life [Pt.1] Buy this CD	Concept of Life Buy this CD	Reggae Max Buy this CD	Black Liberty Buy this CD	Kingston to King of the Dancehall: A Collection of Dancehall Favorites [Clean] Buy this CD
Kingston to King of the Dancehall: A Collection of Dancehall Favorites Buy this CD	Best of Beenie Man: Collector's Edition [2 CD] Buy this CD	Maestro Buy this CD	Many Moods of Moses [VP/Slammin' Vinyl] Buy this CD	Cool Cool Rider Buy this CD
Undisputed Buy this CD	Undisputed [Clean] Buy this CD	Live in San Francisco Buy this CD	Gold [Jet Star] Buy this CD	Gold [Jet Star] Buy this CD
Tropical Storm Buy this CD	Tropical Storm [Clean] Buy this CD	Peace Love and Unity Buy this CD	New School vs. Old School Buy this CD	Street Life Buy this CD
Reggae Legends Buy this CD	Dude, Pt. 1 Buy this CD	Sting Buy this CD	Ruff 'N' Tuff Buy this CD	Very Best of Beenie Man: Gold Buy this CD
Maestro [Reissue] Buy this CD	Blessed Buy this CD	Beenie Man [DVD/CD] Buy this CD

Show Fewer Albums

Wikipedia: Beenie Man

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This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (September 2009)

Beenie Man
Beenie Man performing in August 2008
Background information
Birth name	Anthony Moses Davis
Also known as	Ras Moses, The Doctor, The Girls Dem Sugar^[1]
Born	August 22, 1973 (1973-08-22) (age 36)
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae, dancehall, reggae fusion
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Deejay, Producer
Years active	late 1970s–present
Labels	Brookland, Universal Republic
Associated acts	Don Omar
Website	www.beeniemanmusic.com

Anthony Moses Davis (born August 22, 1973),^[2] better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican reggae entertainer and a well established dancehall artist.

1 Biography
- 1.1 1990s return
- 1.2 International stardom
2 Personal life
3 Controversy
4 Discography
5 Notes
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

Biography

Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.^[3] He was involved in the music industry from a young age, starting toasting at the age of five, and was encouraged by his uncle Sydney Wolf, who played drums for Jimmy Cliff.^[4]^[5] He won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981,^[3]^[6] 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.^[4] 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.^[3] 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".^[3] 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.^[3]

1990s return

Beenie Man continued performing and honed his craft beside the then dominant dancehall 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 festival in 1992, and a rivalry with Bounty Killer began the following year after Beenie Man's "people dead" catchphrase was appropriated by the other deejay.^[3] The rivalry was captured on the 1994 album Guns Out, with the two artists settling the feud with a soundclash.^[3] Beenie Man had his first number one single in Jamaica in 1993 with "Matie", and he won the DJ of the Year Award the same year, the first of eight consecutive awards.^[6]

Beenie Man's career suffered a setback when his performance at a show welcoming Nelson Mandela to Jamaica included a song widely condemned as being totally inappropriate, and he was booed offstage, the controversy leading to him leaving Jamaica for a year.^[3]

International stardom

Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, with whom he recorded cover versions of Bob Marley's "Crazy Baldheads" 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."^[3]^[5] In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed, which established his reputation internationally.^[3] In 1995 he toured the UK and joined up again with Barrington Levy to record an updated jungle version of Levy's "Under Mi Sensi".^[3]

In 1995, Beenie Man collaborated with Dennis Brown and Triston Palmer to release Three Against War and Mad Cobra and Lieutenant Stitchie on Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man. He also collaborated with Lady Saw on "Healing", Sanchez on "Refugee", and Michael Prophet on "Gun 'n' Bass", further establishing his reputation.^[3] 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" 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.^[3]

In 1998, Beenie Man headlined Reggae Sunsplash and signed to Virgin Records 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", which featured American R&B singer, Mýa. During this time he received an impressive number of international music awards including a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act in 1998,^[7] while remaining at the top of the local charts. In 2000, Beenie Man released Art & Life, which featured Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (The Fugees), for which received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.^[3] In the same year he co-produced (with Wyclef Jean) the debut album by actor Steven Seagal.^[3] Beenie Man, like many dancehall artists is outspoken on a number of social issues, as exemplified by songs such as "Steve Biko" and "Murderer"^[8]^[9]^[10].

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 a remix of "Dude", 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 "Feel It Boy" (UK #9), a duet with Janet Jackson, and in 2004 with "Dude" (#7) and "King of the Dancehall" (#14).^[11]

He was also a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[12]

In April 2008 it was announced that Beenie Man was to co-write and star in the film Kingston.^[13]

In September 2008 Beenie Man was cleared of charges of tax evasion.^[14]^[15]

In April 2009, Beenie Man signed with Brookland Entertainment, a new record label formed by Eric Nicks 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” will be shot in Canada on April 18, 2009.

Personal life

Beenie Man married Michelle Downer also known as D'Angel on 22 August 2006 in a lavish ceremony in Jamaica.^[16] The pair set up the MAFIA House Production Company together.^[16] They have a son, Marco Dean, born in November 2006. Their relationship, however, was short-lived. In June 2007, Beenie Man separated from his wife; they remain estranged though are still married. In 2007, Beenie Man stated on Jamaican television that they would be getting divorced.

Controversy

The lyrics to some of his songs have been criticized for inciting the murder of homosexuals, with lyrics such as, "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays"^[17]. In "Mi Nah Wallah", he says he would like to cut the throats of all gay men.^[18] In "Bad Man Chi Chi Man" the lyric instructs listeners to kill gay deejays, and in "Han Up Deh", the lyric suggests hanging lesbians with a long piece of rope.^[18] MTV had plans to include Beenie Man in their roster of performers at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards but after protests MTV decided to exclude him.^[19] In 2004, with a concert in England being cancelled due to his lyrics after he was stopped by police at Heathrow Airport when entering the country,^[20] and amid fears of further cancellations, Beenie Man issued an apology through his record company: "While my lyrics are very personal, I do not write them with the intent of purposefully hurting or maligning others, and I offer my sincerest apologies to those who might have been offended, threatened or hurt by my songs."^[18] The apology was dismissed as a stunt by gay rights campaigners.^[18] In 2005, however, 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.^[21] In 2006, he claimed that he was not homophobic, and claimed that his lyrics had been misconstrued, and that his references to homosexuals refer to the rape of boys by child molesters:

“

Jamaica is not against gay people. Gay means consented sex. What we have in Jamaica is not what it is in England where two men live together. That's not it in Jamaica and these people [like Tatchell] fail to understand that. In Jamaica, gay is rape. It's a big man with their money going into the ghetto and picking these little youth who ain't got nothing. And then give them money and then involving them. There were 550 youths who got raped inna Jamaica you know? And nobody seems to speak of that. Nobody sees the youth get raped, and throat cut because the man who raped him, he knows him, and he doesn't want him to go back and say he did it. And these things still happening.^[22]

”

In 2007, it was reported that Beenie Man had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, a petition organized by the Stop Murder Music campaign, agreeing to renounce homophobia and desist from writing and performing lyrics promoting violence against gay people.^[23] He later denied that he had signed the act, stating "We don't need to kill dem. We just need fi tell the people dem the right ting because I not supporting a gay lifestyle because it's not wholesome to me."^[24] There have also been protests from gay rights groups in New Zealand when Beenie Man was announced as part of the lineup for the Big Day Out music festival in Auckland to be held in January 2010. Groups such as GayNZ.com have called on Big Day Out organisers to rescind the invitation to Beenie Man to perform at the event, and over 850 people have joined a Facebook group protesting his appearance. ^[25]

On 15 November 2009, Big Day Out organisers announced they were dropping Beenie Man from the line up, saying "the depth of feeling and hurt amongst these groups has convinced us that for us to proceed with his Big Day Out appearances was, and would continue to be, divisive amongst our audience members and would mar the enjoyment of the event for many." ^[26]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

1983: The Invincible Beenie Man: The Incredible Ten Year Old DJ Wonder - Bunny Lee
1992: Cool Cool Rider
1994: Dis Unu Fi Hear - High Tone
1994: Defend It VP
1994: Guns Out with Bounty Killer - Greensleeves
1995: Blessed - Island
1995: Maestro = Greensleeves
1995: Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man - VP
1997: Many Moods Of Moses - Greensleeves
1999: Y2K - Artists Only
1999: Ruff N Tuff
1999: The Doctor - VP
2000: Art and Life - Virgin
2001: Black Liberty
2001: Youth Quake
2002: Tropical Storm (album)
2004: Back To Basics
2006: Concept Of Life
2006: Hundred Dollar Bag
2006: Undisputed
2007: Monsters of Dancehall
2009: The Legend Returns

Compilations

1995: All the Best
2000: Best of Beenie Man
2002: Gold - The Very Best of - Charm
2005: Kingston to King of The Dancehall
2005: Greatest Hits So Far

Live albums

2004: Live In San Francisco

Mixtapes and unofficial releases

2000: Trendsetter
2004: Cool Cool Rider - The Roots Of A Dancehall Don
2006: Its Ah! Beenie (riddim mixtape)
2007: Monsters of Dancehall

Singles

1981: "Too Fancy"
1983: "Over the Sea"
1993: "Matie"
1995: "Slam"
1995: "Romie"
1995: "Old Dog"
1995: "Healing" (with Lady Saw)
1997: "Dancehall Queen" (with Chevelle Franklin)
1998: "Who Am I (Sim Simma)"
1998: "Tell Me"
2000: "Dungle Boogie" (featuring Sly & Robbie)
2000: "Love Me Now" (featuring Wyclef Jean)
2000: "Girls Dem Suga" (featuring Mýa)
2002: "Fresh From Yard" (featuring Lil' Kim)
2002: "Feel It Boy" (featuring Janet Jackson)
2002: "Red Red Red" (with Robyn)
2003: "Street Life" (featuring Assia)
2003: "Bossman" (featuring Sean Paul & Lady Saw)
2004: "Dude" (featuring Ms. Thing & Shawnna)
2004: "King of the Dancehall"
2005: "Specialists" (featuring Vybz Kartel)
2006: "Girls" (featuring Akon)
2006: "Hmm Hmm"
2006: "Hmm Hmm Remix" (featuring Foxy Brown)
2007: "Give it Up" (featuring Barbee)
2008: "Wine Gyal"
2008: "Pickney Nah Hold Yah Dung"
2008: "Gimme Gimme"

Featured singles

1996: "Hands In the Air" (Doug E. Fresh featuring Beenie Man)
1999: "Outa Space (UFOs)" (Machel Montano featuring Beenie Man); album Any Minute Now
2000: "Money" (Jamelia featuring Beenie Man)
2001: "I'm Serious" (T.I. featuring Beenie Man)
2004: "Compton" (Guerilla Black featuring Beenie Man)
2005: "Soul on Fire" (KMC featuring Beenie Man)
2006: "Zingy" (Ak'Sent featuring Beenie Man)
2006: "Flow Natural" (Tito El Bambino featuring Deevani and Beenie Man)
2006: "Heaven Baby" (Brooke Hogan featuring Beenie Man)
2006: "Dreaming of You" (featuring Alaine)
2007: "Back It Up"
2008: "Better than Dem" (Natasja featuring Beenie Man)
2008: "Scorpion" Nisha B. featuring Beenie Man
2008: "Burnin' Burnin" (Ms.Triniti featuring Beenie Man)
2009: "Get It On" (Rasun ft. Beenie Man)
2009: "Giggle" (Busta Rhymes ft. Beenie Man)
2009: "Woman"
2009: "International" (Chali 2na ft. Beenie Man)

Notes

^ "Beenie Man to perform as 'Ras Moses' at Rebel Salute", Jamaica Gleaner, 11 January 2009
^ Greene, Jo-Ann. "Beenie Man - Biography". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:azfrxqy5ldke~T1. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Thompson 2002, pp. 32–34
^ ^a ^b Larkin 1998, pp. 22–23
^ ^a ^b Roper, Rasheen (2005) "One-0n-One with Beenie Man - Pursue whatever you desire", Jamaica Observer, 18 January 2005
^ ^a ^b Jackson, Kevin (2003) "25 years of top class music from Beenie Man", Jamaica Observer, 22 August 2003
^ Rodgers, Jennifer (1998) "Music: Toasting the many moods of Beenie Man", The Independent, 6 February 1998
^ Beenie Man Plays NYC - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
^ "Beenie Man blames government for problems". October 31, 2007.
^ "Beenie Man Apologies To JLP Government", Hardbeatnews. New York, NY, Thurs. Nov. 1, 2007.
^ Beenie Man, ChartStats
^ Independent Music Awards - 6th Annual Judges
^ Peru, Yasmine (2008) "Beenie Man to co-write, star in movie", Jamaica Observer, 25 April 2008
^ Reggae artist Beenie Man faces arrest in tax case | Entertainment | Reuters
^ "Beenie Man cleared of tax evasion", BBC, 1 October 2008
^ ^a ^b Henry, Roland & Edwards, Debra (2007) "Beenie Man and D'Angel in furniture fight", Jamaica Observer, 15 August 2007
^ "Battybwoys affi dead:" Action against homophobia in Jamaica
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Clennell, Andrew (2004) "Beenie Man offers apology for his homophobic lyrics", The Independent, 4 August 2004
^ (August 26, 2004). MTV bars Beenie Man as gays plan protest USA Today. Accessed June 22, 2008.
^ Branigan, Tania (2004) "Beenie Man concert axed over homophobia fears", The Guardian, 25 June 2004
^ "Beenie Man gets London reprieve ", BBC, 18 March 2005
^ Egere-Cooper (2006) "Beenie Man: 'I'm not homophobic'", The Independent, 11 August 2006
^ Swash, Rosie (2007) "Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton renounce homophobia", The Guardian, 14 June 2007
^ Wright, Keril (2007) "Beenie Man denies signing deal with gay group", Jamaica Observer, 22 July 2007
^ Goh, Esther (2009) "Controversial anti-gay rapper to perform at Big Day Out", The New Zealand Herald, November 12 2009
^ http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_8164.php

References

Thompson, Dave (2002). Reggae & Caribbean Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0879306556.
Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. ISBN 0753502429.

External links

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		Black Biography. Contemporary Black Biography. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
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Dis Unu Fi Hear Buy this CD	Art and Life [Japan Bonus Track] Buy this CD	Feel It Boy [Australian CD] Buy this CD	Magnificent Beenie Man Buy this CD	Y2K Buy this CD
Beenie Man Meets Mad Cobra Buy this CD	Tropical Storm [Japan Bonus Tracks] Buy this CD	Youth Quake Buy this CD	Dude [US 12"/CD] Buy this CD	Reggae Max, Vol. 2 Buy this CD

Beenie Man

Biography

Contents

Biography

1990s return

International stardom

Personal life

Controversy

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilations

Live albums

Mixtapes and unofficial releases

Singles

Featured singles

Notes

References

Further reading

External links