King of the Dancehall: Beenie Man

Beenie Man was widely known for his throaty chuckles and “Zagga zow!” catch phrase. He was born Moses Davis in 1973. He was named Beenie Man as a toddler because he was “a little boy with a man’s brain.” Living in Kingston, he was exposed to some of Jamaica’s greatest sound systems at an early age. At the age of eight, Beenie was a certified recording star himself with the single “Too Fancy.” He then released his first album when he was 10.

But he didn’t stop to just being a child star. By the mid-’90s, he was drawing together awards as DJ of the Year. He signed with Island to record the Rastafarian-influenced Blessed. This made him internationally famous with his featured hard-hitting smash “Slam.” He was even given a doctorate (“of all lyrics”) from the University of the West Indies’ music department.

He use Maestro (VP) as an opportunity to show off his Doctor status. With the party atmosphere of the album’s big hit “Girls Dem Sugar”, it was toned down by several cultural songs. He maintained that with the album he considers his best, Many Moods Of Moses (VP), featuring the rootsy “Steve Biko” (complete with an intro based on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”), the country song “Ain’t Gonna Figure It Yet” and “Who Am I” (“Zim zimma, who got the keys to my Bimma?”).

Beenie continued searching for genre (gospel, R&B, hip-hop) on The Doctor (VP). He brought this enthusiasm with himas he signed with Virgin. Producer Salaam Remi, producer of Art & Life brought back the hip-hop beat of “O.P.P.” on the Wyclef Jean collaboration “Love Me Now.” R&B singer Mya softened up “Gals Dem Sugar.” “I Got A Date” adapts the Staple Singers’ staple “I’ll Take You There” while “Tumble” features trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. “Haters And Fools” along with Dave Kelly’s eerie “Bug” rhythm is the only track that’ll satisfy dancehall conservatives. This pop-music hodgepodge won Beenie the Grammy he long deserved.

The Tropical Storm lead-off single “Feel It Boy” featured Janet Jackson brought a near-death Hummer rollover that put the Doctor in the hospital with serious injuries. With his return was the release of his comeback album titled Back To Basics, marked a return to the hardcore dancehall.

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