Beenie Man was built for this. From an extremely early age the Cool Calm Rider (Born Moses Anthony Davis or MAD as he likes to think his English name is) was performing with King Jammys’ Volcano Sound System and had already won the Teeny Talent show in his native Jamaica. It wasn’t long before Bunny “Striker” Lee had a hit for the ten-year-old Deejay Wonder and from then on his rough and rugged verse has been found on many a hit record the world over proving that this Dude is truly “the roughest, toughest bumba-clart badman outta Jamaica”.
You started toasting at the age of five – was it your uncle [who played drums for Jimmy Cliff] that got you into the music game?I think I was born to do music but my uncle did the sound systems and that gave me the opportunity to become an artist fully. He was the one that keep the firs’ show that I performed on, even though my Mum pop my ass after[wards].
So from that young age you knew that this was your calling?
From the time I reach the stage I knew that was my life and it felt right.
You certainly weren’t an everyday, regular kid – by the time you were eight you were working with King Jammys and Bunny Lee weren’t you?
I was working with King Tubby, King Jammys and Bunny Lee but I knew them all my life. This was an eight-year –old kid thinking he fifteen. I was eight but I was already thinking about playing on the radio and being a star like Bob Marley. I was a big man trapped in a little boys body.
And that has some connection to your name doesn’t it?
The name Beenie Man comes ‘cos I was a kid with all these reasonings and it was like you be talking to a 25-year-old.
But initially you were known as DJ Wonder, which is a name Bunny Lee told me he gave you, right?
Yeah man. Bunny gave me that name but I was always called Beenie Man ya see, ‘cos Beenie is a boy and Beenie Man is a kid that think he a man; the words that he speak, the things that he says, the type of songs that he sings. Instead of saying little big man they call you Beenie Man.
How has the scene changed since your earlier days in the game?
It’s changed a lot. In the early days it was roots rock reggae, y’know, with Peter Tosh, Jimmy Clif, and now it’s Buju Banton and me and Bounty Killer for about eleven years. Everyone that came from Jamaica came under me and Bounty Killer’s regime; Sean Paul came under my regime and Elephant Man come from Bounty Killer’s. Sean Paul is international because he show his respeck and he remember where he is from. Bounty Killer raise stars because he is a star and I am a super-star – we are different but that’s what makes dancehall music what it is today.
So what’s your secret then?
Well it’s just about knowing what is important. It’s not for the people to love the songs that you sing but for people to love the individual – when people love the individual you have more comfort to write and you think like the people and then sing what the people wanna hear. Instead of cussing the problem, find a solution. Everybody ‘ave sex; lesbian have sex, gay people ‘ave sex and straight people ‘ave sex – you go with sex and you never wrong. Everybody want their proper fix.
Your proper fix once upon a time was having sex with the downtown girls rather than the uptown girls, wasn’t it?
[laughs] That was my song Slam. Well I am from the ghetto and I’d never export to uptown love so I had to sing about what I knew about.
Do you class yourself as a reggae artist or a dancehall artist?
I’m a dancehall artist. Reggae is for people like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff.
But the trends chop and change. I’d class Sizzla as dancehall, but he’s done as many roots albums of late.
He coming back to his roots ‘cos he make dancehall change. He wasn’t a dancehall artist ten all of a sudden he came one. It’s nice though, nice to mix it all up. Capleton’s not changing though. He changed roots to rock, now he change back to dancehall and he straight dancehall now.
If you make it big in Jamaica you’re a star. If you make it big elsewhere you must be...?
A God. I am a God in music.
Maybe not just in music – you did survive a car-crash?
Yeah man – I can’t die. I live through a car –crash and I got shot at the same dayI got bullet-proof windows for my car in Jamaica.
Would you say you were the finest toaster?
There’s too much others. Sizzla is wicked; lyrically and mentally –everything. Trust me, he is wicked. Bounty Killer not lyrically ‘cos he don’t write; ya know, people write some of his material. Vybz Kartel is wicked; he say some shit that me can’t believe. And then there’s me and me and me again [laughs]. Papa San; he say too much, but he is truly wicked!
Would you say King Jammys is the king of dancehall?
King Jammys is the starter of dancehall but Dave Kelly is the king of producing ‘cos he have the most hit[s].
So how’s the acting idea coming along?
Acting and directing my gangster movie called Delilah. I can’t give you nothing else ‘cos people will read it and tek my idea. [Laughs]
Nice to chat to you again, ‘obbit. Reespeck!
And with that, he picked up the keys to his Beema and was gone.
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