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Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer Raised The Standard For Verzuz: Our Scorecard And Winner For The Battle

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Bounty Killer (left) and Beenie Man (right) on stage during a friendly lyrical battle at ‘Fully Loaded’ 2010.

The online ‘Verzuz’ battle series got a major facelift on Saturday night, with contenders Beenie Man and Bounty Killer being the first to compete in the same space, in true sound clash style. The musical showdown, which was streamed through Verzuz’s Instagram page for the first time, unfolded in a studio space which was transformed into a street dance milieu, with colourful event flyers serving as the backdrop to a turntable accented with a Jamaican flag. Warming up this ‘Verzuz’ dance were DJs Richie D and Kurt Riley, as the massive rolled into the sounds of Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Sizzla, Damian Marley and more.

The 7 pm advertised match attracted 100,000 on the dot, though, in true ‘yardie’ style, the show did not start on-time. The virtual audience, which included singer Keri Hilson, didn’t seem to mind.

“I ain’t neva been to an island show that started on time,” Hilson said. “Joke, I know this was on purpose.”

Also jamming in the comments were Rihanna, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, DJ Khaled, Jermaine Dupri, Usain Bolt, Buju Banton, Ashanti, Spice, Erykah Badu, Konshens, Nas, Sean Paul, Popcaan, Snoop Dogg, and show founders, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. The men of the moment were soon in position, suited up with beverages in hand (assumed to be some Ciroc mix as they sponsored the match).

With 300,000 people finally tuned-in within 37 minutes, the men kicked off the event by playing the Jamaican anthem. The near two-hour match turned out to be a stellar production, from the crisp audio, stable internet connection, hilarious anecdotes and toasting between the dancehall giants.

The occasion did, however, attract a visit from the police, as it ran beyond the current 8 pm curfew order, induced by COVID-19. Reminiscent of a stage show, the match resumed after a few minutes to the relief of attendees. Immediately after the battle, Beenie gained 69,000 new followers, while Bounty earned 46,000 newbies.

Here is how DancehallMag scored this viral moment in dancehall culture.

Round 1: Matie (Beenie Man) vs. Just A Killa (Bounty Killer)

Bounty suggested Beenie play first since his career is older, and ‘The Doctor’ proceeded by paying homage to late producer Bobby Digital, whom he shared encouraged him to make songs for the ladies. He played the Digital-produced Matie , while Bounty revisited his dancehall fusion days, playing Just A Killa , recorded with rapper Special Ed. Not the strongest start for both men, but Beenie’s pick has the edge.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 2: Memories (Beenie Man) vs. Suspense (Bounty Killer)

Turning it up a notch, Beenie dug into his battlefield catalogue with Memories , which documented the start of their lyrical tussle when he name-dropped the ‘Bounty Hunter’. Bounty responded the same way he did in 1995, dropping Suspense , sending Beenie’s horse-riding gangster from whence it came.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 3: Slam (Beenie Man) vs. Living Dangerously (Bounty Killer)

Leaving the warzone as he did in the mid-90s when he realised Bounty was the real warlord, Beenie took it to the ladies, playing his first Billboard entry, Slam . Bounty showed he had a diverse catalogue too, dropping Living Dangerously which features Barrington Levy. But not even Levy’s soul-baring vocals can match up to that Dave Kelly joint.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 4: Dancehall Queen (Beenie Man) vs. Summer Breezin’ (Bounty Killer)

Feeding off Bounty’s vibe, Beenie dropped a song with powerhouse vocals too; Dancehall Queen featuring Chevelle Franklin. Bounty hit back with a female collab too; the ageless, tropical jam Summer Breezin’ , recorded by Diana King. But no one can deny that Dancehall Queen anthem.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 5: Fresh From Yard (Beenie Man) vs. Suicide or Murder (Bounty Killer)

The live came to an abrupt end, causing Beenie to replay his response, Fresh From Yard , featuring Lil Kim. But that was a soft matchup for Bounty’s Suicide or Murder , a Tri-State bop featuring Jeru the Damager.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 6: I’m Serious (Beenie Man) vs. Deadly Zone (Bounty Killer)

With his daughter, dancer Desha Ravers as an added prop (his personal Breyon), Beenie was on to I’m Serious , a rap anthem recorded by T.I. Bounty, unimpressed, declared several “bullets!” before dropping his ‘Blade’ movie soundtrack hit, Deadly Zone , featuring Mobb Deep and Big Noyd. This was Bounty’s round.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 7: Compton (Beenie Man) vs. Hip-Hopera (Bounty Killer)

“Seriously?” Beenie’s response for almost every Bounty record, came before he dropped another hip hop collab, Compton , with Guerilla Black. Despite the Bam Bam sample, it failed in comparison to Bounty’s eerie, futuristic Hip-Hopera . Plus, Lauryn Hill bodying the hell out of her verse is forever a sure point.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 8: Romie (Beenie Man) vs. Worthless Bwoy (Bounty Killer)

Beenie, catering to fans who were begging for some dancehall in the comments, returned to his dancehall bag with the classic, Romie . Quick on his feet, Bounty responded by maintaining a similar theme, calling Romie a Worthless Bwoy .

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 9: Old Dog (Beenie Man) vs. Stucky (Bounty Killer)

Old Dog was Beenie’s pick for round nine, and he even performed the second verse of the track. Bounty, saying “him nuh go dog business,” didn’t quite measure up with the 1996 single Stucky .

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 10: Girls Dem Sugar (Beenie Man) vs. It’s A Party (Bounty Killer)

Over the antics, Beenie upped the ante with the anticipated Billboard single, Girls Dem Sugar , featuring the cotton candy vocals of RnB singer Mya. The Neptunes classic proved to be a hard act to follow, even with the head-bopping party-starter, It’s A Party , produced by Wyclef Jean.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 11: Love Me Now (Beenie Man) vs. Guilty (Bounty Killer)

Beenie showed he had Wyclef joints too, playing the groovy Love Me Now . Bounty pulled out his Swizz feature, the 2002 track Guilty . The funky, Hollywood-esque chorus, Swizz on the beat and Bounty’s first verse surely take the cake.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 12: Look Into My Eyes (Bounty Killer) vs. Hypocrite (Beenie Man)

This is when the police showed up, and as Beenie put it, “Do you wanna be that guy?” Encouraging Bounty to not be riled up over the party-pooping officers, Beenie assured all that the show must go on, and it did with 400,000-plus attendees.

After the interruption, Beenie continued with his feature on Barrington Levy’s Murderation.  

After they agreed that Muderation would not count, Bounty started this half of the match with the classic Dave Kelly joint, Look Into My Eyes . Beenie opted to deejay his next song, Hypocrite , rather timely after the police’s exit, but not measuring up to the impassioned “people ah dead!”.

The dancehall artistes then drifted into what they do best, toasting on the Showtime Riddim for a few minutes. At this point, the rules were out the window and no one cared to keep score.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 13: Fed Up (Bounty Killer) vs. World Dance (Beenie Man)

“This is one of the songs why mi nuh have nuh visa and mi cya leave ya,” Bounty said before pulling for his classic poor people anthem, Fed Up . Beenie replied with his dance anthem, World Dance , while Desha and Bounty danced together. No serious feuds here, Bounty got this round though.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 14: Gal (Bounty Killer) vs. Modelling (Beenie Man)

Bounty returned to his ladies, dropping Gal before shouting out Rihanna. “RiRi, yuh see me-me, and Beenie?” he joked, leaving the Bajan star laughing in the comments. Beenie shot back with Modelling , which carries a slight edge over Bounty’s pick.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 15: Model (Bounty Killer) vs. Oysters and Conch (Beenie Man)

Rallying on Beenie’s last track, Bounty dropped Model , but Beenie was by that time ahead of the track with Oysters and Conch .

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 16: Benz & Bimma (Bounty Killer) vs. Dude (Beenie Man)

Acing an Elephant Man impression, Bounty introduced Benz & the Bimma , you know, when it was cool to compare a woman to a car? Beenie fast-forwarded to the millennium with his Billboard smash, Dude . Nothing beats Miss Thing’s “one, two, three howah man” and the sweet sounds of that steel pan.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 17:  The Greatest (Bounty Killer) vs. Hmm Hmm (Beenie Man)

Several “Bullets!” preceded Bounty’s next pick, The Greatest . Beenie drew for the Tony Kelly waistline-mover, Hmm Hmm , another Billboard classic. Beenie for the win!

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 18: Another Level (Bounty Killer) vs. Nuff Gyal (Beenie Man)

Bounty flipped the script, straying from the girl catalogue to his classic Another Level , which features Baby Cham. Beenie took it to the saxy Nuff Gyal , making it clear he’s now a one-burner, but not enough to beat Another Level.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 19: Cry For, Die For (Bounty Killer) vs. Give Me The Sensimillia (Beenie Man)

Playing his classy dancehall number, Cry For, Die For , Bounty stopped the track in the interest of time to play a murderous dub aimed at Beenie. The latter made it clear he didn’t have to cut dubplates for the match and played a live rendition of Give Me The Sensimillia featuring Buju Banton.

Winner: Bounty Killer

Round 20: Smoke the Herb (Bounty Killer) vs. Rum & Redbull (Babyface)

Drawing a dub version of his Smoke the Herb , Bounty could not compete with Beenie’s Rum & Redbull .

Winner: Beenie Man

Bonus Rounds

Round 21: Nuh Friend Fish (Bounty Killer) vs. King of the Dancehall (Beenie Man)

Bounty played his controversial hit Nuh Friend Fish for a few seconds, before moving on to another dub. Beenie was not having the double plays and went for the big boys with King of the Dancehall . Brilliant move.

Winner: Beenie Man

Round 22: Freestyles

The outro to this epic night ended with both deejays freestyling on an EDM beat and the Sleng Teng Riddim . After thanking the ‘Verzuz’ team for the opportunity and encouraging people to stay at home, the entertainers jammed out to Bob Marley’s One Love.

Beenie’s youngest daughter, Xiah, even made her debut on the ‘Verzuz’ stage, adding the icing to this soundclash cake.

Winner: Tie

Final score: 11-10-1, Beenie Man!

Playlists of the song choices during the clash are available below.