Beenie Man’s Story: What Caused His Feud With Vybz Kartel?
What caused the feud between Dancehall artistes Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel?
According to Beenie Man, whose real name is Anthony Moses Davis, Kartel reached a point of success where he no longer needed Beenie’s support, and he began to “move different.” He made the revelation while speaking on the popular YouTube channel, Teach Dem, on September 29th.
Speaking on what the host termed his “public falling out with Vybz Kartel”, Beenie said it was the Teacha’s attitude and a lyrical counteraction that drove a wedge between their friendship.
The two go way back, with Beenie supporting Kartel as a deejay from around 2002.
Beenie recalled that after the infamous 2003 Sting when Vybz Kartel kicked Ninjaman off of the stage that Jamaica turned on Kartel. He said the island turned on the artiste, but he took him under his wing and began to take him on tours.
“Me say ah bad ariste we cah make him career go so, forward youth,” he said.
Beenie also shared during the interview that he and the Worl’ Boss were very close during this time and did many shows together, including popular ones like Jamboree and Island Explosion, but he claimed that when Kartel became more popular and was able to get his own bookings that he started to become haughty. “Him ah deal with him, him nah deal with we,” he said.
This experience left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it’s one of the reasons why he said he doesn’t “buss artistes”. This doesn’t stop him from helping artistes, though.
“Anybody who come round me for help, me help. Me help all ah dem, it’s not like me nah help nobody brethren. Me help everybody,” he said. He added that he really parted ways with Kartel after he sang Gaza Mi Say .
“Me go check him fi do a song, Gaza Mi Say, and him counteract me song on the riddim.” That song by Kartel was called Gaza Commandments, and Beenie took it as an insult.
Both tracks were produced by Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor.
The icy relationship between the two lasted years, and as recently as April this year, they were at it again when during an Instagram exchange with a fan, Kartel posted: “Hey boy marie, a beenie a f@%k you?? Queer a dancehall dat” to the fan who said that Beenie was the true King of Dancehall.
Beenie said that there isn’t any real animosity between them as of recently and that he’s spoken to Kartel about two times since his incarceration.
“Me an Addi nuh chat. Dem man deh naa’ve nuh loyalty to nobody. Me an him mussi talk two time from him deh a prison. Me an him nuh talk again afta dat. Dem man deh nuh honor nobody bredrin,” Beenie said.
Beenie Man added that he’s realized that Kartel is out to prove his dominance over dancehall, and as such, they are not after the same goals.
He ended the interview by showering Kartel with praise, saying that he is one of the greatest artists to come through since Bounty Killer and himself.
“You see Addi, bad deejay, they can’t take that from him. Him bad, him bad, him bad. Me can tell anyone that without apology.” He added that in spite of this, he remains the undisputed King of Dancehall.
Part Two of the interview promises to be an even more enthralling trip touching on Beenie Man’s Verzuz success, current projects, relationships, and contributions to the industry. Watch Part 1 of Beenie Man’s story below.