From Rivalry To ‘Running-Mates’: Bounty Killer, Beenie Man Documentary In The Making

The polarizing, almost 20-year rivalry which evoked a series of heated clashes and an extensive list of musical counteractions between Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, and their subsequent burying of the hatchet, is to be chronicled in a documentary, which is already in the making, according to the Warlord.

The Gun Ready artist made the revelation recently in a Television Jamaica interview, where he also defended his participation in the rivalry which took root at Sting 1992, in one of most talked-about clashes in Dancehall history, which inadvertently propelled them both to national stardom.

“Most people grow up hearing of us being rivals. They don’t know exactly how it went.  Now they growing up seeing we as friends,” Bounty Killer said as he explained that the film was going to “go back and re-document what we went through and show people differences can be put aside and we can live as one”.

In response, The Entertainment Report host, Anthony Miller, shot back with a comment seemingly aimed at throwing Bounty off-balance.

“Some of the things I remember you saying were pretty terrible though,” Miller posited.

However, the argumentative Seaview Gardens native had an immediate counteraction of his own.

“You know. We both said terrible tings Anthony.  You a meck it seem like a one side a di fence. Suh Beenie neva seh terrible things too? I might seh di terribler things, because I am the terribler one, ha hawh,” the Ghetto Dictionary artist responded.

“Beenie couldn’t manage,” Miller shot back.

“I would admit that, but Beenie terrible as well.  How yuh a gwaan like Beenie a saint?” Bounty quipped, later adding: “No, it’s all peace and love. There aint nothing to get on our nerves now because it was just fighting for our space in the game.”

Bounty had long said his rivalry with Beenie was long-squashed, and pointed out that he could never be at odds with Beenie, as one of the greatest gestures the Girl Dem Sugar had extended to him, was to show him major support when his mother Miss Ivy died in 2012, as he among other things turning up at the church for her funeral service, in one of the greatest displays of brotherhood.

In September 2012, Bounty had succinctly explained the root of the feud with Beenie Man in an interview with Reggae.Fr, when he explained that Beenie had plagiarized his style and was carrying on as if he was the conceptualizer.

“Is really a musical issue where Beenie come and pirate my style and acting like it is his.  He abused his permit.  So I showed him no he had no right to use this.  So it wasn’t anything beyond music; it was just Beenie taking my style and I got to prove its mine,” Bounty had stated unequivocally.

The Bulletproof Skin artist had also indicated that his Alpha deejay persona, was the reason he had to ensure that he lyrically defended his space in the Dancehall landscape, sparing neither foe nor friend who transgressed on his rights.

“So my clashes is really just showing I am more powerful musically than you, not physically.  Cause I have never tried to get physical.   So the one time Beenie come a Follow di Arrow an meck mi haffi push him some way – cause he was taking away my mike when he already had one.  But that’s not my intention.  When I go on stage I want to dominate the crowd with lyrics,” the One General had said.

“I don’t wanna show nobaddy how bad I am as a man. I wanna show dem how bad I am as an artiste.  Because I don’t get paid to be a bad man; I get paid to be a bad artiste,” he declared.

Over the years, Bounty and Beenie have been hailed by Dancehall fans for never allowing their musical and later “D’Angel rivalry” to escalate into violence.

The two Dancehall giants had engaged in the first official on-stage showdown at Sting 1993, while barely out of their teens, in a lyrical battle that has been the most talked about in Dancehall history.  That clash spurred the two into a longstanding rivalry, with a seemingly, and in some cases saw a polarization of Dancehall, as fans took sides.

Several other clashes had ensued over the years, but none was as intense or as anticipated, as the first which propelled the two to Dancehall iconic status.

Things took an ugly turn though, in 2006 when Beenie Man got romantically involved with, and later married Bounty Killer’s former girlfriend Michelle ‘D’Angel’ Downer.   Fiery words were exchanged between the two, but that was as far as the rivalry between the two men went.