Beenie Man’s New Album ‘Simma’ Gets A Release Date
Beenie Man has confirmed that his seventeenth studio album, Simma, will be released on August 31, 2023. This comes after a delay of over two years since its initial announcement, and nearly seven years following his previous project, Unstoppable.
“Simma is a diverse offering of songs with an eclectic mix of dancehall, reggae, afrobeats and drill,” according to a release sent to DancehallMag.
The King Of The Dancehall also shared his enthusiasm for his latest offering, stating: “This album will showcase my versatility as an artist where I have explored new genres while keeping the music authentic. Simma signifies that I am still here and doing what I love best, which is music.”
In an Instagram post on Friday, he added: “This album is very special to me because I created this body of work at my lowest point when I lost my mom.“
The album will feature 19 tracks:
- Simma
- King
- Sharpshooter
- Chopsuey
- Zimm
- Docta
- Let Go
- Push It On Me
- Seriously
- Fitness Instructor
- Hel-Eva Bumpa
- Up Deh
- Heavy On The Grades
- Fun In The Sun
- Good Like Gold
- Supa Star
- Blessings
- Dem Want More
- Prayers
Simma’s first single, Supa Star with Sean Paul and Anthony Red Rose, is set to be released on July 28 with a music video. This collaboration marks the first reunion of Paul and Beenie since their tracks Bossman with Lady Saw (2002), and Greatest Gallis (2014).
Busy Signal, Patoranking, Giggs, Ms. Banks, Mya, Hoodcelebrityy, Dexta Daps, Shenseea, Bunji Garlin, Shaggy, Popcaan, Dre Island, Morgan Heritage, Charly Black, Louie Culture, Stonebwoy, and Backroad Gee are also among the star-studded collaborators who are featured on Simma.
The upcoming album boasts an impressive line-up of producers including Frankie Music Productions, Jerome Wright, Andre ‘Suku’ Gray, Dutty Rock Productions, Walshy Fire, Rohan Smith, MD Music Group, Richie D, Jeremy Harding, Tony Kelly, Money Matters Entertainment and internationally acclaimed Teddy Riley and The FaNaTiX.
Beenie’s MD Music Group is credited with the album’s production, although the release made no mention of the record label responsible for its release.
In March 2022, Beenie Man had attributed the album’s delay to keen interest from multiple labels looking to distribute it, leading to what he termed a “label battle.”
The 50-year-old released his debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder, in 1983 for producer Bunny Lee. Following that were Cool Rider (1992) and Defend It (1994), both released under VP Records.
In 1994, Island Records signed him and he subsequently released Blessed (1995), which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Other notable works include Maestro (1996), Many Moods of Moses (1997), Ruff ’N’ Tuff (1999), The Doctor (1999), and Y2K (1999), each achieving positions on the Billboard Reggae chart.
Beenie’s Art and Life (2000), released under Virgin Records, won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2001. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
He continued to release albums throughout the 2000s, including Tropical Storm (2002), Back to Basics (2004), Undisputed (2006), and Unstoppable (2016).