Bounty Killer Bats For Sting: “It’s Necessary To Help Preserve Something This Great”

A year after an aggrieved Bounty Killer had expressed disappointment with Sting and said it had “flopped” the warlord has now thrown his full support behind the event, which is set for Boxing Day, Tuesday, December 26 at Jamworld in St Catherine.

A week ago, the Warlord had announced with much fanfare that he would be performing at the event which had catapulted him to national attention after his infamous clash with Beenie Man in 1993, but which following last year’s staging in St. Ann, he had criticized for its low quality and declared that it was “the last nail in Sting coffin”.

He urged his fans to go out to support the event, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, pointing out that he would be performing in the wee hours of the morning.

“JAM WORLD That’s my damn world.  Sting 40th Anniversary let’s build back this great platform and runway for the future fighter jets of dancehall Jamaica.  Do it for the music and culture y’all know that I’m not too into Sting since of late after it had lost some of its traction in recent times, but it’s necessary to help preserve something this great so all my fans across Jamaica and the world who can make it on Boxing Day roll out between 4am and 5am I will be hitting the stage sharp,” he wrote.

On Sunday, in batting for the Supreme Promotions-led event, Bounty had described the 40 years of Sting as a noteworthy achievement and said that the event ought to be fully supported.

“It’s the only dancehall show going still after 40yrs.  Remarkable milestone that is.  So for the sake of the musical and culture let’s give it the support this time around again and I really hope that the organizers go about things deferent in the near future.   Be more professional and strategic towards choosing and booking artiste also show we more appreciation as the artiste who help to made the show what it is today😎,” he had written on Instagram.

Following last year’s staging of Sting at the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St. Ann, which saw a huge onstage fracas between A’mari and Queenie, Bounty had said that Sting was virtually dead and that Dancehall was “stuck in a barrel and losing its appeal to the world”.   He had also cautioned that if Jamaica does not take heed “and try to fix the problem right now, Soca would be bigger than Dancehall.” 

However, his comments did not go down well with his former protégé veteran music selector Foota Hype, who described the Eagle and Di Hawk deejay as being “ungrateful” to the show that propelled him to stardom back in 1993. Foota, who was Bounty Killer’s DJ in the 1990s and part of his Alliance outfit, had said that no disrespect of Sting should be tolerated as, throughout its existence, the event had brought more positives for Dancehall artists, as opposed to negatives, and had made many of them into millionaires. 

He had also pointed out that the VERZUZ battle in which Beenie and Bounty participated in 2020, was based on the clashes started by Sting, and therefore Sting’s place in Jamaican history ought not to be discounted.

“Oonu fi measure weh Sting has done fi oonu career.  Sting propel oonu inna billions a dalla.  Suh how now oonu a di first fi tun oonu back pan Sting?  All a di big artiste dem weh a diss Sting, do not care about Dancehall an di Jamaican culture.  Dem put ego and emotion ova di love a di culture and dat is where my problem is wid dese artiste!” Foota had stated.

According to Foota, he would continue to speak his truth about the Sting situation, irrespective of whether the artists he deemed errant, got angry at him.

“Jus di truth mi a talk enuh.  Dem naw guh like me, but is just di truth.  Yes, Sting create some bad energy to, an some bad vibe, but all thorough the bad vibes oonu still do it di next year dem.  Suh it benefit oonu more dan how it hurt oonu!” the Cassava Piece native said.

In rebuking Bounty for mentioning that Soca could possibly overtake  Dancehall, Foota had pointed out that the Its Okay artist ought to be one of the biggest Sting loyalists, whether or not he was booked to perform. 

“Mi nuh respect dem speech deh; dem speech nuh fi meck outta nobaddy mouth weh survive, rich, dominate, still a meck money; will neva stop meck money offa Dancehall… How can you even envision dat?  Dat not even fi inna yuh vision.  Not inna yuh imagination, cause oonu fi meck sure seh Sting keep?” he had said.

Foota had said that Bounty, his former arch-rival Beenie Man, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Shabba Ranks, Ninja Man, Super Cat, Sizzla and Capleton, were among those artistes who should never, ever, be disrespectful of Sting.

“Di whole a dem.  Sting meck dem life greater… Every artiste weh eva beef pan Sting, from Cobra to everybaddy, become giant inna wi society.   Mi jus a seh certain artiste nuh fi have nuttn bad fi seh bout Sting.  Never!  Support Sting or don’t seh nuttn!  Don’t throw nuh shade pan Sting!” Foota had warned. 

“Every single artiste weh clash pan Sting become legend inna wi game, from Merciless to Ninja to Bounty to Kiprich to Black Ryno.  Dung to di smallest clasher dem,” he added.