Elephant Man Lists The Meanest Jamaican Artists
It was an ‘ask Ele anything’ week and he didn’t hold back when probed about the meanest Jamaican artists.
During an Instagram Live with DJ/producer Noah Powa and selector/artist Tony Matterhorn, the Willie Bounce hitmaker reeled off his top five pocket-pinching peers.
“Matterhorn, first,” he jabbed. “Ghost, second… I-Octane, third – ah the meanest Rasta. Ninja Kid mean til him fat… Unno don’t waan me go the five enuh: Dexta Daps.”
Elephant Man would later say that deejay Ninja Kid will give to others, with Matterhorn inserting that “he’s mean-kind” as he will try to get more while giving less.
Tight Up Skirt artist Red Rat also caught a stray.
“Red Rat mean til we nuh know weh him live…” Ele said. “Every man a drive go home and we a seh, ‘Yow, Red Rat, yuh done know mi deejay, we nah mek you alone drive go up inna dah hill deh’. Man seh, ‘No man, mi good man’, and hide and lock off the car light, nuh waan nobody see which yard him turn inna. Mean man. Seh, ‘Ele, a my yard unno waan dem come beg me?’”
The comments would soon question Ele’s benevolence, but Matterhorn defended his honor, adding that the ‘Energy Gad’ is no stranger to spending a bag on his friends.
Ele chimed in, “Me a the only artist weh tek Noah friend dem, like (Bounty) Killer friend dem from round him – every artist – carry dem go foreign wid me. Me and dem a par… Me tek every selector… A me call Kartel and seh, ‘Kartel come here…yuh fi give the selector dem things’. Bro, a me a run the place… A two knapsack bag of money mi walk wid. Me ‘member me carry every artist – mi and Roundhead dem – and mi go a Gemini nightclub and seh, ‘Yow, all of the girl dem, me a buy dem out; mi waan dem come dance fi we’… Mean? If me mean, me tek weh myself and left unno deh inna dancehall.”
On that note, they highlighted kind artists like Mavado, Sizzla Kalonji, Capleton, Buju Banton, Spragga Benz, and Wayne Wonder. Ele’s definition for kindness considers generosity, which he gave to Beenie Man.
“Beenie nuh walk wid money but him kind with generosity…” he explained. “Me and Beenie and Kartel deh over pon the beach and me seh, ‘Every man a pay fi dem bill. Beenie yuh have money pon yuh?’. Hear him nuh, ‘Lend me yuh phone, me a go call (brother/former manager) Blue’. Me seh, ‘Yaa go call yuh bredda from over yuh yard fi come pay something fi yuh right over here suh?’. Beenie nuh walk wid money. Beenie a the only artist weh nuh walk with money and phone.”
Then there’s the self-sacrificing kind, with Ele saying “Ninja(man) kind til him poor.”
Viewers wondered about Dancehall’s most successful artist, Sean Paul. Ele shared that the Gimmie Di Light star is not one to spend frivolously.
“Sean Paul have one van name ‘move over’. Mi see it and seh, ‘Sean, dah big, ugly green van yah’. Yuh know when yuh have farm up inna di hill and yuh nuh waan puncture?… Sean Paul a one of the richest artist and have one van name ‘move mover'”.
“Dem man deh nuh fussy… Sean Paul seh, ‘Ele, I don’t know why my mom don’t want me to buy no big benz and whatever’… Mi seh, ‘So weh yuh buy?’. Him seh, ‘Ele, see it deh’, and when mi look, mi see one big, old dumper van… Dem man deh have saving lock.”