The self acclaimed King of the Dancehall, Anthony Moses Davis, better known as Beenie Man, the Girls Dem Suga or the Doctor is one of Jamaica’s artists who helped to shape Jamaica’s dancehall into what it is today. Beenie Man was born on August 22, 1973 and is one of Jamaica’s illustrious and controversial dancehall entertainers. Receiving the name Beenie Man due to his small structure, this dancehall artist is anything but small when it comes to his talent and contribution to Jamaica’s culture.
Beenie man’s life is one of poverty, controversy and international fame. Beenie grew up in the community of Waterhouse, which is one of the poorest areas of Kingston. From an early age Beenie knew what he wanted to be when he grew up and was seen as an energetic entertainer. He started gracing the musical stage from as early as age five, where he would perform for the audience, and they loved him dearly. From here on out, his fascination with music and entertainment grew. His love for music allowed him to rally around old-time DJs such as Yellowman and Big Youth.
Beenie’s career officially took off in 1981, when he won the Jamaican local talent show called “Tastee Talent”. Beenie often reflected on that night and stated “I won the concert out of about fifty artists. I never lost a DJ contest. I have to go to school, and my mother don’t have any money. I would win $25 JA and two boxes of beer for a contest; the beer was my shoes and school uniform money, the $25 JA was my lunch money. I had to win.” He was later introduced to major sound systems that nurtured his musical skills.
In pursuit of his dreams Beenie would often sleep on streets and went hungry on many occasions. His first hit single, “Too Fancy” was a small hit among his local fans. He then moved on to produced his first album titled the Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder in 1983. In 1984 he recorded more songs, but took some time off from music to concentrate on his education.
Blessed with a great collection of wonderful dancehall songs, Beenie Man quickly became famous for his creative skills and the way in which he presented his music. After finishing school, Beenie Man went on a path that saw him making hits after hits on various albums. Some of these albums are Blessed released in 1995; Many Moods of Moses in 1997; The Doctor in 1998; and the Art & Life album in 2000.
By the time Beenie Man was in his early 20’s, he was deemed a musical veteran and had many great songs on the air waves. The large range of music to which he was exposed to as a youngster as helped to shape him into the dancehall icon he is today. After his return, Beenie delivered numerous chart topping hits that earned him major international recognition, respect and two Grammy.
Beenie Man is a great storyteller and creative dancer in his own right. Most times you will see him dancing or singing about the latest dancehall craze. This always keeps his local and international fans abreast of the latest happening on the musical scene. His great appeal to the ladies, have earned him the name the “Girls them Suga”, with the ladies loving one of his biggest hit single titled “Slam”.
In 1997, Beenie Man made a brave move and entered the international market with his album called The Many Moods of Moses, with its popular song ‘Who Am I”. This album took him on the international music frontier, where he won a Grammy for the Best Reggae Album. He also won a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act as well.
In the year 2000, Beenie Man musical career escalated even further, when he signed with the Virgin label. This was when he released the album Art & Life. This album took the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album in 2000, after which he launched his triumphant U.S. tour.
Beenie Man continued to work from his Kingston studios in 2001, and maintain his status as King of the Dancehall. Beenie Man is one of Jamaica’s top entertainers that fused reggae with hip-hop to create a successful union of the two forms. During his career, Beenie Man has done some creative collaboration with entertainers like Lady Saw, Mya, Janet Jackson, Chevelle Franklin, Guerrilla Black, T.I. Shaggy and Dennis Brown.
With so many number one hits to his name, Beenie Man’s career was not without controversy as he was always in battle with Bounty Killa another one of dancehall’s greatest artists. The two would compete at everything possible, from who was the best performer and dancehall artist to even the women in their lives. This saw the two having many musical showdowns and fueds (like Tupac and Biggie) at popular shows like Reggae Sunsplash and Sting. For years, the feud between them continued until, Beenie Man went unto marry one of Bounty Killa’s ex-girlfriend, D’Angel (separated shortly after). The two have, however, settled their dispute and are focusing on their individual music careers.
Beenie’s controversy did not stop there as he was often at odds with the international gay community, who saw his lyrics as being anti-gay and hate music, even though his songs are a reflection of Jamaica’s rigid stance against homosexuals. This saw his career receiving several blows ranging from his concerts being banned to him losing his visa to visit certain countries. Despite this cross-cultural conflict Beenie still continued to produce his music. This allowed the great entertainer to produce a lot of new and great hits, in his attempt to fulfill his great dream of becoming number one all over the world.
