Beenie Man
Beenie Man can be booked through this site. Beenie Man entertainment booking site. Beenie Man
is available for public concerts and events. Beenie Man can be booked for
private events and Beenie Man can be booked for corporate events and
meetings through this Beenie Man booking page.
Unlike most middle agents that would mark
up the performance or appearance fee for Beenie Man, we act as YOUR agent in
securing Beenie Man at the best possible price. We go over the rider for
Beenie Man and work directly with Beenie Man or the responsible agent for
Beenie Man to secure the talent for your event. We become YOUR agent,
representing YOU, the buyer.
In fact, in most cases we can negotiate for
the acquisition of Beenie Man for international dates and newer promoters
providing you meet professional requirements.
Beenie Man Biography
One of Jamaica's most crucial DJs, Beenie Man's recording
career stretches back to 1981, although it was in the sound systems
where he later made his mark. The witty toaster began his true ascent
to stardom in the early '90s, and by 1994, his reputation couldn't be
beat. Then again, when you're a recording veteran at age ten, one
wonders just what took him so long. Every country has its child stars;
just look at Shirley Temple, but few treat their prodigies with the
respect of Jamaica. Talent competitions lead to radio and TV
appearances, and even record contracts, but what's truly amazing is how
many of these charming tots continue their career into adulthood.
Elsewhere, early stardom inevitably leads to adolescent failure as
they're a lot less cute at 18 than they were at eight. But not Jamaica,
where they love them as toddlers, adore them as teens, and worship them
as adults. Beenie Man is just one stellar example.
Beenie Man (aka Moses Davis) was born in the tough Waterhouse district
of Kingston, Jamaica, on August 22, 1973. By the time he was ready for
school, the toddler had already decided on a career as a DJ. He wasn't
the first tot with dreams of the limelight, but Beenie actually had a
true gift for gab. His shot at stardom came when he was only eight,
when he took first prize at the national Teeny Talent contest. This led
to a meeting with producer Junjo Lawes, who recorded the diminutive
DJ's debut single, Too Fancy. Bunny Lee then took the boy under his
wing and put him to work at his Unlimited sound system. By 1983, the
youngster found himself appearing on Lawes' Junjo Presents Two Big
Sounds, which was recorded live and featured such DJ heavyweights as
Dillinger and Fathead. Along with Unlimited, Beenie was also DJing at
Prince Jammy's Volcano sound systems, had a hit single to his credit,
Over the Sea, produced by Niney Holness, and even had a debut album
out. Produced by Lee, The Invincible Beenie Man, the 10 Year Old DJ
Wonder's title pretty much sums it all up. He recorded some songs with
Barrington Levy in 1984, two of which, Under Mi Sensi and Two
Sounds, would resurface in remixed form later in the '90s. But for the
moment, his recording career came virtually to a close, bar the
occasional single. But the young DJ remained a sound system favorite,
even as he now turned his attention to his schoolwork.
Not surprisingly, Beenie's younger brother, Little Kirk, was keen to
follow in his footsteps, and five years later the siblings hooked up
with producer Patrick Roberts and began recording a series of singles
that quickly brought them into the national spotlight. In 1992, Beenie
appeared at Reggae Sunsplash and such was the response that the DJ now
felt ready to take on the big guns. Beenie's first target was the
acclaimed Bounty Killer, although the young DJ had cause for his attack
as the veteran had stolen his catch phrase, people dead, and the war
was on. There was a lull in the very public battle in 1993 when Beenie
left Kingston for almost a year after being booed off the stage at a
national show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. Upon his return
the next year, there was a public reconciliation with Bounty Killer,
which resulted in the split album Guns Out.
Beenie had obviously had a major change of heart, further evidenced by
his single No Mama No Cry, a version of Bob Marley's No Woman No
Cry, a scathing indictment of violence, inspired by the murder of
fellow DJ Pan Head. The song topped the Jamaican chart and brought the
DJ instant acclaim. Jamaica's violent crime rate remains shockingly
high and affects people at all levels of society. While drug overdoses
and suicide are a proportionately high cause of death for American
artists, murder is often the tragic cause in Jamaica. That many of
these crimes go unsolved, Pan Head's included, add to the emotional
devastation and so does the fact that the violence seemingly comes in
waves, carrying off a number of noted figures in the course of a year.
Beenie, too, was affected by these events and Sly & Robbie, the
producers of his No Mama No Cry single, were instrumental in guiding
the young DJ toward his conversion to Rastafarianism.
A new attitude and a new hit single instantly turned Beenie's career
around. Now working with all the island's top producers, the DJ
recorded a slew of singles, many of them religiously themed, Praise
Him and World Dance (which took the Best Single Award at the
Jamaican Music Awards) included. The hits-heavy Defend It and Dis Unu
Fi Hear were both released in 1994 and combined more culturally themed
raps with a hardcore dancehall sound. Many of these singles, bar the
Taxi releases, were rounded up on Gold by the British Charm label.
Beenie's stardom was confirmed by his taking the DJ of the Year Award
that same year. Signing to Island Records, Beenie released the seminal
Blessed album, which featured another clutch of hits, including the
dancehall smash Slam.
While in the U.K., the DJ fired the British dancefloors with a jungle
remix of Under Mi Sensi. 1995 also brought a pair of collaborative
albums, including Three Against War, which united the DJ with Dennis
Brown and Triston Palma, and Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie
Man, a tag-team dancehall affair. Joined by Lady Saw, Beenie also
scored a major hit with Healer that year, just one of many successful
collaborative singles that included Papa Was a Rolling Stone, which
paired him with Third World. By the end of the year, Beenie was a
shoo-in for the DJ of the Year Award. 1996 brought Maestro, Beenie's
first real album, as compared to his previous hits collections.
Produced by Patrick Roberts, it was a stunning effort featuring a
kaleidoscope of moods. The following year proved to be his break out in
Britain, when his and Chevelle Franklin's Dance Hall Queen bounced up
the national chart. Both that single and its follow-up, Who Am I,
were number ones back at home, while the latter rocketed its way into
the U.K. Top Ten. In fact, Beenie Man could now do no wrong, and a
sound system's worth of his singles flew their way up the Jamaican
chart that year and the next. The autobiographical Many Moods of Moses
features a number of these smashes, including Oysters & Conch and
Foundation.
After headlining Reggae Sunsplash in 1998, Beenie signed to Virgin
Records in the U.S.; The Doctor was the first fruit of this new union
and was an instant dancehall classic. 1999 brought the King
Jammy-produced album Y2K, which never actually mentions everyone's
greatest fear that year -- the millennium bug, but does take on a host
of other issues from AIDS to illiteracy. And the hit singles just kept
on coming, and coming, and coming. Beenie was unstoppable, whether on
his own or with other artists, and at times the Jamaican chart seemed
to be the DJ's private preserve. Hot Bwoy with Buccaneer, Mi Nu
Walla, Forget You, Ruff Like We with Redrose, 100 Dollar Bag,
So Nice with Silvercat, In This Together, Skettel Tune with Angel
Doolas, and L.O.Y. are just a sampling of the singles the DJ released
between 1999 and 2000. The Art & Life album, released in the new
century, showcased the DJ at his most eclectic and included guests
Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean of Fugees fame. The following year,
Beenie reunited with Jean behind the mixing board to produce the debut
album by actor Steven Seagal. Janet Jackson, the Neptunes, Lady Saw,
and Lil' Kim all turned up as guests on 2002's Tropical Storm, the
Beenie Man album with the most crossover appeal. 2004's Back to Basics
was just that, a straight-up return to dancehall. The hit-collecting
compilation From Kingston to King of the Dancehall appeared in early
2005, and Undisputed, which featured production work from Scott Storch
and Don Corleon, among others, was released the next year. ~ Jo-Ann
Greene, All Music Guide
Written by Jo-Ann Greene