Genres: Rap/Hip Hop,World,Pop,Reggae/SkaAlso known as The Girls Dem Sugar, Beenie Man was born Anthony Moses Davis on August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is the nephew of Sydney Wolfe, the drummer for Jimmy Cliff. Since he was five years old, he knew he wanted to be in the music industry.
Beenie Man
“Sim Simma, who got the keys to my bimma/Who am I, the girls dem sugar/How can I, make love to a fellow in a rush, pass me da keys to my truck.” Known as the King of the Dancehall, Beanie Man is an accomplished producer, singer/songwriter, and Deejay.
Kid wonder
Also known as The Girls Dem Sugar, Beenie Man was born Anthony Moses Davis on August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is the nephew of Sydney Wolfe, the drummer for Jimmy Cliff. Since he was five years old, he knew he wanted to be in the music industry. He released his first single, “Too Fancy,” in 1981, and he was also featured on the album Junco Presents Tow Big Sounds with artist like Fathead, Ringo, and Dillinger. After establishing himself as a deejay, in 1983, Beenie Man released The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder. After releasing the album, his career was put on hold to finish school and travel the U.K. Canada, and the United States.
He returned to Jamaica and continued working on his craft. In 1993, Beenie Man won the DJ of the Year Award and also got his first #1 hit, “Matie.” In 1994, he signed with Island Records and released is second album, Blessed, which helped him gain international success. In 1995, he and Barrington Levy toured the U.K. and later recorded a remix version of “Under Mi Sensi.” That same year he released four more albums. He also collaborated with Lady Saw, Sanchez, Michael Prophet, Triston Palmer and Dennis Brown.
Jamaican Explosion
During the late 90’s, Beenie Man was on the top of his game and the top of the Jamaican charts. He was bestowed the title of “Dancehall King,” which was taken from the famous Jamaican rapper, Yellowman, an 80’s dancehall deejay. His first international #10 hit, “Who Am I,” went gold and he was soon featured on Newsweek. In 1998, Beenie Man signed with Virgin Records and released The Doctor, with songs like “Girls Dem Sugar” and “Romie.” He also won a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act and in 2000, he release Art & Live, which won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. In 2002, he collaborated with Janet Jackson for “Feel It Boy,” which reach #9 on the U.K. charts and in 2004, Beenie Man recorded a remix of “Dude,” with Ms. Thing and Shawnna, which also reached #7 on the U.K. charts.
Outside the Music
Many of Beenie Man’s lyrics have been criticized as being anti-homosexual. Some of the lyrics in his music have stated to “execute all gays,” and to murder homosexuals. He was removed from the MTV Music Video Awards show because of protest. He was also detained in Heathrow Airport in England due to cancellations of his tour of the country.
That same year, he publicly apologized for his lyrics and stated that his songs are a reflection of his life and not to be taken as hate music or homophobic. Despite his efforts to remove the stigma from his image, in 2009, Beenie Man was removed from the Big Day Out Music Festival due to more than 850 people protesting on Facebook.
Did You Know….
… Beenie Man co-produced Steven Seagal’s debut album
… Beenie Man was booed off stage during a Nelson Mandela tribute in Jamaica due to his inappropriate lyrics and he left Jamaica for more than a year.
… In 2007, Beenie Man signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, which was a petition organized to stop murder music by eliminating violence against homosexuals from his lyrics.