In 2009, Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis celebrated 30 years in dancehall at the National Stadium. The choice of venue was typical of the never-say die attitude of he who insists he is 'King of the Dancehall' as, in 1991, it was there that he was 'booed' as he deejayed against "green arm" at a concert for Nelson Mandela.
Beenie Man has done it all. He has done the clashes, notably with Bounty Killer at Sting 1993. He has done the Grammy win, with Art and Life in 2000. He has done the movies, appearing as himself in 1997's Dancehall Queen. He has done the cars (remember the Hummer accident on Mandela Highway in 2004?). He has done the fashion, always among the best-dressed. He has done the contests, winning Tastee in 1981. He has done the major label, signed to Virgin at one point.
controversy
He has done the controversy, over and over again.
And Beenie has come up unruffled every time, a smile and "zagga" on his lips, ready to "dweet again" as his currently popular track says, nearly 30 years after the release of his first album, The Invincible Beenie Man: the Ten-Year-Old Deejay Wonder.
Above everything, Beenie Man has done dancehall in an unlikely combination of deejaying and tap dancing; moonwalking like Michael Jackson and performing as Ras Moses, robes and all.
The Dancehall Doctor, so dubbed at a Spectrum concert, is definitely the Girls Dem Sugar, from Slam and Romie in the 1990s to Specialist with Kartel mid the last decade. He has done the 'bad man deejay' routine with "if you cross the bridge" and imbibed Rum and Red Bull with Fambo. He has jazzed it up with Nuff Gal and gone soca with Jump and Wine.
Always close to the leading edge of dancehall, Beenie Man is probably right when he says in Dweet Again "anything them a do, I did already!"
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