Beenie Man
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Beenie Man, born Anthony Moses Davis, began his career as a child performer with Jamaican sound systems, recording his first song at age 12 with producer Bunny Lee. His career took off in his early twenties with his second album release on VP Records in 1992, produced by Patrick Roberts and Anthony Kelly. He achieved global recognition with the release of Many Moods Of Moses in 1997, featuring the hit song “Who Am I,” which was certified gold in the US by the RIAA in 2023. He has five albums on VP and two on the sister label Greensleeves.
Beenie Man’s early talent was evident from winning the Teeny Talent contest at age eight, leading to his first single “Too Fancy,” and eventually his debut album as a child. His career faced a brief setback in 1993 but rebounded with the release of “No Mama No Cry,” a song inspired by the murder of fellow DJ Pan Head, and marked his turn towards Rastafarianism. The mid-1990s saw a prolific period for Beenie Man, with hit albums Defend It and Dis Unu Fi Hear, and winning the DJ of the Year Award. A defining element of his career was his rivalry with Bounty Killer, which significantly influenced the Jamaican dancehall scene in the 1990s. In recent years, he reconciled with his onetime rival, resulting in the collaborative single “Legendary” in 2014 and a joint performance in a Verzuz battle during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.