The 1996 New York City launch of his next major CD, Maestro, drew thousands of fans, as well as the Fire Department, who brought the gala to a premature close. In ‘97, this unstoppable force delivered "Dancehall Queen," the song (featuring Chevelle Franklyn) and the soundtrack to the feature film, in which he plays - convincingly, of course - a dancehall don. With the 1997 release of Beenie Man's GRAMMY-nominated Many Moods Of Moses, he confirmed that he could take any groove, be it country & western or ragtime, and bring it under the governance of dancehall reggae's signature "one-drop riddim." That year alone, TV viewers saw Beenie on Keenan Ivory Wayans, Vibe TV, MTV (with good “breddren” Wyclef Jean), and VH-1.
“Who Am I,” the legendary track off of Many Moods that would go on to expose a whole new generation of fans to dancehall reggae first caught fire on U.K. airwaves and then entered NYC urban station Hot 97’s mix. It ran up Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, peaking at no. 6, while Moses became the only reggae album to enter Billboard's R&B Albums chart for ‘98. Reggae's pop crossover hopes soon settled entirely on this musical chameleon's slim shoulders. Those hopes have been more than fulfilled in the past few years. All dancehall’s current urban chart rulers – including Sean Paul and the kinetic Elephant Man – owe a debt to dancehall’s King and his “Who Am I”/”Girls Dem Sugar” one-two punch. In 1998, the Jeremy Harding-produced “Who Am I” took reggae dancehall to the top of America’s hit parade; the Neptune’s concussive “Girls Dem Sugar” remix, released in 2000, ensured the tune – and dancehall - an amazing two year-plus shelf life high on urban music charts. " You got to know how to be in the business," Beenie Man said at the time. "You have to be always on your foot, and one day the door will open, trust me. I was born to be smooth, not to be boasty, not to push my luck further than it can go, to maintain a strong spirit and be loving to the people.” The Doctor, Beenie’s equally booming fifth international solo set, offered up hardcore reggae tracks that appealed to Yard and international audiences alike with its inventive twists on dancehall style. The CD added to his already crowded trophy collection as seven of the 14 tracks reached number one in the reggae arena. They included the rousing left-field opener, "Gospel Time," featuring a huge gospel chorus and Beenie raising his voice unto heaven to preach: "Shake that bootie that Jesus gave you!" "You can't be a normal person and do music," Beenie observed of the album. "You have to be crazy and try things. If it work, it work. If it don't, it don't. I try crazy things and it always work." An abundance of musical gifts, countless hits, the true entertainer’s sense of humor, natural magnetism, and a strict professional work ethic won Beenie Man a 5 record deal with Virgin Records. With Art and Life, the longtime reggae vet's first American major label release, Beenie Man set himself to the task of strengthening dancehall's links to its hip-hop cousin. Art and Life went on to win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2000. The mission continued with 2002’s Tropical Storm, also created at the crossroads between dancehall and hip hop.
“I’ve been everywhere in the world, learned a lot about the business and matured, and dancehall has been elevated in the past few years,” says Beenie Man, who can’t help but know that today’s dancehall tsunami wave is due, in large part, to his efforts. “I see myself as doing for dancehall reggae what Marley did for roots reggae,” he continues. “I’m proud of myself, but I know that international fame can last for only about five years. I want to be international and stay national - that’s a long lifespan.” Beenie Man’s spirit has been tested countless times in the past, but never so sorely as the first two months of 2004. On January 15, he was driving alone out of Kingston, heading for a dancehall party in Mandeville, about an hour and a half away, when his Hummer overturned as he tried to negotiate new road construction. His life-threatening injuries included broken ribs and a collapsed lung that required emergency surgery and extended hospitalization. Only 6 weeks later, on February 24th, Paul Tyrell, Beenie Man’s longtime road manager and a close member of the Shocking Vibes studio/management family, was shot to death as he drove his Toyota in Kingston.
Despite these devastating loses, as always, Beenie Man insists on keeping on keeping on. “I always take the negative and make it a positive because it makes me stronger,” he says. That resolve to spin gold out of straw, plus his faith in his musical roots, is already being confirmed with the runaway success of Back to Basic’s wicked dancehall grinder, “Dude,” currently number one in Jamaica and headed for the same on Stateside urban music charts. That roots spirit and resolves motors the entire tour-de-force that is Back to Basics. Beenie’s vivid turn on the bad bwoy-sexy-hilarious “Dude” is just the first of a series of knock-you-out hits this album delivers, like the equally hookalicious “Love all Girls” and “King Of The Dancehall” (the album’s first single). Back to Basics doesn’t just ensure the Dancehall King’s reign back home, it’s also guaranteed to catapult Jamaica’s most appealing entertainer into front, center of the world stage. And this time, for good.
Protection - we do a lot of it these days. Sun cream for our skin, sunglasses for our eyes, condoms for you know where - but do you remember to protect your hearing?
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Beenie Back! Fighting fit with New ...
