From his first major stage appearance at the Nelson Mandela stage show in 1991, Beenie mans career has been splintered with controversy. Unlike his immediate counterpart, Bounti Killa, The self proclaimed King of the Dancehall has kept his career buoyant during rough times by weaving a hypnotic web of hits and heresay.

In early 1996, Beenie Man learned accidentally that no publicity was bad publicity when an appearance on the Rupaul Show sparked the biggest Dancehall Melee of the nineties, when he allegedly kissed the shows host Rupaul, a noted American Transvestite.

This small mistake placed Beenie on the American Social radar. The following year in 1997, his album entitled The Many Moods of Moses sold gold worldwide.

Lauded by the critics as one of the dancehall genres best albums, it placed him on the international entertainment map and on the road to Grammy stardom. This he achieved in 2000 with the album Art&Life, copping the reggae award for that same year.

Throughout his two decade career, he has sparred with many and in most recent times, the best, such as Ninja Man, T.O.K, Twins of Twins, Don Mafia, Patrick Roberts,
The Marley family, Vybez Kartel, and the on again off again fued with his nemesis Bounti Killa, just to keep the list short.

Not to forget his rack of road accidents, partly induced by his daily Hennessey habit, and a dose of impatience, eventually led to his near fatal accident in 2004, almost costing the resilient lucky star a lung. Yet he recovered and during all the mishaps and near-misses, the printing presses and the internet blogs have ricocheted news worldwide, keeping him buoyant in the limelight.

Its ironic. It seems every time the world begins to hate Beenie Man, he has something up his sleeve to make his fans love him again.

Case in point, his alleged 10 month feud starting in mid 2004 with Dancehall Star Bogle aka Mr.Wacky, eventually led to the unsolved murder of the world famous dancer.

Beenie Man cried publicly on national television, even pledging a ransom of one million Jamaican dollars, and subsequently released a heartfelt single Frame I that shot to number one in less than two weeks. At home and abroad we forgave and forgot, even though some doubted.

By the end of the year Beenie was once again on his one man publicity bandwagon sparking the 2005-2006 lyrical war with Bounti Killa that ended with Beenie Man dating Bounti Killas ex-girlfriend, DAngel.

This seeded deep-rooted bad vibes, igniting the 2006-2007 feuds, the most intense lyrical battle between the two since their burgeoning days of the early nineties.
Young *lo**s in the business such as Vybez Kartel, Busy Signal, Idonia amongst others, began choosing battle grounds and the bitterness blew up in to a literal segregation of the Dancehall genre. The Alliance and Mafia House were born.

The intense lyrical battled that ensued dipped Dancehall into a sad déjà vu of the nineties. Lyrical copper shots it seemed had gone nuclear, leaving public radio yearning for good music, and paved the way open for Daville, Etana, Alaine, Tessane Chin, and a slew of patient talents to showcase their wares.

The bold stated fact that the Radio wasnt listening, and the people were weary of the war allowed the fact that the world was leaving them and their allies behind to slowly sink in.

Bounty exited the melee quietly, and placed Mavado in the limelight as his protégé diverting attention from himself to the next big thing. Beenie on the other hand took it to the next level and married DAngel in a whirlwind garden fantasy wedding, setting the notion that they were Jamaicas biggest superstar couple since Bob Marley and Rita.

Once again we became hypnotized by the two step magic of Beenie Man.

Hype and then Hits.

The Husband and wife couple blew 2006 away and Marco Dean the princely offspring of the two, entered early 2007 with a bang. Life was nice and we all loved Beenie Man once more.

But in most recent times, it seems this one man PR press is running out of juice.
His recent breakup with his hit making writer, Don Mafia, his fallout with his stable Shocking Vibes and now his public marital breakup with wife and business partner DAngel, has surely battered the Artistes public image and has reflected poorly to his fans worldwide. The fights, gossip regarding the legitimacy of Marco Dean and public disrespect on both sides have led fans and critics alike to believe the marriage is on the rocks and Beenie is losing his star power.

Could it be true? His questionable financial status, the lack of a major label and a reputable management team leaves us to wonder and question the potency of this once lethal superstar. Still fans have stuck by like loyal subjects giving Beenie Man the Number One single Nation wide in summer 2007, undoubtedly cementing the fact that he is the reigning self-proclaimed King of the Dancehall.

Hype then Hits. The magic of Beenie Man. The King of the Dancehall.

But this time, will he lose his crown to a Queen ?

GibbiGeraz
RiddimJamaica Writer.