Beenie Man facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beenie Man
OD
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Beenie Man in 2017
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| Born |
Moses Anthony Davis
22 August 1972 Kingston, Jamaica
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
D'Angel
(m. 2006; div. 2011) |
| Children | 12 |
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Moses Anthony Davis OD (born August 22, 1972), known professionally as Beenie Man, is a famous Jamaican dancehall artist. He is a deejay, which in Jamaican music means someone who sings and raps over a rhythm. Beenie Man was given the title "King Of The Dancehall" in July 2009 at the Reggae Sumfest festival in Jamaica. He has won many awards, including DJ of the Year eight times in a row. His album Art and Life even won a Grammy Award in 2001.
Contents
About Beenie Man's Early Life
Moses Davis was born in the Waterhouse area of Kingston, Jamaica in 1972. He started making music at a very young age. When he was just five years old, he began "toasting." Toasting is a unique Jamaican style of singing and rapping over music. His uncle, Sydney Knowles, who played drums for the famous musician Jimmy Cliff, encouraged him a lot.
In 1981, Beenie Man won the Tastee Talent contest, which helped him become known. A radio DJ named Barry G introduced him to local sound system operators. These sound systems helped young deejays become popular. Beenie Man recorded his first song, "Too Fancy," in 1981. His first album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder, came out in 1983. His first big hit song, "Over the Sea," was also released that year. After this early start, Beenie Man paused his music career to finish school. He also spent some time traveling to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
Returning to Music in the 1990s
Beenie Man kept performing and improving his skills in the early 1990s. He worked alongside other big Dancehall artists like Ninjaman and Shabba Ranks. He found a musical home at the Shocking Vibes studio, where he continued to record songs.
His career really took off after he performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1992. The next year, a friendly rivalry started between him and another artist, Bounty Killer. This rivalry was even featured on their 1994 album Guns Out. In 1993, Beenie Man had his first number one song in Jamaica called "Matie." He also won the DJ of the Year Award that same year. This was the first of eight awards he would win in a row!
Becoming a Global Star
Beenie Man's music started reaching audiences all over the world. In 1994, he signed with Island Records. He released the album Blessed, which made him famous internationally. In 1995, he toured the United Kingdom. He also worked with Barrington Levy to create a new version of Levy's song "Under Mi Sensi."
He collaborated with many other artists during this time. In 1995, he worked with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma on Three Against War. He also teamed up with Lady Saw for "Healing" and Sanchez for "Refugee." By the mid to late 1990s, Beenie Man was dominating the music charts in Jamaica. Many people started calling him the "Dancehall King."
Beenie Man's big break in the United States came in 1997. He heard a new beat by a producer named Jeremy Harding. He quickly added his voice to it, creating his first international hit song, "Who Am I." This song quickly sold a lot of copies and became very popular. It helped introduce him to a global audience. In the same year, Beenie Man had seven different songs at the top of the Jamaican singles chart.
He even appeared as himself in the 1997 movie Dancehall Queen.
In 1998, Beenie Man was the main performer at Reggae Sunsplash. He also signed with Virgin Records to release albums in the United States. His first American album was The Doctor (1998). He continued to have hits like "Romie" and "Girls Dem Sugar," which featured American R&B singer Mýa. He won many international music awards, including a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act in 1998.
In 2000, Beenie Man released Art & Life. This album featured famous musicians like Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean. It won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Beenie Man often speaks out on social issues in his songs, like "Steve Biko" and "Murderer."
In 2002, he had a big hit with a song called "Feel It Boy" with Janet Jackson. His biggest success in America came in 2004 with a remix of "Dude." This song featured Ms. Thing and Shawnna. These hits helped him gain fans in both America and Europe.
He had several hit songs in the United Kingdom too. "Who am I" reached number 10 in 1998. "Street Life" reached number 13 in 2003, and "Feel It Boy" reached number 9. In 2004, "Dude" reached number 7, and "King of the Dancehall" reached number 14. In 2004, the Associated Press called him a "name-brand artist worldwide" and the "king of the dancehall reggae scene."
Beenie Man also helped judge the 6th annual Independent Music Awards. In 2008, it was announced that he would help write and star in a film called Kingston. In 2010, he released an EP (a shorter album) called I'm Drinking Rum and Red Bull. The full album followed in 2011.
In 2014, Beenie Man and his long-time rival, Bounty Killer, decided to work together. They recorded a song called "Legendary." They also performed a very popular online music battle together on Instagram in 2020. They are seen as two of the most important artists in dancehall music.
Personal Life
Beenie Man married Michelle "D'Angel" Downer on August 22, 2006. They separated in June 2007. In March 2010, they released a song together called "You Are My First," even though they were separated at the time. Their divorce was finalized in 2019.
Discography
See also
In Spanish: Beenie Man para niños
