2020 has been the year that just keeps on giving. Needless to say it certainly has not violated the canons of Murphy’s Law and dare I say its more foreboding corollary, Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives, which not only states “anything that can go wrong, will - but also..... at the worse possible moment”. Holding true to these laws, in consecutive fashion, this year we've witnessed deadly wildfires, deadly conflicts with Iran, airstrikes, drone strikes, the attack of the respiratory disease Covid-19 and the whirlwind of turbulent geo-political conspiracies. Then before we could properly grieve Kobe Bryant’s death, we were forced to learn new terms like quarantine, social distancing and viral load. And for good measure, the “metoo” movement wrapped up its cancellation tour with a Harvey Weinstein indictment, the POTUS is threatened with impeachment, recordings of hate crimes go viral, racial tensions were set a blaze world wide, Corona virus cases surged close to 10 million globally and the very structure of society seemed to be unhinging at the seams. The pale white horse of 2020 made personal visits too, taking aim at my employment, personal freedoms and the death of my own father.
In the face of all the fire and brimstone, looking back at the sodomesque ruins that were the last few months, tribulations have not reduced us all to pillars of salt. Despite Ado’s fate there were a few bright spots to celebrate that can encourage us to collectively look forward. For me, coming from the most unlikely of sources, it was the versus or “Verzuz” battle between the legendary gun-talkin’ Bounty Killer and the internationally-recognized Beenie Man. The event was engineered by the improbable efforts of American musicians/producers from outside of the music genre of dancehall, Swizz Beatz and Timberland – and god bless them. The Instagram Live series of “Verzuz” battles by the two hip-hop producers, embarked compassionately and creatively on a project meant to revive quarantined fans, battened down in their homes through a live digital platform. They were also in the company of legendary artists and songwriters like, Jill Scott, Nelly, Ludacris, Teddy Riley and others who preceded them. Not to be outdone the session was sponsored by Ciroc-affiliated Sean Combs, evidenced by the product placed inconspicuously in view of the camera. In turn, the whole endeavour revitalized the sales of both artists sending their streaming revenues souring.
The event was such a sensation that it was easy to overlook how their talents bespoke the versus series platform, as both artists forged their crafts in the similar battle medium of the dancehall arena decades ago. Pitting two giants of the genre head-to-head in quintessential dance-hall fashion, they evoked memories of dancehall or “Sound Clashes” between sound systems like Stone Love and Killamanjaro – decorated sound crews from the genre’s lore. It should also be mentioned the two artists also have their own checkered history of bitter rivalry, slander and even allegations of murder. From the traditional bashment model that included the on-stage antics and improvisation of Bounty Killer and the wide discography of Beenie Man, the moment wouldn’t be complete without local police, making their presence known attempting to shutdown the party. Due to Covid 19 restrictions Jamaica was held under an 8pm curfew. Local police probably using their authority to witness history, were all too glad to respond to the alleged complaint. Offering some comedic relief in de-escalating the situation, Beenie Man asks in jest to one of the officers, “Do you really wanna be that guy?” I'm telling you this moment had it all!
Early in the performance the two artists warmed up by trading shots back and forth partially lip syncing collaborations with legendary hip-hop and R&B artists, probably by design, to satisfy the multitude of American viewers who had been a major conduit to their global success. Beenie man, the more seasoned upper-class man and child prodigy backed by his early involvement in the music industry with connections to Jimmy Cliffe, unpacked his extensive repertoire of hit songs like “Matie” his first major single, “Romie” and “Gyal dem Sugah”. Not to be outclassed Bounty Killer other wise known as the self proclaimed “Poor people’s governor” was not shy in utilizing his patented, aggressive, gun inspired lyrics that made him one of the greatest dancehall lyricists of his era. Bounty blistered the stage with memorable tracks like, “Look” and “Living Dangerously” featuring reggae star Barrington Levy.
Both artists meandered around topics and themes in their delivery of songs discussing sexual conquests like Bounty’s “Worthless Bwoy” matched by Beenie’s equitable response of “Old Dog”. They indulged in topicality like the police and ghetto themes with energy charged anthems like “(Poor People) Fed up” to which Beenie responded in kind with “Murderer”. The latter, a classic to hard-core dancehall fans, Beenie Man fittingly executed live in the presence of the police, much to the chagrin of Bounty Killer who felt he had unfairly lost a turn to Beenie Man who performed two sessions back to back. Beenie Man insisted it was all to beguile the police into leaving. This playful exchange marked a moment of camaraderie that highlighted the growth and maturity of the once bitterly feuding icons. Bounty Killer kept the fans entertained with his energized stage presence, maniacal rants, quips, and one-liners like “Lawd ah mercy” or “Hey Yo hello!” Besides the brief interlude with the local law enforcement it was Bounty Killer’s flirtatious overtures to Rihanna commenting "Ri Ri. She's on the line” that sent stage DJs and promoters rolling with laughter. Both artists responded to each other with equal melodic vigor and lyrical potency marking the climax to the event with a medley of songs like “Eagle and Hawk”, “Bullet Proof Skin”, “Bury Yuh Dead” and “Fire Burn”. If you didn’t feel the urge to move at this point or at lease break a smile you weren’t a true fan of the island's art form.
Despite the pseudo-battle energy of the once sworn adversaries, neither artist grimacing with any real malice, you could tell they were both committed to putting on a memorable show and representing Jamaica. For that they received my highest praise. They each sang each other’s choruses and playfully antagonised each other, feigning to nudge one another out of the spot light, jockeying for the camera - all in the spirit of fun and artistry. Together, in front of half a million viewers, openly marvelling at how special the moment was as they remarked, “We didn’t think we could do this together as brothers,” spoken in the rawest patois, lamenting on their tumultuous past. Joined by celebrity artists who looked on with great anticipation, from the aforementioned Rihanna, to DJ Khaled, to Busta Rhymes, Eryca Badu, Konshens and Vybz Kartel (a Bounty Killer apprentice) to name a few, we all knew we were witnessing a truly historical event. I was proud for both artists, representing the culture for the culture for West Indians and black music as a whole. I was truly inspired by two artists setting aside their differences for the good of the culture and providing such a nostalgic distraction at such a dark time. Ending the show with their own rendition of Bob Marley’s “One Love”, a fitting selection with the current backdrop of racial tension, riots and police brutality, for that moment they represented what can be accomplished when unity is the main goal.
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