The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk continues with the 26th in its series during Child Month highlighting some of Jamaica’s young performers who shot to stardom.

WHEN the history of dancehall music is compiled, Beenie Man will certainly occupy a prominent place.

The deejay has over 40 years of performance and recording under his belt, despite being 48 years old.

Born in the inner-city community of Waterhouse in St Andrew, Beenie Man was exposed to the music from a very tender age through the sound systems which would pass through the communities in which he lived.

He recorded his debut single, Too Fancy, with record producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes in 1981, with Lawes also including him on the 1983 album Junjo Presents Two Big Sounds alongside established stars such as Dillinger, Fathead, and Ringo. His debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder was produced by Bunny Lee and released in 1983, his first hit single following the same year with the Winston “Niney” Holness-produced Over the Sea.

Holness told the Jamaica Observer that the qualities now seen in the deejay were always present in the youngster.

“He was always a good yute; never one to give trouble and nobody who has worked with Beenie Man can ever say anything less about him. Regarding that album back in the day, it was really Bunny Lee project. Beenie Man was living at Bunny Lee house at the time. Whatever Bunny Lee cook for his own children, Beenie Man was eating the same thing. Bunny Lee was like a father to him. But I remember him being very smart yute. He would watch and listen rather than chat a lot.”

“There was always the charisma from then till now. I think he should move into acting or some higher level of entertainment. Yuh ever see Beenie Man really dance? He can dance to back up his music. He has reached higher levels and I don’t think what he needs is here in Jamaica. He needs to take up acting or something like that. Beenie Man is a real entertainer,” said Holness.

Beenie Man continued performing and honed his craft beside the then dominant dancehall figures including Ninjaman, Admiral Bailey and Shabba Ranks. He found his artistic home at the Shocking Vibes studio where he continued to record singles with only moderate success in the early 1990s.

A string of hits including Matie, Girls Dem Sugar, Worl Dance, Rum and Red Bull, King of the Dance Hall, Who Am I, Wickedest Slam, Nuff Gal and in 2000, Beenie Man released Art & Life, which featured Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (The Fugees), for which received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

With four decades under his belt, Beenie Man continues to be a top-tier act in dancehall, a title he has no intention in relinquishing in the near future.