Veteran singer Ian Sweetness has added to the flurry of tributes for deejay Boom Dandimite who died May 21 in a Florida hospital at age 50.

Sweetness posted his version of Michael Jackson’s Gone Too Soon on social media in memory of the former Scare Dem Crew member who succumbed to complications from injuries he sustained in a motor accident in Kingston three weeks before.

“Mi know ‘Boom’ from Jammy’s and (engineer King) Tubby’s time. Know him even before him carry Bounty (Killer) come studio,” Sweetness told OBSERVER ONLINE.

The story of Boom Dandimite taking a teenaged Bounty Killer to King Jammy’s studio in Waterhouse for the first time is part of dancehall lore. ‘Killer’ would return the favour after making it big by helping to expose the Scare Dem Crew which also included Elephant Man, Nitty Kutchie and Harry Toddler.

“Dem yute dey was bonifide, Boom did love di flossing vibe but him did have respect fi di elder dem,” said Ian Sweetness, who lives in the United States.

He said he last saw Boom Dandimite last year in Brooklyn, New York at a Jamaican restaurant.

Since his death, numerous tributes have been posted on social media to Boom Dandimite whose real name was Herman Stewart. Bounty Killer, Harry Toddler, Mavado, Mister G and influential radio Disc Jockey Bobby Konders hailed his contributions to the music business.

Like Bounty Killer and his colleagues in the Scare Dem Crew, Boom Dandimite was from the Seaview Gardens community of Kingston. With that group, he had several hit songs during the 1990s such as Many Many and Pure Gal.

Ian Sweetness, who hails from East Kingston, has been recording songs for over 30 years. His latest release is a self-produced version of Dennis Brown’s Little Green Apples.

Howard Campbell