Bad inna dance, bad inna real life
Since its emergence in the Kingston innercity in the late 1970s, dancehall has exploded in popularity and undoubtedly boosted Jamaican culture around the world. Always courting controversy, the genre that keeps Jamaica swaying to heart-stopping bass and raw, thought-provoking lyrics has also seen some of its top artistes being as notorious for running afoul of the law as they are for their music.
Ninja Man
Born Desmond Ballentine on January 24, 1966, Ninja Man stood out as one of the most colourful and charismatic in Jamaican dancehall for more than three decades. His career began in 1987 with the release of his self-produced debut single Protection, a duet with Courtney Melody.
He would go on to work with several legendary producers throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the likes of King Jammy, Bobby Digital, and Ina Kamoze. His popularity shot up in the early 90s with ‘Border Clash’, ‘Murder Dem’, and ‘My Weapon’, firmly establishing his bad man deejay image. The self-proclaimed ‘Don Gorgon’ lived up to the name with an unmatched ability for freestyle lyrical prowess and a distinctive style – marked by a theatrical, stuttering delivery and powerful live performances.
Ninja Man’s troubles began in 2009 when he was arrested for his involvement in the killing of 20-year-old Kingston resident Ricardo Johnson. While out on bail, he sought to clean up his image by speaking out publicly against the use of violence and performing his music through Downsound Records. In 2017, Ninja Man’s career ground to a halt and he was convicted of murder along with his son and another co-accused. He is currently serving a sentence of 25 years at hard labour and will be eligible for parole in 2042.
Bounty Killer
Born Rodney Price on June 12, 1972 in the Kingston ghetto of Trench Town, Bounty Killer, whose father owned a small sound system, first tried his hand at deejaying at 9 years old. Much of the gun violence heavily documented in his music is believed to have been inspired by a near-fatal injury he received while walking home from school at the age of 14.
Soon after, Price began performing under the name Bounty Hunter for area sound systems such as Metromedia, Bodyguard, and Stereo Two. ‘Dub fi Dub’, one of his earlier tunes, quickly became a huge dancehall hit as a sound system dub plate. After he adopted the Bounty Killer moniker, 1992 proved to be his breakout year with several major hit singles, including ‘Copper Shot’ and the anti-informant ‘Spy fi Die’, the former being an underground hit in New York. He went on to dominate the stage and the airwaves with ‘Run Come Inna Me Magnum’, ‘Book, Book, Book’, ‘Cellular’ and ‘Worthless Bwoy’ among others. Bounty Killer’s My Xperience album, released in 1996 featured collabs with American hip-hop stars such as Busta Rhymes and the Fugees. He was also featured in the hit single ‘Hey Bay’ by the hip-hop group No Doubt
Bounty Killer is also known for skirmishes with Jamaican police as he is for his subject matter. In 2007, the dancehall star was arrested on assault and other charges after an altercation with an off-duty policeman. Two years later, he answered to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm on a pregnant woman. In 2010, he was one of five Jamaican entertainers to have their US visas revoked. Less than a week later, he allegedly attacked his former partner after she decided to end their 3-year relationship, reportedly threatening her life in the presence of the police.
Despite all this, Bounty Killer has escaped a prison sentence and has been trying to polish up his bad-man image in recent years.
Jah Cure
Born Siccaturie Alcock on October 11, 1978, a young Jah Cure would sneak out of his bedroom window late at nights to visit local stage shows, immersing himself in the musical stylings of reggae greats Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear.
He got his stage name on moving to Kingston, mostly because of the vast amount of herb he smoked in a quest for spiritual enlightenment – a daily custom of his Rastafarian religion.
Cure’s musical journey would be interrupted on November 16, 1998, after a night out with two tourists in Montego Bay. A local woman identified him to police as the man who forced her into a car and raped her at gun point. Cure, despite vowing that he had never seen the woman before, was subsequently arrested and tried. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April 1999 for two counts of rape, robbery with aggravation and illegal possession of a firearm. He was released in 2007 after serving eight years.
During his incarceration, Cure recorded and released numerous #1 singles from jail including ‘Jamaica’ and ‘Longing For’ both local and international successes. ‘Free Jah’s Cure’, his debut album, was recorded and released in 2001. Since his release, Jah Cure has continued to top the charts with numerous #1 singles such as ‘Call on Me’, and ‘Unconditional Love’. ‘The Cure’, his most recent album, stayed atop the Billboard reggae charts for a whopping 36 weeks and was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. His rape conviction, however, has prevented him from travelling to performances in the UK and other overseas locations.
Tommy Lee
Leroy Russell, better known by his stage names Tommy Lee, and Tommy Lee Sparta, is a dancehall artist from Montego Bay, whose self-described ‘Gothic Dancehall’ style has lent him to controversy within the dancehall scene.
Tommy Lee began deejaying in late 2008 at Snipa Studios in Flanker on the city’s outskirts. It was there that he recorded his first single ‘Spartan Story’, and later performing as an opening act for local artistes including Vybz Kartel. ‘Warn Dem’, released in 2010, was his first recognized hit.
‘Some Bwoy (Link Pon Wi Chain)’, on the 2011 So Bad riddim, proved to be a breakthrough hit for Tommy Lee. Follow up singles such as ‘Buss a Blank’, ‘Psycho’, and ‘Shook (Uncle Demon)’ further propelled Tommy Lee’s career, leading to his booking as a headline artist for Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, and the Sting music festival in Portmore.
In February 2014, Tommy Lee Sparta was charged in connection with lottery scamming activities and was listed as “a person of interest” by Kingston police in relation to a shooting in the capital. Evidence against him included claims that his laptop allegedly contained details of personal information of United States residents. In December 2018, the case was thrown out a judge after Tommy Lee’s lawyers submitted that prosecutors had no case against him.
Vybz Kartel
The career of Adidja Palmer, born January 7, 1976, has been defined by controversy since its inception. Vybz Kartel, also known as World Boss and Di Teacha, gained prominence after a string of hits in 2003.
Known as much for his vile lyrics as for his skin-bleaching habit, Vybz Kartel has managed to achieve folk-hero status among his broad fan base. His trademark expletive-filled and often sexually graphic lyrics is widely believed to have helped to erode a long-held local taboo against oral sex, particularly with his ringing endorsement of blow jobs in ‘Freaky Gyal’. Kartel’s influence through music is also believed to have fueled a sharp rise in sales of the Clarks brand of shoes, after releases of the popular singles ‘Clarks’, ‘Clarks 2 (Clarks Again)’, and ‘Clarks 3 (Wear Weh Yuh Have)’. His commitment to lightening his skin was also celebrated in song with the singles ‘Cake Soap’ and ‘Colouring Book’.
Kartel was arrested in 2011 on suspicion of involvement in the gruesome murder of 27-year-old Clive “Lizard” Williams. The 65-day trial, said to be the longest criminal trial in Jamaican history, attracted extensive media coverage as stunned fans held on to hope amidst overwhelming evidence against the DJ, including that he had sent text messages suggesting that the victim’s body had been chopped up “fine fine”. Williams’ body has never been found. In 2014, Kartel and three co-accused were found guilty and he received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years in prison.
Despite his life sentence, Kartel’s hold on dancehall seems to be firmer than ever and he continues to release new music. Fans have openly wondered how he has managed to remain productive while behind bars, speculating that he cut his vocals using a smartphone app. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Vybz Kartel’s career isn’t fading away anytime soon.