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‘Verzuz’ Dancehall Clash Highlights: From Beenie Man’s Dancing To Bounty Killer’s Rihanna Shoutout

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Beenie Man, Bounty Killer (left to right)

Quarantiners couldn’t have asked for a better show than the one put on by dancehall game-changers, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, on ‘Verzuz’ last night. The event saw more than 475,000 people watching on Instagram Live, as the deejays played tune-for-tune in the first-ever dancehall edition of the musical battle series.

With sparks still flying from the clash, DancehallMag presents 10 highlights that place this ‘Verzuz’ battle among the best.  You can also check out, Our Scorecard And Winner For The Battle.

Beenie Man’s goofy dancing

We can all attest to Beenie’s showmanship on stage, from his sporadic freestyles to his neat footwork. Perhaps it was the camera position, but this time around his footwork was not the focus. ‘The Doctor’ ditched the usual cool moves for goofy ones, pumping his hands in the air and whining for the ladies, though his belly proved hilariously distracting.  Needless to say, it didn’t take long for his moves to become memes.

https://twitter.com/KxngKAS/status/1264378863418855424

Bounty Killer fanning out over Rihanna

Rihanna has only publicly commented on one ‘Verzuz’ battle (Jill Scott/Erykah Badu), so when the Navy Queen appeared in the comments, her presence had to be acknowledged. Being from the Caribbean herself, the resident bad gal was dropping fire emojis and jamming with the virtual audience when it came to Bounty’s attention. After playing Gal, he gave the Bajan star a shoutout that left the studio and watchers laughing.

“I just got to big up Riri, she’s on the live. Riweee, you see me-me? And Beenieeeee?” he emphasized.

Desha Ravers dancing with Bounty Killer

Bounty has often declared he is no dancer (though he’s mastered ‘the Killa swing’, a dance inspired by his demeanor). He surprised many fans when he stepped outside his comfort zone, doing the ‘world dance’ with Desha Ravers. Ravers, who is Beenie’s eldest daughter, was among his supporters which included daughters Ikyra and Xiah, and fiancé Krystal Tomlinson.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAjlyz8Hz7R/

The police came

With yesterday’s curfew order starting at 8pm, the clash received a visit from the police as they were nearing 400,000 online patrons.

“People, the police are here and they’re saying good evening,” Beenie said. “Good evening officer. How are you sir, you alright? You good? Krystal, everything good? Alright, can we not do this right now? The world is watching us right now.”

Bounty, who had left the frame, returned within the next minute, and the party resumed like nothing happened.

https://twitter.com/kinks_n_curves/status/1264376269547941895

Bounty having fun

From his signature all-black ensemble to the dark glasses and legendary screw, Bounty is not the first person you think of when you hear the word fun. Interestingly, that’s all ‘The Warlord’ seemed to have on Saturday night. Cheesing before the camera, Bounty let his inner corny show with his excited and sometimes strange dance moves, and people were here for it.

Freestyling

The corona-induced quarantine has made many people event-sick as stage shows and traditional concerts seem so far away. Beenie and Bounty were a temporary remedy with their stage show delivery, occasionally deviating from the tune-for-tune format of ‘Verzuz’, to deliver fire-spitting freestyles. The back-and-forth toasting was reminiscent of piled speaker boxes, a hot sound system and the glory days of getting dressed up for a little braff.

Memory lane

Yes, you’ve probably seen Bounty and Beenie perform more than once, whether in-person or on videeo, but there are some songs we never quite hear them perform. ‘Verzuz’ provided the ultimate platform to remind folks of the scope of their work, from Bounty’s rap collaboration with Special Ed (Just A Killa) to Beenie’s feature on Compton, a song by Guerilla Black.

Bounty’s dubplates

Though he admitted to being unprepared for the ‘Verzuz’ battle, Bounty came with his dubs. His final dub stood out the most not for his charismatic wordplay, but the sonic plotwist – EDM music. It was so nice, they played it twice. Even Beenie couldn’t help but to laugh at the theatrics.

Xiah makes international debut

At the end of the battle, Beenie asked for his youngest child, Xiah, and held her in his arms while singing Bob Marley’s One Love with Bounty. He even asked the one-year-old if she wanted to sing a tune, but she was too shy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAjjRI_Dr1J/

Message of unity

It’s a concept often spoken about in dancehall but rarely spotted, and the men personified it last night. They are no doubt heavyweights individually, but a massive force when they do anything together.