Ninjaman Hailed For His Pioneering “Met Gala” Looks
Mr. Lexx’s throwback photos of a costume-clad Ninjman and caption which lauded the Don Gorgon for being always dressed in “Met Gala” garb, long before the fundraiser became globally popular, evoked not only laughter but praises for the entertainer’s use of avant-garde couture to accentuate his performances.
“One ting doh… @ninjaman_music been giving dem di Met Gala look all his life,” Lexx wrote under the post of the St. Mary native in various looks which ranged from a Shaolin Ninja to a slew of other ‘mysterious” styles.
Dancehall heavyweight Shaggy was among those who found the Instagram post humourous, but at the same time expressed his respect for Ninjaman’s originality.
“Dem nuh originate nutt’n … everything from jamaica !! 😂,” Mr Boombastic wrote yesterday.
Billboard Producer Kirk “Koolface” Ford also joined in on the festivities adding: “The caption hit the nail and the head 👏👏👏”.
Mr. Lexx’s post also spurred a discussion on the lack of originality in nowadays Dancehall, some commenters noting the newer acts have not been generating excitement, and among other things, lack stage presence.
“Nuff a we laughing but originality in dancehall is missing. Everyone doing the same sh-t on social media, pose beside car and pose in a Gucci. We used to stand out with simple mesh marina and cut off jeans. Big up Ninja Man not just a deejay but an elite entertainer,” di_bwoy_jahfet noted.
“When it come to stage presence Ninja was definitely at the top of his class,” kingsoftheearth stated, while prezidential_elite_fire commented on Ninja man’s remarkable magnetism on stage.
“Only mon mi see have an entourage hold one big big umbrella ova him n walk to d stage, madting lol,” he said.
Over the years, Ninjaman, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, has gained notoriety as being Dancehall’s ‘Most Outlandish’ in terms of his image and costumes spanning Shaolin ninja suits to graduation gown and cap, which he regularly reserved for his clashes at the Sting stage show on Boxing Day each year.
The Don Gorgon has been woefully missed from the Dancehall space following his conviction for murder in 2017. The St. Mary native and his co-convicts were sentenced to life in prison in December 2017, for the 2009 murder of a Kingston man and will have to serve at least 25 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
His son Janeil and fellow co-convict Dennis Clayton were each also sentenced to 15 years behind bars.
According to news reports, the killing stemmed from a domestic dispute in the St Andrew community of Lower Mall Road, a day before. Ninjaman, his son and Clayton reportedly returned the following day with guns and other weapons. They chased the victim and another witness through a fence and then shot him in the side. The man later died.
Regarded as Dancehall’s most extemporaneous deejay, Ninjaman was born in Annotto Bay in St. Mary and moved to Kingston at age 12. He started his deejay career with the Black Culture Sound System at age 14 using the moniker “Double Ugly” and, in 1980 joined the esteemed Killamanjaro sound system, where he understudied already-established deejays Super Cat and Early B.
Ninjaman recorded and produced his first hit single titled Protection, a duet with Courtney Melody in 1987. He went on to work with an illustrious list of producers including King Jammy, Philip “Fatis” Burrell, Bobby Digital, Augustus “Gussie” Clarke, the champion duo Steely & Clevie and Henry “Junjo” Lawes.
His hits over the years—recorded mainly between 1989 and 1992—included Border Clash, Murder Dem, Permit fi Bury, and Above the Law.
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