Beenie Man Says He’s The Only King Of Dancehall Because He Gave Vybz Kartel First Billboard Song

Beenie Man is maintaining that there is only one King in the Dancehall, and that title belongs to him because, among other things, he was the first person to present Vybz Kartel — one of the other contenders to the honorific name — to the world stage via the Billboard chart.

“I am there from Shabba Rankin, Ninja Man, Kartel. I was the one that release Vybz Kartel really.  Memba me gi him him first numba one song; me put him pon Billboard di first time…,” Beenie Man said, during an interview on Ghana’s Hitz 103.9FM yesterday.

The veteran said his mentorship of Kartel began after the dramatic Sting 2003 incident where the Gaza boss and his friends engaged Ninja Man in a physical fight on stage during a lyrical clash.

“Suh dem (Jamaica) neva want nuttn fi do wid him (after).  An mi find him and do a song wid him and [D’Angel] that went number one (Baby Father), and then ‘Picture dis, breast specialist’ [The Specialist] and that was the first Billboard song. Suh these are the songs dat wi meck wid him, bring him inna di business…” Beenie, who is in Accra, Ghana for Stonebwoy’s Bhim concert, said.

“Das why wi have one king and not two…,” he added.

However, DancehallMag could not find a Billboard entry for The Specialist, which was released in November 2004 on the Scoobay Riddim.  The song is sometimes referred to as Picture Dis or Breast Specialist.

There is a Billboard entry for Picture This (You & Me), a solo single by Kartel, that was produced by Daniel ‘Blaxxx’ Lewis & Andrew ‘Buccaneer’ Bradford on the Black Out Riddim. This song peaked at No. 21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in October 2004.

Kartel’s other Billboard charting singles during the 2003-2005 era were Tekk (2004) and Sweet To The Belly (2004).

The 2000 Best Reggae Album Grammy winner’s statements came after he was asked how he managed to keep the Dancehall King title “for so many years”.

Beenie had responded that aside from working hard in the studio, he had worked hard on stage, and that his consistency has helped him maintain his title.

In 2020, Beenie Man, during an interview with Teach Dem, had explained what caused a longstanding feud between himself and Vybz Kartel,

He claimed that Kartel had reached a point of success where he no longer needed his support, and so became stand-offish.   This attitude and an ensuing counteraction to a song, also drove a wedge between their friendship, according to Beenie.

As he stated in the Ghana interview, Beenie had pointed out that after the infamous 2003 Sting event, when Vybz Kartel and his followers fought Ninjaman on stage, the entire nation had shunned the Any Weather artist.  As a consequence, he said he sympathized with Kartel and took him under his wing, began taking him on stages to close shows across Jamaica such as Jamboree and Island Explosion, where he and Kartel eclipsed Bounty Killer and his Alliance members countless times.

He stated, however, that after Kartel grew in popularity and was able to get his own bookings, he started to become snooty.  Beenie had said that the experience with Kartel had left him disillusioned and was among the reasons he does not “buss artists”, even though it does not stop him from helping others.

Beenie said he parted ways with Kartel after the Worl’ Boss counteracted his Gaza Mi Say track, in which Beenie, among other things, declared himself Emperor for di Gaza.   Kartel’s response had come via Gaza Commandments, which Beenie took as a snub.

The two songs were produced by Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor.

Beenie had maintained though that despite Kartel’s disloyalty, that there was no residual animosity between them and that up to that time, he had spoken to the artist about two times since his incarceration.

“Dem man deh nuh have nuh loyalty to nobody. Me an Addi nuh chat.  Me an him mussi talk two time from him deh a prison. Me an him nuh talk again afta dat…. Dem man deh nuh honor nobody bredrin,” Beenie had said.