Bounty Killer Reacts To Archbishop’s Remix Of His Gun Tune: “Church Badness”
Bounty Killer is delighting in Archbishop of Kingston Father Kenneth Richard’s new “dubplate” in which the clergyman interpolated the Warlord’s gun-slinging 1995 hit song Miss Ivy Last Son and sang it like a “Great Christian Hymn of our times” during the National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday morning.
It is the second time in two weeks that Dancehall is taking the Catholic Church by storm, with Shaggy having performed in the Vatican for its Christmas Concert in Rome.
Father Richards and Bounty also seem to be on the same wavelength, as Bounty recorded Miss Ivy last Son with producer Trevor ‘Uncle T’ James, using the melody and flow of the Christmas carol titled We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The carol was composed by British conductor and lecturer Arthur Warrell, who, according to historical records, arranged the tune for his University of Bristol Madrigal Singers in the early 1900s.
Bounty Killer reshared a clip of the rootsy Father Richards singing his remix, with the congregation singing along, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who was standing several feet behind him, nodding his head and clapping in agreement, before joining in to give the priest a rousing round of applause at the end of the track.
The Archbishop sang:
“Run come up inna di church now bwoy
Sit down pon di church bench and your life will change
A nuh warn mi nuh warn you
A nuh tell mi nuh tell you
Listen to di gospel
An yuh life will change”
The verse from which Father Richards did his interpolation goes:
“Run come up inna mi Magnum bwoy
Standup in front mi shotgun
Disrespect Miss Ivy last son, an yuh life disappear
Jazzwad! A nuh warn mi nuh warn dem
A nuh tell mi nuh tell dem
Dem diss Waterhouse man dem inna problem
An mi gun naw spare dem”
Bounty, who has recorded many songs giving praises to God in the past, had a hilarious caption for his Instagram post. “Run Go Up Inna Di Church Now Bwoy ⛪️. Government Badness Meets Church Badness😂😅🤣,” the amused Dancehall superstar captioned the video, after realizing that he had at least one fan in the clergy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYXIPiEhULO/
Miss Ivy Last Son paid homage to gangsters from a slew of Kingston’s inner-city communities.
Miss Ivy refers to Bounty Killer’s late mother.
“Government Badness” refers to Chronic Law’s popular song Government, which mentioned PM Holness and also caused a stir in the Jamaican senate last year.
Miss Ivy Last Son was released on the Warlord’s No Argument album in 1995 which was produced by King Jammy. No Argument had other hits such as Cellular Phone, Scare Him, Seek God, More Gal, Mama, Miss Ivy Last Son and Action Speak Louder than Words.
Other tracks on the album were Oh Please, the title track itself No Argument, Woman A Run Mi Down, Searching featuring Sanchez, and Cellular Number.
Bounty’s post of the Archbishop evoked a slew of hilarious responses from his Dancehall compatriots.
“😂😂😂😂 if don’t throw the offering yuh ina problem,” Popcaan said in his interpolation.
“It’s Bro Gad for me in the [back]ground 😂,” Press Kay commented referring to the Prime Minister, to which Bounty replied: “@presskaymusic Kabooooom Konnek 😂😅🤣.
Other Bounty Killer fans, in cheering on Father Richards said that they would enjoy attending his church.
“How Dem say catholic church dead… big up archbishop,” mz_fourleafclover said
Other fans quipped that the Archbishop was a biblical rude boy.
“Oonu lucky him get save. A one long time shotta 😂,” jamsixty wrote.
“Spiritual gangster remix 😂😂😂pastor a listen to him music outside a church don’t mek him fool yuh. 😂😂,” bmmassage added.
“😂😂😂😂😂 a bet parson have up h big matic under him robe 🧥?” an amused laveytopformjones said.
“🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 jah jah paster a 1 time bad boy eno 😂😂 magnum church remix cross,” djbigga5 said.
Dancehall music being used by priests is not odd though, as head of the downtown-based Missionaries of the Poor, Father Richard Ho Lung is known to entrench Jamaica’s diverse musical offerings in his Christian productions.
In Father Ho Lung and Friends’ 2018 production titled Parables, which was held at the Little Theatre in St Andrew, the priest had based six mini-Caribbean operas, each one is set to the music of reggae, ska, Nyabinghi, revival, and dancehall, and declared that it was a showcase of the “sheer variety and beauty of Jamaica’s rhythm”.