Four decades into a career that helped carry dancehall around the world, Beenie Man has released a new album, Eminence, and he is not shy about where he believes it belongs. Asked what he wants listeners to take from the project, he called it “one of the greatest album ever make.”
The title, he explained, reflects his long tenure in the business. For an artist who has spent 40 years as one of the genre’s defining figures, he said, the time has come to be recognised as its Eminence. He insists the album is not about settling any score. “I just got to show them that I’m still here,” he said.
That confidence rests on a simple philosophy about longevity. Beenie Man believes the harder task is not breaking through but staying on top. “Staying successful.
Because becoming successful is easy. All you have to do is get a song that hit,” he said, adding that the real challenge is returning to the studio again and again to make the next one.
Eminence is built to bridge generations. Beenie Man described the album as a meeting point between old school and new school, designed to show younger fans where the music came from and where it stands today. The story underneath it, he said, is a warning not to count out the veterans, because “the legends is not sleeping in the music.”
The guest list includes Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, T.I., Mya, Lola Brooke and Elephant Man. The Rick Ross collaboration opens the album over the beat from The Notorious B.I.G.’s Juicy. With Biggie no longer here, Beenie Man said the choice was obvious.
“So, you get the next big man who is here,” he said. He called it the most fun he had making the record, since it let him represent Jamaica the way Biggie represented New York.
T.I. was a natural fit because of their shared history. Beenie Man recalled appearing on one of the rapper’s early songs. “So it’s best to go with the people that you know,” he said.
That same logic brought him back to Mya, his partner on the classic Girls Dem Sugar, which was produced by The Neptunes. Their new song, Don’t Rush, samples Janet Jackson.
When Janet was unavailable, he said, “I get the next best singer to Janet Jackson.” He noted that the pair have kept performing together. “Well, the chemistry has always been there,” he said.
Away from the music, Beenie Man has also drawn attention for a social media post defending his fiancée from critics. The post read: “My woman standing up for my best interest doesn’t make me weak. It means I have a strong woman beside me.”
He said he does not tolerate people speaking badly about his partner, whom he described as “the rock behind you.” He rejected the idea that he was defending her at all. “It’s not defending,” he said.
His relationship with social media is complicated. He called it “a blessing and a curse,” useful for putting an artist in front of people but also a magnet for detractors. He prefers to connect with fans in person, through hugs, handshakes and autographs.
He does not even carry a phone. “Because my wife have one. Why should I need one?” he said. She, for the record, favours the Rick Ross track.
Beenie Man credits his staying power to natural talent. “I think I was born with this gift,” he said. Nobody teach me how to sing.”
He still loves to compete, still wants more Grammys and plaques, and named Super Cat and Shabba Ranks as the artists who put dancehall on the world stage. Michael Jackson, he said, is the best performer he has ever seen.
As for slowing down, he dismissed the idea outright. “Music is me and I’m music,” he said.
