International dancehall star Beenie Man asked who had the keys to his Bimmer in 1997. Nearly three decades later, dance floors are still hollering back, and “Who Am I (Sim Simma)” has a new plaque to show for it. The dancehall classic has been certified Gold in the United Kingdom.
The British Phonographic Industry awarded the single Gold for 400,000 units from sales and streams. In the U.S., where the track peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it Gold for 500,000 equivalent units in November 2023, 26 years after its release.
“‘Who Am I’ carries a piece of Jamaica everywhere it plays. To see a new generation singing it word for word, alongside the fans who were there from the beginning, means everything to me,” Beenie Man told Dancehall Mag. “Big respect to the UK and everyone around the world who continues to support this record. You have kept this song alive, and I will never take that love for granted.” Zaga!
It started with a new BMW and Sean Paul on the radio. Beenie heard “Infiltrate” over Jeremy Harding’s Playground Riddim and drew on the cadence of Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” as he freestyled the opening. The result was a hook a DJ could start in Kingston, London or Tokyo and let the room finish.
Harding’s production was already in conversation with hip-hop. He took inspiration from “Section,” off the Roots’ 1996 album Illadelph Halflife, and built the riddim around booming 808 drums and a thick bass line. Beenie’s opening question cut straight through it.
Featured on his 1997 album Many Moods of Moses, “Who Am I” also climbed to No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and No. 15 on Hot R&B Singles. It helped turn Beenie Man into an international star and carried dancehall into clubs far beyond Jamaica. All these years later, a DJ still needs only two words to get the room involved. Sim Simma.
