Vybz Kartel has set the record straight on whether he and Beenie Man are entering a feud over who is the real “King of Dancehall”.
The rumours emerged after Kartel’s highly-successful Freedom Street concert, where the legendary pioneer Bounty Killer joined him on stage and hailed him as “Dancehall’s pharaoh”. Since then, fans wondered online whether Beenie Man can still be considered the “King of Dancehall” due to Kartel’s dominant stance in the genre.
Over the weekend, Kartel – real name Adidja Palmer – uploaded some snippets of new music – including a pop-dancehall track where he raps: “You wah fi take mi crown / you have a way, which is how?”
Hours later, Beenie Man shared what many think is a response, warning: “Exercise my finger, keep my tripper healthy / Ah weh di bludclart do humpy dumpty?”
There were mixed reactions to Beenie’s alleged response. “You [are] me artist, but yah fi know when fi leggo things,” one fan wrote beneath the veteran’s Instagram post. “Kartel has run dancehall longer than you have, and is more relevant than you.”
On the contrary, another fan backed up his claim of being the “1King” of dancehall, writing: “King Beenie at den!!! Kartel need fi go learn/master how fi work wid bands before me can crown him ‘KING’ of dancehall. Until then, a one king.”
After all the speculation, Palmer uploaded a video, denying he was “in a clash or some sort of lyrical feud” with anyone. “Let me reassure you, Gaza Nation: nothing can be further from the truth,” he explained. “Ah positivity Vybz Kartel a deal wid right now. Family business, money and God, yeah? No clashing. No time fi dat. Positivity around here.”
Beenie Man self-appointed himself as the “King of the Dancehall” when he released his popular 2004 single of the same name. At the time, it was plausible as he had won the 2021 Grammy for Best Reggae Album, and released numerous dancehall classics such as the Neptunes-produced ‘Girls Dem Sugar’ and ‘Romie’.
However in the 2010s, the emergence of Vybz Kartel, Popcaan and more weakened Beenie’s dominance over the scene. When Kartel released his 13th album called ‘King of the Dancehall’, many didn’t question him using the moniker.
Recently, Beenie tried to use Kartel’s words to reaffirm his position in dancehall. “Beenie Man, you are di King of di dancehall since yuh come outta yuh mudda belly, ‘member dat,” the self-proclaimed “teacha” said during his appearance at the 2009 Reggae SumFest in Jamaica.
In the caption, the ‘Dude’ star wrote: “Straight from the horses mouth, ‘So weh did war bout’?! 1King.”
In other news, the ‘Freedom Street’ concert raised over JMD $1.5billion for Jamaica. The performance was Kartel’s first since he was released from prison last August.
Palmer was convicted for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams and was charged to 34 years in prison. He appealed the case in the UK Privy Council last March, and judges ordered a retrial or his release. A few months later, Jamaican authorities freed him, deciding not to pursue the case further.
