Please Don’t Call Beenie Man a Legend

Born Moses Davis, Beenie Man has gone by many names over a storied career spanning almost half a century. Some call him the Girls’ Dem Sugar, some call him the Doctor, others refer to him as the King of the Dancehall. He doesn’t mind what you call him, as long as you don’t call him a legend. “I am not a legend,” he insists. “Things that I’ve done are legendary.” Things like Beenie’s 2020 Verzuz battle with longtime rival Bounty Killer. “That was a legendary move,” he says. “Beenie Man, Bounty Killer. The longest rivalry inna dancehall music. We ah war for 24 years—it’s not an easy thing.” But please don’t call Beenie a legend. “Calling myself a legend is telling myself that I can resign tomorrow,” he says. “And me no plan for that.”

Raised in the economically challenged but culturally vibrant Kingston community of Waterhouse, Beenie says he started DJing—Jamaican terminology for chatting on the mic—at the age of five to help him stop stuttering. “When teacher call me up fi read anything, me DJ it,” he told me in a recent interview. “Because they know me nah go talk.” By the age of eight, he’d recorded his first single, and dropped the first of his countless albums by age ten. Asked to explain the name “Beenie Man,” he replies: “Because I’m a big man trapped in a little boy’s body.”

Beenie Man first hit the Billboard chart with his 1995 single “Slam.” He received his first Grammy nomination in 1999 for the album Many Moods of Moses, which included his smash hit “Who Am I,” also known as “Sim Simma.” That song’s hook was inspired by Missy Elliott and went on to inspire countless other tunes, including this banger by Redman. After earning three nominations in a row, Beenie finally won a Best Reggae Album Grammy in 2001 for Art and Life. He’s collaborated with international stars like Janet Jackson, Wyclef Jean, Mya, Jeezy, and T.I., to name a few.

By the time he released the song “King of the Dancehall” in 2004, Beenie was killing the game—balancing Jamaican street cred with international acclaim. He later performed the song live on national TV during the 2004 VIBE Awards’ Boomshots showcase. Predictably, the song also sparked criticism from the original Dancehall King Yellowman, but Beenie was unbothered. He didn’t even bat an eye when Vybz Kartel released his 2016 album King of the Dancehall. After Kartel’s release from prison and his triumphant sold-out world tour, the Worl’Boss was officially crowned King of Dancehall during a ceremony at Reggae Sumfest 2025. Even when Kartel referred to Beenie as the “former king,” he refused to concede the title. Since then, Kartel’s loyal Gaza Nation fans have fiercely defended the Worlboss’ claim to the throne, while others insist that Bounty Killer or Sean Paul deserve to wear the crown. Meanwhile, new-generation superstar Masicka insists that “Every black man a king,” and titled his last album Forever Reign.

As the royal debates rage on, Beenie has gotten back to work. His latest album, Eminence, debuted at the top of the iTunes chart for all genres, and as of this writing, it sits at #1 on the iTunes Reggae chart in the U.S. Packed with A-list features from Snoop Dogg to Rick Ross, T.I., Ashanti, and Mya, Eminence evokes the ’90s golden era of hip hop and dancehall. Produced by Kemar “Flava” McGregor, the album opens with Beenie and Ricky Rozay flowing over the beat from Biggie’s “Juicy.” On the very next track, Beenie and Mýa team up for “Don’t Rush,” sounding fresher than ever 26 years after their first collab, “Girls Dem Sugar.” The album transitions into roots reggae on “Marijuana in the Kouchie” and classic dancehall on “For You,” which features Snoop, Elephant Man, D’Yani, and no fewer than five female artists—Stefflon Don, Vanessa Bling, Tifa, Shaneil Muir, and Pamputtae—on one tune. From top to bottom, this album is another legendary moment from the man who refuses to be called a legend. “You have to love the music for what the music is,” he says. “Not for what the fame give.”

Beenie stopped by Boomshots HQ in New York City for an in-depth conversation, which you can watch below.

On the Title King of Dancehall:

Me’s just Beenie Man, naturally. Regardless of what kinda title me get—Doctor, Girls Dem Sugar, King of Dancehall, Eminence—no care what. Me’s just Beenie Man forever. Me nuh make name and title get to my head. Me know exactly what I’m supposed to do. I am here to please the audience, and this is what this album is here to do. Eminence is an album you just put it in and you nah skip no tracks.

On the Making of his new Album, Eminence:

This was all produced by Kemar McGregor. He did a great job on the album. I’m not going to lie. The mixing is wicked. The mastering is wicked. And how he put the song together is wicked. This album was actually made in Florida and Jamaica. It’s funny how it come together because it’s just pitch patch, pitch patch, pitch patch. You know, this day, that day, this month, next month, the other month, the next month.

On the Meaning of His New Album Title:

Well, eminence really means “the king,” still. But it has more meanings than that. It means excellence… Eminence is the highest. Like, you can be the highest, but, you know, when you’re ‘Eminence’… the Pope is the Eminence. You can’t get higher than that.

On the Importance of Longevity:

I have been in the music business for over 40 years; you get weh me a say? I’ve been here since age ten… You understand weh me ah say? I’m still here. So it’s not like “I am here and disappear.” When you’ve been in the music as long as I have… And now I come out with a brand new album? I’m still gonna be here…

On Supporting Female Artists:

Yeah, the hot gal dem—we haffi have them. Because hear wah gwan now—female artists is somebody that I always look out for. Remember, every man come from a female. No man no drop from sky. So every man come from a female. Every man supposed to understand that.

On Performing Live:

You have a thing named consistency. You have some… I don’t know if every artist have it, but you have to have it because when you go on stage. Even if your energy is not up, if you can’t do your full 100%, you have to try to give them 95%. You can’t make somebody say,
“Boy, that show was boring.” My motto in music is to work hard in the studio, but work harder on stage. When I go on stage, I just know, say, “Okay, this probably be my last show, so I’m going to have to do it to the best of my ability.”

On Showing Respect to Fellow Artists:

Well, you have to big up yourself. Because when you walk around and show your respect, it’s not everybody that gives it back. Nobody is going to give you flowers. There is only one Beenie. There is one me.

On Being an Elder in the Business:

When you’re performing with somebody like Beres Hammond, I don’t mind being the opening act. I haven’t opened a show in over 30 years. But when me and Beres performed together, I knew I had to go first. See, because Beres is my elder. So it’s not for me to make my elder go first. You have to have respect in music. Every artist started young before they became the superstar they are, and it depends on their longevity.

On Being a Child Star:

I don’t believe in age. I think you feel as young as you feel. Age is just a number. All artist buss young. I stand firm as a child, and you can go through as long as you can. As long as you have the energy, as long as you have that respect within yourself. Say, “All right, this is my music, and this is what I’m going to do, and I’m going to feed these people with music.” I don’t think you’re supposed to talk about age, who’s old or who’s young. That have nothing to do with music. Because you can find the youngest, and them say them are the baddest, but when them talk about the greatest, them have to stand firm.

On His Free Christmas Show Ghetto Splash:

Waterhouse is my home, and Ghetto Splash is really my show. It takes place at Drewsland Primary School. That’s the school I used to go to as a kid. Ghetto Splash started on the road. We used to block the four-way, put the stage in the middle of the road, and have the artists there. So, you know, we have every artist. May not do posters when it come to Ghetto Splash. Me just get up and call the man and say, “Today ah the show.” One time we carry Eve when she was in Jamaica, and we have Lady Saw on the same show. That was wicked because nobody in our Waterhouse had ever seen them perform before. That was just niceness.

On Giving Vybz Kartel One of His First Big Breaks:

I think Vybz Kartel’s first big show is Ghetto Splash. Yes, first big show. Because him come from Waterhouse, from right up the road. In front of where the show used to be. We know him long time, of course. So you give them the vibes that the people them want. Them time there, I think Dan Mafia and him did a clash, and that was him first clash on that stage. Yeah, Ghetto Splash.

On Today’s Lyrical Clashes:

Me no like the clashes weh ah gwan now because the clashes ah gwan now is online clash. A man ah sing a song and him put it up today; a next man sing a song tomorrow and put it up online. And you haffi see it pon phone and say, “Bwoy, you hear that new song, yah?” “That man yah answer them!” Them clash yah to me ah no clash. Because no man no wan’ go pon the stage, the same show. No man no wan’ deh pon the same stage. Clash is clash. You cannot be a coward when you ah clash. You haffi just… clash.

On the “King of the Dancehall” Debate:

Me no work offa title. Any title me get, me just get it. If you wan’ call me by it, you call me by it. But ah Beenie Man me name. And you can’t take ’way that from me. Cannot, never. You can’t take ’way that from me. Ah my name, Beenie Man. Me build it, mines. Even though me ah the first man say “Welcome the King of the Dancehall.” But yeah, this is my name. Me build my name. My name, me build my character, me build everything weh surround Beenie Man. Me build it. So every title weh me get, me accept with respect, with all manners and everything. But me nah fight for it. Because we are it. Anything people call you, that’s what you is. Because people see you for who you are. If them see you as the king, that’s what they’re gonna say. Them see you as the Girls Dem Sugar, that’s what they’re gonna say. Them see you as The Doctor; that’s what they gonna say, but the Doctor come from the University of the West Indies. That is a different thing. [Laughs]

On Competition in Jamaican Music:

What people no understand about Jamaican music [is that] Jamaican artists ah war from inna the ’40s, you know? From Prince Buster them days, when him sing that song bout “Black Head Chiney Man.” When they sing those songs back inna them long long time deh. “You pick him up, you lick him down, him bounce right back. What a hard man fe dead!” War ah gwan from them time deh. Then you have Ninja Man and everybody else—Ninja Man and Shabba, Ninja Man and Super Cat. [Laughs] So you have that. Then you have Josey Wales and everybody else. This is how it goes. You have Lieutenant Stitchie and everybody else. So war ah gwan from before sound system was in. War ah gwan from dancehall start—clashes going on. So competition is part of Jamaican culture.

On the Importance of Longevity:

No artist no bust old. Artists bust young. So if you have new artists and they goin’ on good, them haffi just gwan continue going on good. Because it’s all about longevity and how long you can last in this business. You have a man come, him sing one song, and him drop out. You have a man come and him last for one year and him drop out. You have a man come, get two years, and he can’t go the third year. Seen? Then you have a man come and stand up side of you for the whole 30 years when you deh ya. You get what I’m saying? This is how music goes. This is how dancehall music goes. This is how hip-hop music goes. This is how R&B music goes. This is how pop music, rock music, every type of music.

On Being a “Legend”:

I don’t call myself legendary. Things that I’ve done are legendary. I am not a legend. A legend is a man that resigns [Laughs]. And me still ah do music, you get weh me ah say? When somebody says “He’s a legend,” that mean the song them weh you sing, the music that you do, your career and everything that you’ve built in your whole entire life—that is legendary. That’s why they call you a legend. But me calling myself a legend is telling myself that me can resign tomorrow. Me no plan for that.