Amid the never-ending battle for Dancehall supremacy, Bounty Killer is calling for an end to the comparisons between Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man that have caused a simmering feud between the artistes.
Before his release from prison, some doubted if Kartel could return to his former glory in Dancehall. But the artiste quickly regained his cultural significance, with even the likes of Billboard Magazine styling him as “Dancehall’s King.”
The success of his massive Freedom Street concert gave even more credibility to his claim to the title, with fans eagerly highlighting the achievement online. And thus the comparisons began, with fans of Beenie Man and Kartel glorifying their favourite while belittling the other.
In an attempt to protect his status as Dancehall’s reigning king, Beenie Man used Kartel’s own words against him, releasing a video clip of the deejay describing him as the king of Dancehall. But that did little to convince sceptics.
Following Beenie Man’s New York concert over the weekend, Bounty took to social media to congratulate the artiste and call for unity. In a message shared on his Instagram page, the Benz & Bimma deejay said that Beenie Man must be respected for his contribution to the culture.
Bounty also highlighted the importance of not putting a single artiste above culture.
“Moses Anthony Davis love or hate him fine but the artiste @kingbeenieman you (have) to respect him for his contribution to the culture and it’s art. Kudos, great job last night youth. And salute to the real dancehall lovers and fans who turned out despite whoever is their favourite artiste but dancehall is their favourite culture, so they (put) no single artiste over the culture,” Bounty wrote.
He went on to explain that a win for one artiste was a win for dancehall as a whole a loss was equally a loss for the Jamaican genre. Bounty also expressed that it is pointless to compare Beenie Man and Kartel, as the deejays are from two different generations.
“Beenie wins, dancehall win. Kartel wins, dancehall win. So any gyal or bwoy wants either of them to lose wants dancehall to lose and the comparison must stop now. Also, I don’t care who starts it Beenie or Kartel it doesn’t matter, but is like comparing Jordan and LeBron – different generation different (eras)- and this year every (crab) affi stay inn dem rass barrel. Higher elevation we unlocked,” Bounty wrote.
Seemingly approving her former mentor’s message, Vybz Kartel liked the Instagram post after he was tagged.
Over the past few months, there has been a quietly simmering feud between Beenie Man and Kartel. Though neither has attacked the other directly online, there appears to be a silent battle for kingship, with fans egging it on on social media.
Despite the feud being pushed by fans, Kartel showed Beenie Man support last week ahead of his concert in New York, sharing the event’s flyer with his followers. Though Beenie Man extended his gratitude, the comparisons have not ceased, with fans comparing the turnouts at the artistes’ solo concerts.
