Modern reggae legends Beenie Man and Bounty Killer will have their next clash in the upcoming Verzuz battle Saturday evening, May 23.
The dancehall icons are the next exchange beats in the hit Instagram series. Verzuz founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland both announced the event in their respective pages Thursday, May 21, as a part of their Memorial Day weekend special. They even invited the audience to dress for the occasion.
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Verzuz's upcoming "sound clash edition from Jamaica" is now available on its website and in live streams across their social media pages on Saturday, 8 PM EST.
View this post on InstagramMemorial Day weekend special @grunggaadzilla vs @kingbeenieman sound clash edition from Jamaica @Verzuztv what are you wearing ????? @therealswizzz A post shared by Timbo the King (@timbaland) on May 20, 2020 at 11:43am PDT
From Jamaica to the Rest of the World
Both participants are Jamaican reggae artists who made waves during the 90s. Beenie Man, born Anthony Moses Davis, started dabbling in music from the age of five and released his debut album "Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten-Year-Old DJ Wonder" in his early teens, in 1983. He continued to record songs but had to put his career on hold for his education. Ten years later, he returned to the music scene and traveled to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Beenie Man has released the hits "Girls Dem Sugar" and "Romie" in 1996, "King of the Dancehall" in 2004, and "Shuga" in 2019.
On the other hand, Rodney Basil Price, better known as Bounty Killer, began his career as a sound system deejay in his teenage years. He earned a reputation in the local community for his skills and his toasting, a lyrical chant to a musical accompaniment common in reggae music.
The Bounty Killer is behind the dancehall hits "Dead This Time" (1994), "Eagle and Di Hawk" (1998), and "Can't Believe Mi Eyes" (1998).
Beenie Man and Bounty Killer's rivalry famously erupted during the 1993 Sting event, an annual music show held in Portmore, Jamaica, during Boxing Day. The clash between them continued well into the rest of the 90s, accusing each other of stealing the other's style and catchphrases. While the artists have reconciled after realizing the negative effect of their feud, the two remain creative rivals.
A Wave of Verzuz Battles
The upcoming reggae Verzuz battle follows the recent Nelly versus Ludacris beat battle. Although plagued by Internet connection issues from Nelly's end, the three-hour virtual face-off still raked in more than 400,000 viewers. The two R&B and hip-hop artists exchanged praises for one another after the bout, with Nelly telling Ludacris, "your longevity is legendary," to which Ludacris responded by saying, "there are no other Nellys in the world."
After the reggae battle on Saturday, fans can look forward to the next Verzuz battle between 90s R&B groups Jagged Edge and 112. Dubbed as "Something for the Ladies," the matchup between the crooner quartets is set on Monday, May 25, 8 PM8 PM EST.
It remains to be seen if these recent Verzuz participants will enjoy the same benefits from the so-called "Verzuz effect," which has translated to a tripling of combined listenership for Erykah Badu and Jill Scott's music following their previous battle. The online battle has also created a renaissance for artist-producers Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Teddy Riley, with Riley increasing his IG followers from 328,000 to 855,000 shortly after their Verzuz battle.
Related: Battle of the Queens: Erykah Badu and Jill Scott to Face Off on Next "Verzuz" Battle
