He was booed off stage at a show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. In 1993 at the very popular show Sting he accused fellow deejay Bounty Killer that the elder artist had stolen his catchphrase, "people dead". This triggered a lyrical battle which continued on the air with each artist counteracting the other's songs. Finally, in 1995, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer settled their differences on the air by actually signing a peace treaty and the two recorded an album together, Guns Out. This was followed by a single, "No Mama No Cry", a rehash of the Bob Marley classic "No Woman No Cry", speaking out against violence and inspired by the murder of Pan Head, another popular Deejay.
Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man soon converted to the Rastafari movement.
In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed.
In 1995, Beenie Man released a remix of Barrington Levy's "Under Mi Sensi" in the United Kingdom, and collaborated with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma to release Three Against War and Lt. Stitchie on Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man. He took another step up the ladder in 1996, releasing the seminal Maestro, produced by Patrick Roberts and shot him to UK fame. During the period from the mid to late '90s, Beenie Man dominated the Jamaican charts to the extent that he perhaps had a good claim to the crown of "Dancehall King", a title only bestowed previously on Yellowman in the early 1980s.
In 1998, Beenie Man signed to Virgin Records to release albums in the United States. His first American offering was The Doctor (1998). In 2000, Beenie Man teamed up with Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) to release The Art & Life. During the late 1990s, Beenie Man began his conquest of America with the hits, "Romie", "Who Am I" and "Girls Dem Sugar", which featured American R&B singer, Mya.
In 2002, he had a sizeable hit with a duet with Janet Jackson called "Feel It Boy", but his biggest break in America came in early 2004 with the release of a remix of "Dude", featuring guest vocals by fellow Jamaican Ms. Thing, as well as rhymes by Shawnna.
Badman
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, a dat a oonu a gwan wid
Oonu a bawl, caan oonu claim mi come pon t.v wid rupaul
No man caan jump bad man wall
No naah stall alright first
Intro (2)
Dong dong, dong dong, dogger diggy diggy
Dong dong, dong dong, dogger diggy diggy
Dong dong, dong dong, dogger diggy diggy
Dong, words wid meaning, hey
Chorus:
Man a bad man and man nuh mingle wid nuh rodman
And if yuh dis di program yuh is a dead man
Either by a shot or yuh hang
Jah jah ranks pass mi m-i
(Repeat)
Verse 1:
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid of a
Bwoy weh bus di same gun as me
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid to defend my life a g.p
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me run away from a fight a some bwoy mussy bright
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid fi lock off a bwoy life like a light
Willie haffi squeeze the desert es
Better yuh ease nigger leave
Well gun shot a surround yuh like breeze
Well copper shot a tek a bwoy like bees
Caan believe, yuh hear mi steve, bad man just get grieve and sing seh
Chorus
Verse 2:
Well fi live dung ainna di jungle yuh haffi have whole heap a skill
Yuh haffi tek a lot a chill pill to kill
Well big up all di man dem from warricka hill, hill, hill
What is my favourite attack when mi dress up in a mi frock
Wid mi wig pon mi head, sixteen over back
Bragga dagga dagga da twenty five body drop
But mr. ria, mr. squire, bredda nia, bad man a flex like vampire
Mi wi shot dung a bwoy and nyam him liver
But first the d.j haffi utter
Verse 3:
Weh yuh think all my guns are for
Forty-five in control jus to explode on a bwoy soul
Time changing things re-arranging more guns bussing
More man dying from back in the days of pure mass murdering
Well everyday yuh hear another likkle youth gone
And another m-16 man born
Man plant peas and waan reap corn
What a gwaan, what a gwaan
The lyrics to Beenie Man's song "Badman" showcase his tough persona as a "bad man" who doesn't mingle with "rodman," or those who may be seen as weak or inferior. He asserts his dominance in the first verse by saying he wouldn't be afraid to defend his life with a gun, as "n*****s bleed just like us." He also imagines scenarios where he wouldn't run away from a fight, and would easily take someone's life if necessary. The chorus emphasizes the consequences of opposing the "program" or the bad man lifestyle, faced with death by either gun or hanging, and demonstrates his lack of fear by saying "Jah ranks pass mi." He further proves his dominance in the second verse, acknowledging the dangers of living in the "jungle" but also boasting about his attacks, including dressing up in a "wig" and killing someone by eating their liver.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, a dat a oonu a gwan wid
Oh, is that what you guys are doing?
Oonu a bawl, caan oonu claim mi come pon t.v wid rupaul
You guys are crying, saying I appeared on TV with RuPaul?
No man caan jump bad man wall
No one can cross into bad man's territory uninvited
No naah stall alright first
Don't hesitate, let's just get to it
Dong dong, dong dong, dogger diggy diggy
The sound of the beat
Dong, words wid meaning, hey
The drums set the stage for the meaningful lyrics
Man a bad man and man nuh mingle wid nuh rodman
A real bad man doesn't associate with homosexuals
And if yuh dis di program yuh is a dead man
If you go against the group, you will be killed
Either by a shot or yuh hang
Death will come by gun or rope
Jah jah ranks pass mi m-i
Even the power of Jah cannot surpass the bad man
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid of a
I cannot be afraid of someone who is the same as me
Bwoy weh bus di same gun as me
Even someone with the same gun as me cannot scare me
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid to defend my life a g.p
I can defend myself against anyone, even against the police
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me run away from a fight a some bwoy mussy bright
I cannot imagine running away from a fight against a weak boy
(Niggers bleed jus like us) picture me being fraid fi lock off a bwoy life like a light
I cannot be afraid to take a life if necessary
Willie haffi squeeze the desert es
Willie has to use force with his Desert Eagle gun
Better yuh ease nigger leave
You should back off now
Well gun shot a surround yuh like breeze
You will be surrounded by gunshots like a gust of wind
Well copper shot a tek a bwoy like bees
Copper bullets will sting a man like a bee
Caan believe, yuh hear mi steve, bad man just get grieve and sing seh
Can't believe it, but it's true that bad men have pain and sing about it
Well fi live dung ainna di jungle yuh haffi have whole heap a skill
To live in the ghetto, you have to be very skilled and resourceful
Yuh haffi tek a lot a chill pill to kill
You need to be calm to take a life
Well big up all di man dem from warricka hill, hill, hill
Respect to the men from the hill
What is my favourite attack when mi dress up in a mi frock
My favorite thing to do is dress up and kill people
Wid mi wig pon mi head, sixteen over back
With a wig on my head and a gun on my back
Bragga dagga dagga da twenty five body drop
Firing lots of shots and causing many deaths
But mr. ria, mr. squire, bredda nia, bad man a flex like vampire
I am just like a vampire, strong and deadly
Mi wi shot dung a bwoy and nyam him liver
I will shoot and kill a man and eat his liver
But first the d.j haffi utter
But first, the DJ needs to say something
Weh yuh think all my guns are for
Do you know the purpose of all my guns?
Forty-five in control jus to explode on a bwoy soul
I have a 45-caliber gun to take a man's life at will
Time changing things re-arranging more guns bussing
Times are changing, and more guns are being used
More man dying from back in the days of pure mass murdering
More people are dying nowadays from mass shootings
Well everyday yuh hear another likkle youth gone
Every day, a young person dies from violence
And another m-16 man born
And another person is born who will use an M-16
Man plant peas and waan reap corn
You cannot expect good if you do bad things
What a gwaan, what a gwaan
The situation is what it is
Writer(s): Moses Anthony Davis, Stephen John Marsden, Andrew Thomas
Contributed by Maria N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@brownfoxx76
I saw him perform this at the Crossroads Club in Bladensburg, MD (near DC) back in 2009... his live performances are CRAZY!
@officialbossdonceo
brownfoxx76 I miss that place
@robertsudduth6711
Real bad tune 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@legalizekbn6837
#Mad to tune of the King respect🇵🇦
@malcalmbaxter5672
Us Jamaicans are special!!!! I bumboclat
@MrTrevor66
Respect.....2 dis hit..............
@yiehsassaekpo1931
🔥🔥🔥
@jasonlove7185
Aaayyyee....Lit 🔥🎶🎶🎵🎶🎶
@jorgev.d1617
💯🔥🔥🔥
@dragofresh
real bomb! Jah belss tha farma