Anthony Moses Davis (born August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), better kno… Read Full Bio ↴Anthony Moses Davis (born August 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica), better known by the stage name Beenie Man, is a well established reggae artist and DJ. He was involved in the music industry from a young age when he won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981. Only one year later, when he was eight years old, he recorded a single, "Too Fancy", with record producer "Junjo" Lawes. By 1983, Beenie Man was recording with heavyweight DJs, such as Dillinger and Fathead and released his debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder and the single "Over the Sea".

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.

Dance To The Chaka
Beenie Man Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Intro:]
Ziggy! Uummm! Alright, Cool.
Mi nuh innna di argument wit dem unno
I jus go an sing a song! Alright. Tell dem seh!
So unno move outta di way!
Gweh man gweh! Chaka chaka chaka. Tek dem on!

[Verse 1:]

John Hype, who dat ah run, who dat ah ball
True yuh put yuh AK ova di wall
Harder dem come ah di harder dem fall
Everybody from yuh know yuh gun dem tall
Do di, Chaka Tall Chaka Tall
Put di Chaka Chaka AK ova di wall
Do di, Chaka Tall Chaka Tall
Put di Chaka Chaka AK ova di wall
Dem ova deh suh keep tings steady
We ova yere suh lock down di city
Memba di dance weh dem call Shelly Belly
We ago remix di dance, everybody watch di
Ay, Chaka Belly Chaka Belly
Have a new dance weh dem call Chaka Belly
Chaka belly Chaka belly
Everybody inna di dance do di Chaka Belly
Dem seh, John ah fan dem off, John ah flag dem off
Dem ah telephone, dem ah fax dem off
John ah call down di rain pon di gal dem
But if ah rain di man call down him bless dem
John ah gangsta, yu ah wanksta
John ah dance, dem ah turn cookie monsta
Chaka chaka gal, Chaka chaka gal, chaka chaka chaka chaka

So unno move outta di way!
Gweh man gweh! Chaka chaka chaka. Ay!

[Verse 2:]
Everybody inna di dance, dem ah do di weddy weddy
Alright, time fi remix weddy weddy
An who cyan do it just sing rock steady
Everybody inna di dance, unno do di chaka weddy
Do di Chaka Weddy, Chaka Weddy
Chaka Weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy
Chaka, Chaka Weddy Chaka Weddy
Chaka Weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weh di Chaka now
Girl ah when mi down inna bunch
Waan drink mi like fruit punch
Ding Dong originate di Summer Bounce
Everybody mek we remix di bounce
Do di Chaka Bounce Chaka Bounce
Walk wid di bounce an do a chaka tomp
Chaka Bounce Chaka Bounce
Walk wid di bounce an do a chaka OK!
Dis anno no lip service, Ryan new dance name Shankle Dip
Everybody mek we remix di Dip
John livin up di crew an do di Chaka Dip
Do di Chaka Dip Chaka Dip
Run wid yuh foot an do di Chaka Dip
Chaka Dip Chaka Dip
Run wid yuh foot an Sing to me now!

So unno move outta di way!
Gweh man gweh! Chaka chaka chaka. Ay!

John Hype, who dat ah run, who dat ah ball
True yuh put yuh AK ova di wall
Harder dem come ah di harder dem fall
Everybody from yuh know yuh gun dem tall
Do di, Chaka Tall Chaka Tall
Put di Chaka Chaka AK ova di wall
Do di, Chaka Tall Chaka Tall
Put di Chaka Chaka AK ova di wall
Dem ova deh suh keep tings steady
We ova yere suh lock down di city
Memba di dance weh dem call Shelly Belly
We ago remix di dance, everybody watch di
Ay, Chaka Belly Chaka Belly
Have a new dance weh dem call Chaka Belly
Chaka belly Chaka belly
Everybody inna di dance do di Chaka Belly
Dem seh, John ah fan dem off, John ah flag dem off
Dem ah telephone, dem ah fax dem off
John ah call down di rain pon di gal dem
But if ah rain di man call down him bless dem
John ah gangsta, yu ah wanksta
John ah dance, dem ah turn cookie monsta
Chaka chaka gal, Chaka chaka gal, chaka chaka chaka chaka

So unno move outta di way!
Gweh man gweh. Chaka chaka chaka. Ay!

Overall Meaning

"Chaka Dance" is a classic dancehall reggae track by Jamaican artist Beenie Man that is all about having fun and dancing in the party. The lyrics talk about different dance moves and how to groove to the rhythm of the music. The title itself, "Chaka Dance," refers to a particular dance move that everyone in the party should try. The song starts with a call to action for everyone to move out of the way to make space for dancing. There is a reference to John Hype, who is probably a famous Jamaican dancer recognized for his incredible moves.

In the first verse, Beenie Man tells everyone to put their guns down and enjoy the music. He encourages them to dance and have a good time. He talks about the Chaka Tall dance move, where you put an AK-47 over the wall, making it clear to listeners that this is a metaphor for letting go of any negativity and embracing the good vibes. In the second verse, the artist introduces other dance moves such as the Weddy Weddy and the Chaka Bounce. He also brings in a new dance called the Shankle Dip, which he wants everyone to remix and have fun with.

Overall, the song's message is clear: let go of violence, embrace positivity, and dance your heart out!

Line by Line Meaning

Ziggy! Uummm! Alright, Cool.
Beanie Man is hyping up his audience as he starts the song.

Mi nuh innna di argument wit dem unno I jus go an sing a song! Alright. Tell dem seh!
Beanie Man is not interested in arguments with anyone, he just wants to perform and entertain his fans.

So unno move outta di way! Gweh man gweh! Chaka chaka chaka. Tek dem on!
Beanie Man wants everyone to make way for him and let him perform. He confidently declares his intention to take on any challenges (chaka chaka chaka).

Dem ova deh suh keep tings steady We ova yere suh lock down di city Memba di dance weh dem call Shelly Belly We ago remix di dance, everybody watch di Ay, Chaka Belly Chaka Belly Have a new dance weh dem call Chaka Belly Chaka belly Chaka belly Everybody inna di dance do di Chaka Belly
Beanie Man is referencing some local dance moves and making changes to it so that it becomes their own dance 'Chaka Belly'. They are going to show it off to everyone who can 'watch di'.

Dem seh, John ah fan dem off, John ah flag dem off Dem ah telephone, dem ah fax dem off John ah call down di rain pon di gal dem But if ah rain di man call down him bless dem John ah gangsta, yu ah wanksta John ah dance, dem ah turn cookie monsta Chaka chaka gal, Chaka chaka gal, chaka chaka chaka chaka
These lines are similar to the first verse where Beanie Man is portraying 'John Hype' as someone who is very powerful and can deal with any challenge that comes his way, but in this case, in a slightly comical way. The last line 'Chaka chaka gal, Chaka chaka gal, chaka chaka chaka chaka' is repeated again with no clear meaning associated with it.

Everybody inna di dance, dem ah do di weddy weddy Alright, time fi remix weddy weddy An who cyan do it just sing rock steady Everybody inna di dance, unno do di chaka weddy Do di Chaka Weddy, Chaka Weddy Chaka Weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy Chaka, Chaka Weddy Chaka Weddy Chaka Weddy weddy weddy weddy weddy weh di Chaka now
Beanie Man is referencing another dance called 'Weddy Weddy'. Everyone in the dance is doing this dance, so Beanie Man wants to remix the dance and name it 'Chaka Weddy' which people can also dance to. He repeatedly sings this phrase again in a catchy way with no other clear meaning.

Girl ah when mi down inna bunch Waan drink mi like fruit punch Ding Dong originate di Summer Bounce Everybody mek we remix di bounce Do di Chaka Bounce Chaka Bounce Walk wid di bounce an do a chaka tomp Chaka Bounce Chaka Bounce Walk wid di bounce an do a chaka OK!
Beanie man taunts girls to come hug and pet him like a bunch of fruits, but then goes on to reference another dance called 'Summer Bounce' that everyone knows about, and they want to remix it and call it the 'Chaka Bounce' dance move. He repeats the phrase in a chant-like way, with instructions on how to do the dance moves.

Dis anno no lip service, Ryan new dance name Shankle Dip Everybody mek we remix di Dip John livin up di crew an do di Chaka Dip Do di Chaka Dip Chaka Dip Run wid yuh foot an do di Chaka Dip Chaka Dip Chaka Dip Run wid yuh foot an Sing to me now!
Beanie Man reinforces the truth behind the song by sharing that it's not lip service which means this is not a made-up story, but instead contains references to things that are real. He drops the name of another dance move, called 'Shankle Dip', and they all want to remix that and call it the 'Chaka Dip'. They then give instructions on how to do the move and sing it in a call-and-response way with the audience.

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes
Written by: ANTHONY MOSES, CHRISTOPHER KENNER, DONOVAN KEITH BENNETT, NIGEL ANDREW STAFF

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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