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.
Gwaan So
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Brand
Chorus: a bet yuh never see mi inna mi mecca
Nor shabazz bredda, nor mi karl kani sneaker
Yuh never see mi inna mi ruff
But yuh see mi hilfiger, an mi versace blazer
Repeat
Verse 1: material rise italian the whole world dem conquer
Fi jean paul gottiere yuh haffi have nuff paper
A 89 us fi a mecca
Black man, full time wi all start support wi black bredda
Maurice malone, ruff jeans, karl kani last forever
Gal yuh have the face an yuh shape like mi bimmer
Nuh mek nuh bwoy gi yuh no hilfiger
What a calamity
Di whole a wi a wear versace
A wear moschino, dem two guy dey funny
Although mi wear it to but be careful wid yuh money
See karl kani dey guh buy it
Chorus
Verse 2: some bwoy get up say dem a di best
When yuh check out dem brand dem only dress up inna guess
Inna dem shirt an dem vest, dem a guh mix up inna mess
Over fort clarence
Mi see frisco kid ponal leave him pon di bench
Dem love di franco, di one dey name moschino
A aids lick him dung over colorado
Di one name versace, mi nuh know him full story
All mi know di media print up, dem a tell mi sa him funny
Di one whey name hilfiger, say him nuh like no nigger
But who di hell him think him is, black man nuh like him either
Chorus
Verse 3: all dem a talk yuh know mi naw beg nuh fren
Yuh shoulda see mi an di girl dey
Whey she name? donna karen
A drive down broadway mi an har two children
Den mi buck up gottiere him an im funny fren dem
D&g like guiness and beer
Now yuh hear say a big brand mi wear
Mi nuh care
Dem haffi see mi inna mi mecca
Or shabazz bredda, or mi karl kani sneaker
Dem haffi see mi inna mi ruff
Naw guh see nuh hilfiger, nor nuh versace blazer
Chorus
The song "Gwaan So" by Beenie Man is a commentary on fashion and how the brands people choose to wear say something about their social status and personal values. In the chorus, Beenie Man lists a number of fashion brands, including Mecca, Shabazz, Karl Kani, Hilfiger, and Versace. He notes that people may see him wearing some of these brands, but not others. The message seems to be that he has his own preferences when it comes to fashion and isn't concerned with conforming to what others might expect of him.
In the first verse, Beenie Man talks about the rise of Italian fashion brands and how expensive they can be. He mentions some specific designers, like Jean Paul Gaultier and Maurice Malone. He also references the importance of supporting black-owned businesses, saying that it's time for black people to start supporting each other. He notes that although he wears brands like Moschino and Karl Kani himself, he doesn't want people to be too quick to spend all their money on expensive clothing.
The second verse is more critical of certain brands and their associations. Beenie Man calls out people who claim to be the best dressed, but only wear brands like Guess. He mentions a particular neighborhood (Fort Clarence) where he's seen people wearing Franco Moschino and getting involved in trouble. He also references a controversial statement made by Tommy Hilfiger, suggesting that he doesn't like black people. Overall, "Gwaan So" is an interesting commentary on fashion and consumerism, with Beenie Man suggesting that people need to be more thoughtful about the brands they wear and the messages those brands send.
Line by Line Meaning
Chorus: a bet yuh never see mi inna mi mecca
I bet you've never seen me wearing Mecca clothes
Nor shabazz bredda, nor mi karl kani sneaker
Nor Shabazz brother, nor my Karl Kani sneakers
Yuh never see mi inna mi ruff
You never see me in my rough clothes
But yuh see mi hilfiger, an mi versace blazer
But instead, you see me in my Hilfiger and Versace blazer
Verse 1: material rise italian the whole world dem conquer
The Italians have conquered the fashion world with their materials
Fi jean paul gottiere yuh haffi have nuff paper
You need a lot of money to wear Jean Paul Gaultier
A 89 us fi a mecca
It cost $89 for a Mecca outfit
Black man, full time wi all start support wi black bredda
It's about time black people start supporting each other
Maurice malone, ruff jeans, karl kani last forever
Maurice Malone and Karl Kani's rugged jeans will always be in style
Gal yuh have the face an yuh shape like mi bimmer
You have a beautiful face and a shape like my BMW
Nuh mek nuh bwoy gi yuh no hilfiger
Don't let any boy give you Hilfiger clothes
What a calamity
What a disaster
Di whole a wi a wear versace
We're all wearing Versace
A wear moschino, dem two guy dey funny
Wearing Moschino, those two guys are funny
Although mi wear it to but be careful wid yuh money
Although I wear it too, be careful with your money
See karl kani dey guh buy it
See Karl Kani going to buy it
Chorus
Repeat chorus
Verse 2: some bwoy get up say dem a di best
Some guys claim to be the best
When yuh check out dem brand dem only dress up inna guess
But when you check their brand, they only wear Guess
Inna dem shirt an dem vest, dem a guh mix up inna mess
Wearing their shirt and vest, they'll get into trouble
Over fort clarence
Over at Fort Clarence
Mi see frisco kid ponal leave him pon di bench
I saw Frisco Kid getting left on the bench
Dem love di franco, di one dey name moschino
They love Franco, the one named Moschino
A aids lick him dung over colorado
He got AIDS in Colorado
Di one name versace, mi nuh know him full story
The one named Versace, I don't know his full story
All mi know di media print up, dem a tell mi sa him funny
All I know is what the media says about him being funny
Di one whey name hilfiger, say him nuh like no nigger
The one named Hilfiger says he doesn't like black people
But who di hell him think him is, black man nuh like him either
But who does he think he is? Black people don't like him either
Chorus
Repeat chorus
Verse 3: all dem a talk yuh know mi naw beg nuh fren
All they talk about, you know I'm not begging any friends
Yuh shoulda see mi an di girl dey
You should have seen me with the girl
Whey she name? donna karen
Her name is Donna Karan
A drive down broadway mi an har two children
Driving down Broadway with her and my two children
Den mi buck up gottiere him an im funny fren dem
Then I met Gaultier and his funny friends
D&g like guiness and beer
D&G is like Guinness and beer
Now yuh hear say a big brand mi wear
Now you hear that I wear big brands
Mi nuh care
I don't care
Dem haffi see mi inna mi mecca
They have to see me in my Mecca clothes
Or shabazz bredda, or mi karl kani sneaker
Or Shabazz brother, or my Karl Kani sneakers
Dem haffi see mi inna mi ruff
They have to see me in my rugged clothes
Naw guh see nuh hilfiger, nor nuh versace blazer
Not going to see any Hilfiger or Versace blazer
Contributed by Evan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lorrainebwoy
I'll be singing this song when I'm 70 years old....one king
@goasif
Listening from NORWAY 🇳🇴….love this song more and more
@anthonyguzman7764
Plz don’t tell my wife
@210HERNANDESZ
Too late
@donvitocorleone51
Bullet bullet 😂😂😂
@montrealcity3272
😅😂😅
@KH-le6kt
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@denisewilliams2500
@@210HERNANDESZ l+
@lonely.jay1427
2022 still hearing this mad track 😤💪🏾
@johnalefaio4854
Who’s here coz of that white boy from TikTok?