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.
Pretty
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Match unu, latch unu, trash unu when me dispatch unu
Need unu, lead unu, seed unu, when me just feed unu
Read unu, greed unu, breed unu when me mislead unu
Wok unu, bruk unu, fuck unu when me de open unu
Puck unu, pluck unu, chuck unu, unu suck unu mukkunu
Duck unu Bumbastar
One, two, tree, four gal a watch me
Five, six, seven, eight wan' fi snatch me
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve try fi catch me
Thirteen, fourteen gal in a mi factory
It's simple a no every gal match me
But it no simple when them all wan' fi latch me
Some hold me down fi dem friends dispatch me
Some man a tell me how much them love fi match me
Mi friend a ask if I win, me win lottery
A di first him see gal a run battery
Gal de all over mi house since a Mackrey
Drink me like a strawberry daquiri
It go so den
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You should a know by de style weh you hear a chant
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
From a pretty gal, she know say me need her
Straight to de promised land me a go lead her
Me only intention is fi seed her
That is after she shower and me feed her
She never know a long time me a read her
The way me handle de work me supercede her
All over de room me stampede her
The way she love it she a beg me fi breed her
Hope me one night stand no impede her
'Cause if a husband she a look me mislead her
One ting I can guarantee her
Later on it won't be her
It go so den
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
Well every next gal a ask whe me up to
Wonder if them can up to whe me up to
Wan' fi know what kind a music me wo'k to
And if a only slow jam de doctor bruk to
Cool, a me Ditty wan' say what's up to
'Cause she say a fi mi music she fuck to
Carlahope a she me pass de puck to
Cause she bring a sweet 16 fi me pluck to
Shipment, gal a who you send the truck to
Dis a de glue whe the whole a dem stuck to
Pon the de bed or pon de floor, dem in a di muck too
All Ochi wi buck too
It go so den
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
Bad man wan'
Watch unu, snatch unu, catch unu when me a flash unu
Match unu, latch unu, trash unu when me dispatch unu
Need unu, lead unu, seed unu, when me just feed unu
Read unu, breed unu, breathe unu when me mislead unu
Wok unu, bruk unu, fuck unu when me de open unu
Puck unu, pluck unu, chuck unu, unu suck unu mukkunu
Duck unu
Zagga za
It go so den
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
The lyrics to Beenie Man's "Pretty" are a mix of sexually suggestive lines, incorporating elements of Jamaican creole, dancehall and rap. The song is about being desired by many women, but only wanting the "pretty" or attractive ones. The chorus repeats, "whoa, a pure pretty gal we need, no bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead".
The verses are filled with sexual innuendos and wordplay, with lines like "puck unu, pluck unu, chuck unu, unu suck unu mukkunu" and "me just feed unu, read unu, greed unu, breed unu when me mislead unu". The hook, "watch unu, snatch unu, catch unu when me a flash unu, match unu, latch unu, trash unu when me dispatch unu" implies a predatory behavior towards women.
In the second verse, Beenie Man sings about his sexual prowess and how women are drawn to him because of it. He declares that his only intention is to impregnate them, after he showers them and feeds them. The line "later on it won't be her" suggests a one-night stand mentality, and that the women will not be important in his life after the encounter.
Overall, "Pretty" is a controversial song, with some finding it to be misogynistic and objectifying towards women. However, it is a popular dancehall track and a mainstay in the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch unu, snatch unu, catch unu when me a flash unu
I'll keep an eye on you, take you by surprise, and catch you when you least expect it.
Match unu, latch unu, trash unu when me dispatch unu
I'll find a way to get involved with you, make you dependent on me, and then dispose of you when I'm done with you.
Need unu, lead unu, seed unu, when me just feed unu
I'll make you feel like you need me, trust me to guide you, and then use you for my own pleasure without caring about your feelings.
Read unu, greed unu, breed unu when me mislead unu
I'll pretend to be someone I'm not, take advantage of your vulnerability and trust, and use you to fulfill my own selfish desires.
Wok unu, bruk unu, fuck unu when me de open unu
I'll manipulate you, break you down, and use you for sex when I have the opportunity.
Puck unu, pluck unu, chuck unu, unu suck unu mukkunu
I'll treat you like a worthless object, use you for my own pleasure, and discard you when I'm done with you.
Duck unu Bumbastar
I don't care about your feelings or respect you as a human being.
One, two, tree, four gal a watch me
Five, six, seven, eight wan' fi snatch me
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve try fi catch me
Thirteen, fourteen gal in a mi factory
Many women are interested in me and want to be with me, and I have many women I can choose from.
It's simple a no every gal match me
But it no simple when them all wan' fi latch me
Some hold me down fi dem friends dispatch me
Some man a tell me how much them love fi match me
I'm attractive to many women, but it's not easy when they all want to be with me. Some women try to use me to impress their friends, and some men pretend to be my friend to get closer to women who are interested in me.
Mi friend a ask if I win, me win lottery
A di first him see gal a run battery
Gal de all over mi house since a Mackrey
Drink me like a strawberry daquiri
It go so den
My friend is impressed by how many women I'm with, and the first thing he notices when he sees me is a group of women around me. Women are always coming over to my house to be with me, and they treat me like a delicious drink they can't get enough of.
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we need
No bother ask why, a just de lifestyle we lead
Whoa, a pure pretty gal we want
You should a know by de style weh you hear a chant
You shoulda know by de style weh you hear a chant
We're attracted to beautiful women because it's part of our lifestyle and the way we present ourselves to the world. Anyone who knows us can tell by our style and the way we behave that we want to be with beautiful women.
From a pretty gal, she know say me need her
Straight to de promised land me a go lead her
Me only intention is fi seed her
That is after she shower and me feed her
She never know a long time me a read her
The way me handle de work me supercede her
All over de room me stampede her
The way she love it she a beg me fi breed her
Hope me one night stand no impede her
'Cause if a husband she a look me mislead her
One ting I can guarantee her
Later on it won't be her
When I see a pretty woman, I know I want her. My only goal with her is to have sex and possibly get her pregnant. I will be dominant in the bedroom and give her pleasure, but I won't stick around for long afterwards. I hope I don't ruin her life if she's looking for something more serious. I won't be loyal to her in the long run and will move on to someone else.
Well every next gal a ask whe me up to
Wonder if them can up to whe me up to
Wan' fi know what kind a music me wo'k to
And if a only slow jam de doctor bruk to
Cool, a me Ditty wan' say what's up to
'Cause she say a fi mi music she fuck to
Carlahope a she me pass de puck to
Cause she bring a sweet 16 fi me pluck to
Shipment, gal a who you send the truck to
Dis a de glue whe the whole a dem stuck to
Pon the de bed or pon de floor, dem in a di muck too
All Ochi wi buck too
Bad man wan'
Every woman wants to know what I'm doing and if they can be involved with me. They ask about my music tastes and if I only listen to slow songs. Ditty wants to say hi because she likes to have sex to my music. Carla is someone I want to be with because she's young and sexually attractive. Women are always coming to me in groups, and I'm the one they're all attracted to. I am the glue that holds them together, and they will do whatever I want them to do. We have sex on beds, floors, and in dirty places. I'm the man all the women in Ochi want to be with.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MOSES DAVIS, N HOWELL, A KELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind