Bounty Killer, aka Rodney Basil Price, was born 12.06.1972 in the Trenchtown area of downtown Kingston, Jamaica, with his family moving to a next ghetto area of Riverton City (formerly known as Dungle), and finally Seaview Gardens, Kingston, as a young child. One of nine children to his mother "Miss Ivy" and father, owner of a small sound system, Rodney first picked up the mic as a deejay at nine years old.
He nearly lost his life to gun violence at 14, but thankfully fully recovered from the bystander assault and soon began his music career as Bounty Hunter. He joined neighborhood friends Nitty Kutchie and Boom Dandemite in seeking out opportunities in country as well as town, performing for Metromedia and Bodyguard, as well as other local area sound systems. It was during a chance meeting with brother of King Jammy, Uncle T, which would change his career forever.
Bounty's initial recordings were done by Uncle T, after Jammy himself was skeptical due to the violent nature of the tracks. Jammy eventually relented upon witnessing the rising popularity of the deejay.
His first hit record on the sound system circuit was Dub Fi Dub and other recordings with the King Jammys label were compiled into 1993's Jamaica's Most Wanted, later released as Roots, Reality and Culture. By 1993, now known internationally as Bounty Killer, Rodney was quickly becoming regarded as one of the fiercest and most lyrically gifted of the next generation of deejays. Hits such as Coppershot, Lodge, and Spy Fi Die quickly propelled Bounty to an upper-echelon deejay, and sound system dubplate favorite. "Coppershot" was actually a hit in New York before Jamaica, which left Bounty as personally indebted to the American city as much as his native Kingston. 1993 also brought the beginning of a long, on-and-off rivalry with Beenie Man, which culminated in a battle at Sting 1993, extended through the mid-90s and flared up again in the latter half of the following decade.
Bounty won the war at Sting 1993 and his legacy as dancehall superstar was cemented as a result. The mid-1990s brought hit after hit, such as Cellular Phone, Not Another Word, and Mama. The heated war-of-words with Beenie Man gave the world many popular tunes from each side, including Ask Fi War, Suspense, and War Beyond The Stars.
The mid-90s era culminated in the release of My Xperience in 1996. The most comercially successful album of Bounty's career, and widely considered one of the best dancehall albums of the decade, it mixed popular dancehall tracks, such as Living Dangerously featuring Barrington Levy and Fed Up, with hip-hop crossover duets featuring Jeru The Damaja, Raekwon and, most popularly, The Fugees.
The decade closed out with two more albums, Next Millenium, which featued more hip-hop guest combinations, and 5th Element, which returned to a more hardcore-dancehall style.
By the year 2000, Bounty Killer, along with Capleton, was still considered the top deejay in the business, particularly with the waning popularity (at the time) of Beenie Man, and refocused career path of Buju Banton. This was due as much to being the most in-demand artist for dubplate recordings by sound systems as to actual studio material.
In 2001, he was featured with No Doubt on their international hit Hey Baby, and appeared with the band for a pre-game performance at the 2002 NFL Super Bowl.
In 2002, Bounty released his most ambitious project since My Xperience, a double CD (released seperately), titled Ghetto Dictionary: The Mystery and Ghetto Dictionary: The Art of War. While not nearly the commercial success of My Xperience, underground sales were strong, and it featured the smash dancehall hit Sufferah.
Since the Ghetto Dictionary project, Bounty Killer's influence has mostly been behind-the-scenes, working with young talent and bringing new dancehall reggae stars to the forefront. He has been credited with bolstering the careers of, among others, Elephant Man, Busy Signal, Wayne Marshall, Baby Cham, and Vybz Kartel.
He currently oversees a stable of artists known alternately as The Alliance and Gully, which includes Mavado and Aidonia.
Bakardi Slang Refix
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silver turn it up, yeah
We gonna put you on to something brand new though
Nah mean?
Yo
We don't say, "You know what I'm sayin'?"
T-dot says, "Yuh dun know"
We say, "Yo, ah suh it go"
We don't say, "You get one chance"
We say, "You better rip the show"
Before bottles start flyin' and you runnin' for the door
You talking 'bout cuttin' and hittin' skins
We talkin' bout, beat dat face
T-dot niggas will eat your food before y'all cats say grace
Y'all cats is steady saying, "Word"
My niggas is steady yellin', "Szeen"
Half the time we talking about, "More times"
You don't even know what, "More times" means
More times we rocker fresher
More times we come correct
More times y'all think it's the hot, shh
Y'all haven't heard nuttin' yet
Differently, still yuh know
The circle gettin' ill yuh know
Step on the wrong Bally boot and you might get kill ya know
So every time you walk through the dance
Tell a youte, "Excuse me"
Tellin' a jubie, "I like her style"
She's talkin' about, "Abuse me"
Use me, show me how the T-Dot rolls
My style is off the thermostat
Plus I'm comin' from the cold
Yo
(What the... Chill!)
My nigga's in the street throwin' dot slang
Each and every single time we meet
(What the... Chill!)
My ladies lookin' hot, screw face kissin' teet
Representin' the T-Dot
Kardinal rock the party
And T-dot drinking Bacardi
And Kardi drinkin' Bacardi
And T-dot rocking the party
And nigga's jumpin' and whylin'
And ladies showin' a smile
And everybody know it's the T-Dot
So when we singin about the girls
We singin' about, 'di gyal dem'
Y'all talkin', about, "Say that one more time"
We talkin' about, "Yo, come again"
Y'all talkin' about, "That nigga's a punk"
We talkin' about, "Dat youte's a fossy"
For the kids that think I'm comin' wit it
Brother just watch me
A shoe is called a crep
A big party is a fete
Ya'll takin about, "Watch where you goin'"
We talkin about, "Mind where you step"
We backin a two-four of Guinness, we ain't messin' with Moet
And if you runnin' out of liquor the bar might get wet
You're talkin' about, "Yo, that girl's hype"
We like, "She's the bun down"
Y'all say, a DJ battle
We say, clash with two sounds
We rock the hottest things no matter how much it cost
You talkin' about, "Yeah son"
We talkin' about, "Yo, lock it off"
Wheel that and tek it from di top
And just flash up unno lighta and watch the dance rock
Kardinal is gonna show you how the T-Dot rolls
My style's off the thermostat plus I'm comin' from the cold
Yo
(What the... Chill!)
My nigga's in the street throwin' dot slang
Each and every single time we meet
(What the... Chill!)
My ladies lookin' hot, screw face kissin' teet
Representin' the T-Dot
Kardinal rock the party
And T-dot drinking Bacardi
And Kardi drinkin' Bacardi
And T-dot rocking the party
And nigga's jumpin' and whylin'
And ladies showin' a smile
And everybody know it's the T-Dot
Yo instead of your boys
We talkin' about, di man dem
When we talkin' about your bredrin
Yo, we talkin' about your friend
When you say, "The club's over"
Yo we say, "Di jam done"
When you're thinkin' about the west, we thinkin' about Red-1
Big ups and salutations to the Figure IV crew
When you're sayin', "She's a chicken"
She a skettle bam too
When you talkin' about a thug nigga
We talkin' about a shotta
When you think you got it locked, T-Dot comin' much hotta
Ya'll think we all Jamaican, when nuff man are Trini's
Bajans, Grenadians and a hole heap of Haitians
Guyanese and all of the West Indies combined
To make the T dot O dot, one of a kind
Irs said, "We burn kahn"
That mean they puff lah
When we say, "Hell no"
That means, yo dat nuh mek it
Look me in the eye and tell me y'all ain't sold
My style is off the thermostat plus I'm comin' from the cold
Yo
(What the... Chill!)
My nigga's in the street throwin' dot slang
Each and every single time we meet
(What the... Chill!)
My ladies lookin' hot, screw face kissin' teet
Representin' the T-Dot
Kardinal rock the party
And T-dot drinking Bacardi
And Kardi drinkin' Bacardi
And T-dot rocking the party
And nigga's jumpin' and whylin'
And ladies showin' a smile
And everybody know it's the T-Dot
(What the... Chill!)
My nigga's in the street throwin' dot slang
Each and every single time we meet
(What the... Chill!)
My ladies lookin' hot, screw face kissin' teet
Representin' the T-Dot
Kardinal rock the party
And T-dot drinking Bacardi
And Kardi drinkin' Bacardi
And T-dot rocking the party
And nigga's jumpin' and whylin'
And ladies showin a smile
And everybody know it's the T-Dot
The song "Bakardi Slang Refix" by Bounty Killer and Kardinal Offishall is a celebration of the unique slang and culture of Toronto, or T-Dot, as it's known to locals. The lyrics describe the specific phrases and expressions used by the people of Toronto, as well as their favorite drinks and activities. The song emphasizes the distinct identity and pride of the Toronto community, while also referencing the violence that can occur in certain situations.
The chorus describes the party scene in Toronto, with people drinking Bacardi and dancing wildly. The verses are a series of comparisons between the language and customs of Toronto and those of other places. For example, "di gyal dem" is used instead of "the girls," and a "crep" is a shoe. The song also provides a warning to those who may disrespect the local culture, stating that stepping on someone's "Bally boot" could result in violence.
Overall, the song is a powerful tribute to the unique identity and culture of Toronto, and serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting and celebrating cultural differences.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't say, "You know what I'm sayin'?"
We don't use that phrase in T-dot, we say, 'Yuh dun know'
We don't say, "Hey that's the breaks"
When something bad happens, we say, 'Yo, ah suh it go'
We don't say, "You get one chance"
We say, 'You better rip the show' to mean that you only have one opportunity to impress before things turn hostile
Before bottles start flyin' and you runnin' for the door
If you don't perform well, there will be a violent backlash
T-dot niggas will eat your food before y'all cats say grace
In T-dot, people are ruthless and will take what they want without hesitation
Half the time we talking about, "More times"
Most of the time, our conversations revolve around the phrase 'More times'
My nigga's in the street throwin' dot slang
The people in T-dot use a lot of slang when they talk
Each and every single time we meet
Every time we get together
Kardinal rock the party
Kardinal Offishall is in charge of making the party lively
And T-dot drinking Bacardi
People in T-dot love Bacardi rum
And Kardi drinkin' Bacardi
Kardinal Offishall himself drinks Bacardi too
And nigga's jumpin' and whylin'
People are dancing wildly
For the kids that think I'm comin' wit it
For those who doubt my skills
A shoe is called a crep
In T-dot, shoes are referred to as 'creps'
We backin a two-four of Guinness, we ain't messin' with Moet
We prefer to drink beer instead of expensive champagne
You're talkin' about, "Yo, that girl's hype"
You're saying that girl is attractive
We like, "She's the bun down"
We think she's very attractive
We rock the hottest things no matter how much it cost
We wear the most fashionable clothes regardless of the price
Ya'll think we all Jamaican, when nuff man are Trini's
Many people in T-dot are from Trinidad, people often mistake them for Jamaicans
Bajans, Grenadians and a hole heap of Haitians
There are also many people from Barbados, Grenada, and Haiti in T-dot
Guyanese and all of the West Indies combined
There are people from all over the West Indies in T-dot, including Guyana
Irs said, "We burn kahn"
When someone says, 'We burn kahn', it means they are smoking marijuana
When we say, "Hell no"
When we say, 'Hell no', we mean absolutely not
Look me in the eye and tell me y'all ain't sold
You can't deny that we're the real deal
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jason Harrow, Rodney Price
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind