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.
Cellular Phone
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A need to mek a special call, han me di telephone
An when mi call, me cyaa get no dial tone
Lawd-a-mercy
Mi diss buy mi house a love zone
Anyway, hey!
Excuse, pass mi cellular phone
Tell dem nuh move a muscle ahm comin' home
To take a trip down eena dem love zone
Hey! Gal haffi bawl and scream and moan
Me start swing di old tiger bone
We use brush-brush we shoes, and fling whey stone
So tell di man dem leave dat alone
Drink up di Guinness. Smoke up di chronic
Gyal start to bawl, me give dem di tonic
Gyal get di proformance, an den astonish
An a hol mi tight and a tell me shi panic
Well! Gyal want loving an dem want di romance
An if yu no gi dem, dem gonna carry vengance
Gyal inna mi bed deh pon a love sentance
Yu si di, big bamboo yah me tek block dem enchance
Gyal want a man yu know me deh ya instant
Natural as mi bawn, no unda nat a substant
Excellent and talented, me doan unbalance
I naw drap off like di guy Jack Palance
Gal a mi gat di fuel fi light up yu lamp
And gat di wata fi pour inna yu tank
When di 'eat stawt di gyal a search fi ijant
A scream an a bawl seh di belly battam cramp
Me haffi send Toddler go call di ambulance
Mi a di only soldier weh inna har camp
Gyal. Fram is love me doan ramp
Well. Big an fat weigh five hundred poun
Well, di Killa ganna break it down
Laawd. Di gyal bring di whole a country come a town
An seh she waa fi wear Killa crown
But. Gyal a bawl "Help!" juss like dem a drown
When me stawt selleck dem soun
Romance is di name of mi cologne
An me diss buy house a love zone
Well. Gyal a mek noise like a giant alarm
Gyal waa fi run when fimme hingin tun awn
Me tree teet fawk mi tek a plough up har farm
Plant mi banana an' sink fimme cawn
Whole 'eap a 'ungry-belly pickinny deh ya a yawn
Non-stap work, is just horn an' horn
Gyal inna mi house pon love sentance remand
Blow like hurricane an spring wata like stawm
A fin' excuse a seh one a clack gawn
A whey she aggo tell har modda seh inna di mawn
Me naw stap werk because pickney shall bawn
Yu shouldn't fin' yusself inna mi palm
Well. Hand me ma phone
Mek me cawl Jacqueline an Simone. Hey
Tell dem nuh move no muscle, Killa coming home
To tek a trip down inna di love zone
In Bounty Killer's song Cellular Phone, the artist speaks about using his phone to call the women in his life, Antoinette and Simone, to let them know that he is coming home. He starts by expressing his frustration with not being able to get a dial tone, which might mean that the women he is trying to reach are not picking up. Despite this, he is persistent in trying to contact them. When he finally gets in touch, he tells them not to move a muscle because he is on his way home to take them on a journey to their love zone where they can be intimate. He also speaks about drinking Guinness and smoking cannabis to enhance the experience.
However, Bounty Killer is aware of the potential for jealousy and violence from other men who might covet the women he loves. He tells them to leave his women alone and not to interfere with his plans. He reassures the women in his life that he is a loving and natural man who won't let them down but will satisfy them in ways that they will find stunning. He also reminds them that love and romance are central to his identity and that his house is a love zone. As the song progresses, Bounty Killer describes his sexual prowess in terms of his ability to satisfy and please his women.
Line by Line Meaning
Lawd-a-mercy
Expressing exasperation
A need to mek a special call, han me di telephone
I need to make an important call, give me the telephone
An when mi call, me cyaa get no dial tone
When I call, I can't get through
Mi diss buy mi house a love zone
I just bought my home as a love nest
Anyway, hey!
Moving on...
Excuse, pass mi cellular phone
Excuse me, please pass me my mobile phone
Mek me call Antoinette an Simone. Hey!
Let me call Antoinette and Simone
Tell dem nuh move a muscle ahm comin' home
Tell them not to move, I'm coming home
To take a trip down eena dem love zone
To spend some time getting intimate
Hey! Gal haffi bawl and scream and moan
Hey! A woman has to cry out and moan in pleasure
Me start swing di old tiger bone
I begin to perform sexually
We use brush-brush we shoes, and fling whey stone
We clean up and discard any interference
So tell di man dem leave dat alone
So, tell the other men to leave us alone
Drink up di Guinness. Smoke up di chronic
Let's drink Guinness and smoke marijuana
Gyal start to bawl, me give dem di tonic
Women start to cry out, I give them pleasure
Gyal get di proformance, an den astonish
Women get the performance and are amazed
An a hol mi tight and a tell me shi panic
And hold me tight and tell me she's scared
Well! Gyal want loving an dem want di romance
Well! Women want to be loved and romanced
An if yu no gi dem, dem gonna carry vengance
And if you don't give it to them, they'll be mad
Gyal inna mi bed deh pon a love sentance
Women are in my bed on a love sentence
Yu si di, big bamboo yah me tek block dem enchance
You see, I take care of it and make it better
Gyal want a man yu know me deh ya instant
Women want a man, and I'm here right away
Natural as mi bawn, no unda nat a substant
I'm natural, no artificial enhancements
Excellent and talented, me doan unbalance
I'm great and gifted but don't brag
I naw drap off like di guy Jack Palance
I won't fall asleep like Jack Palance
Gal a mi gat di fuel fi light up yu lamp
I have what it takes to light up your passion
And gat di wata fi pour inna yu tank
And the water to quench your thirst
When di 'eat stawt di gyal a search fi ijant
When the action begins, women go looking for pleasure
A scream an a bawl seh di belly battam cramp
They'll cry out and say their stomach hurts
Me haffi send Toddler go call di ambulance
I have to send someone to call an ambulance
Mi a di only soldier weh inna har camp
I'm the only man she needs
Gyal. Fram is love me doan ramp
Women, I only make love and don't argue
Well. Big an fat weigh five hundred poun
Well, she's big and weighs 500 pounds
Well, di Killa ganna break it down
Well, I'm going to explain it
Laawd. Di gyal bring di whole a country come a town
Oh my, she's so popular that everyone knows her
An seh she waa fi wear Killa crown
And she wants to be with me
But. Gyal a bawl "Help!" juss like dem a drown
But, women will cry out for help like they're drowning
When me stawt selleck dem soun
When I start to give them pleasure
Romance is di name of mi cologne
I only smell of romance
An me diss buy house a love zone
And I just bought a house to love in
Well. Gyal a mek noise like a giant alarm
Well, women are making noise like alarms
Gyal waa fi run when fimme hingin tun awn
Women want to run when my thing is hard
Me tree teet fawk mi tek a plough up har farm
I [censored] and please her until she orgasms
Plant mi banana an' sink fimme cawn
I put my [censored] in her and ejaculate
Whole 'eap a 'ungry-belly pickinny deh ya a yawn
There are a lot of hungry children here
Non-stap work, is just horn an' horn
I work hard, but I'm only thinking about sex
Gyal inna mi house pon love sentance remand
Women are in my home indefinitely for love
Blow like hurricane an spring wata like stawm
They're highly sexual and responsive
A fin' excuse a seh one a clack gawn
They'll pretend to have a stomach ache as an excuse to leave
A whey she aggo tell har modda seh inna di mawn
What is she going to tell her mother in the morning?
Me naw stap werk because pickney shall bawn
I won't stop working because children will be born
Yu shouldn't fin' yusself inna mi palm
You shouldn't find yourself in my control
Hand me ma phone
Give me my phone
Mek me cawl Jacqueline an Simone. Hey
Let me call Jacqueline and Simone
Tell dem nuh move no muscle, Killa coming home
Tell them not to move, I'm coming home
To tek a trip down inna di love zone
To spend some intimate time together
Writer(s): Cleveland Browne, Wycliffe Johnson, Rodney Price Copyright: Dub Plate Music Publishers Ltd., Scare Dem Music, Water House Music Ltd., Steely & Clevie Productions Ltd.
Contributed by Cooper O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
StHill Sthill
Pass the Celular Phone still banging like no other
Dave Ellis
kaboom π₯π₯π₯
D McDonald
This artist is the best bounty killer is the most important thing in dancehall πππ₯π―π₯ππ
Douglas Bain
Bounty did equal justice to this riddim as Shabba did
KING MR EASY MIXOLOGIST
THE LIVING LEGENDARY ICON HUMANITARIAN, DOUBLE GRAMMY AWARDS WINNING KING π BOUNTY KILLER IS THE VERY BEST DANCEHALL SUPERSTAR IN THE HISTORY OF THIS GENRE OF MUSIC #BOUNTYKILLER IS INFINITE AND TOP OF THE MUSICAL GAME SUSTAIN MAINTAIN AND ATTAIN.
Jimbo J
Gwan killa π₯π₯
Eric Jones
wonderful..........
Paul Clarke
Mix hard yute
Dwayne Nelson
Tuff Boomboclart Chuneeee..
Gaza Strip Mad
Bap