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.
Dead This Time
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Assassinate and to destroy
Him made a certain noise that we enjoy
Lawd a mercy
Bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi have ah gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
How him sour like lime
Ah guy si di sign and act like him blind
Yuh diss badman with weapon like these
Gunshot attack dem body like disease
Dem ah travel suh hard never check dem speed
Fly past things around and never look and read
When badman ah arrive ah informa must leave
Yuh know yuh wi dead bout murder ah steve
Seh him ah murderer now him ah beg man please
And ah bawl like baby him deh pon him knees
Mi big gun pop out and shot start squeeze
While gunshot ah sting bwoy body like bees
Hey bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi have ah gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
Hey mi sour like lime
Ready status mi nah guh speak mi mind
Ah guy si di sign and ah act like dem blind
Well waterhouse seh dem fi read and
Move along and proceed
Ah brand new machine dem nah rush di MC's
Mi gun ah fire nuff armor to plant seed
And sunday mi gun nuh nyam nuh rice or peas
Mi gun nuh have flu fi mi gun never sneeze
Dem ah fight fi mi space tru envy and greed
Waan live like me and nuh inna mi league
Raise up get mi angry and get mi grief
Tru dem suh badminded and so naive
People ah test di killer like dog yuh gwaan
Bleed
Hey bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi have ah gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
Hey mi sour like lime
And seaview nah guh speak dem mind
Ah guy si di sign and ah act like dem blind
Suh yuh guh diss riverton ah coulda weh yuh believe
Yuh diss big z ah copper shot yuh receive
Gunshot yuh get yuh body blow like breeze bwoy!
Mi gun nuh fire nuh gully bead
Yuh nuh like read sign yuh nuh look and read
Suh you end up round a back yuh never get rich lead
Bwoy yuh nuh know how fi maintain yuh speed
Hey bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi have ah gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
Hey mi sour like lime
Ready status mi nah guh speak mi mind
Ah guy si di sign and ah act like dem blind
How yuh guh diss T.G. with weapon like these
Gunshot attack yuh body like disease
Yuh ah travel suh hard never check your speed
Fly past junglist and never look and read
When badman ah arrive and informa must leave
Yuh know yuh wi dead bout murder ah steve
Seh him ah murderer now him ah beg man please
And ah bawl like baby him deh pon him knees
Mi machine pop out while shot start squeeze
And gunshot ah sting guy body like bees
Bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi got di gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
How him sour like lime
Ready status mi nah guh speak mi mind
Ah guy si di sign and act like dem blind
But yuh guh diss badman ah coulda weh you believe
Yuh diss badman ah gunshot you receive
Gunshot yuh get yuh body blow like breeze bwoy!
Mi gun nuh fire nuh gully bead yuh nuh like read sign
Yuh nuh look and read
Suh you end up round a back yuh never get rich lead
Bwoy yuh nuh know how fi maintain yuh speed
Hey bwoy yuh dead this time
Mi got di gun ya name see it and blind
Or dead same time
Hey mi sour like lime
Ready status mi nah guh speak mi mind
Ah guy si di sign and act like him blind
Well badman seh yuh fi read and
Move along and proceed brand new machine never
Rush di MC's
In Bounty Killer's "Dead This Time," the lyrics depict a story of a person who has committed a wrong and is facing the consequences of their actions. The singer in the song has a gun and is seeking revenge on whomever has crossed them. The singer is angered by the other person's actions that have caused them to seek revenge in such a manner. The song captures the emotions of anger, vengeance, and retribution, through the use of vivid descriptions and words.
The lyrics reflect the life in inner cities and the struggle people face in areas characterized by violence and hostility. The singer embodies the values of the ghetto, where respect is highly valued, and transgressions are quickly punished. The guns and violence in the lyrics are a reflection of the reality of the environment where the song is set. The language used, and the violent images painted, reflect the mentality of the people who navigate such an environment.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and despair in a world where violence and retribution are the norm. Despite the darkness of the lyrics, the song is a story of hope that there is a way out, and Karma eventually catches up with people who do wrong. In conclusion, "Dead This Time" by Bounty Killer is a graphic description of inner city life, and its lyrics are an invitation for society to pay attention to the root causes of the issues that the song addresses.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead! dead! I come to kill bwoy
I am here to kill you, there is no escape for you.
Assassinate and to destroy
Not only am I going to kill you, I'm going to completely destroy you and everything you stand for.
Him made a certain noise that we enjoy
You made a noise that made us angry and now we're going to take revenge on you.
Bwoy yuh dead this time
You're going to die this time, there's no way out for you.
Mi have ah gun ya name see it and blind
I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it. You should be afraid of what's about to happen to you.
Or dead same time
You have two choices: either I blind you with my gun or I shoot you dead right now.
How him sour like lime
You act tough and sour like a lime, but you're not really tough at all.
Ready status mi nah guh speak mi mind
I'm so ready to kill you that I can't even express how I feel.
Ah guy si di sign and act like him blind
You saw the warning signs but chose to ignore them and now you're going to pay the price for your ignorance.
Yuh diss badman with weapon like these
You dared to disrespect me, a badman, and you're going to regret it.
Gunshot attack dem body like disease
My gunshot will attack your body like a disease, causing you pain and suffering.
Dem ah travel suh hard never check dem speed
You went too fast and ignored the warning signs, and now you're going to pay the price for your recklessness.
Fly past things around and never look and read
You ignored all the warning signs and now you're about to face the consequences of your actions.
When badman ah arrive ah informa must leave
When a badman arrives, anyone who is not with him must leave or face the consequences of their actions.
Yuh know yuh wi dead bout murder ah steve
You know you're going to die because of your actions, just like murder happened to Steve.
Seh him ah murderer now him ah beg man please
You're begging for mercy now, just like Steve did, even though you were acting tough earlier.
And ah bawl like baby him deh pon him knees
You're crying and begging for mercy like a baby and are now on your knees, completely helpless.
Mi big gun pop out and shot start squeeze
I am taking out my big gun and firing it, causing you even more pain and suffering.
While gunshot ah sting bwoy body like bees
My gunshot is going to sting your body like a swarm of bees, causing you even more pain and suffering.
Hey bwoy yuh dead this time
You're going to die right now and there's nothing you can do about it.
And seaview nah guh speak dem mind
I'm not even going to give Seaview a chance to speak their mind because I'm ready to kill.
Suh yuh guh diss riverton ah coulda weh yuh believe
You disrespected Riverton and now you're going to pay the price for your actions.
Yuh diss big z ah copper shot yuh receive
You dared to disrespect Big Z and now you're going to get shot with a copper bullet.
Mi gun nuh fire nuh gully bead
My gun isn't going to fire any weak, ineffective bullets on you.
Tru dem suh badminded and so naive
You're bad-minded and naive, which is why you're about to get killed.
People ah test di killer like dog yuh gwaan bleed
You're testing me like a dog, and now you're going to bleed because of your actions.
But yuh guh diss badman ah coulda weh you believe
You disrespected a badman and now you're going to suffer because of your actions.
Bwoy yuh nuh know how fi maintain yuh speed
You don't know how to maintain your speed and now you're going to pay the price for your recklessness.
Mi got di gun ya name see it and blind
I've got the gun and I'm going to use it on you right now.
Hey mi sour like lime
I'm tough and sour like a lime and you need to watch yourself around me.
Well badman seh yuh fi read and
A badman like me is going to tell you to read and understand the warning signs before it's too late.
Move along and proceed brand new machine never
Keep moving and don't let the new machine slow you down or distract you from what's important.
Writer(s): Lloyd James, Rodney Price Copyright: Dub Plate Music Publishers Ltd., Water House Music Ltd.
Contributed by Sophie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.