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.
Fed Up 2k2
Bounty Killer Lyrics
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Well this one reaching out to all the leaders, and the media,
Well this is Rodney Price aka Bounty Kiler,
The leader for Poor People Government
[Chorus]
Well poor people fed up to how yuh system sheg up
Yuh issue gun fi wi pickney bus
Well everyday the ghetto youths dead up
[Verse 1]
Mi ask the leader
Him a di arranger
Fi mek poor people surround by danger
Fly an the roach an giant mosquita
Sewage water whey fill wid pure bacteria
Unno ever tak a look dung inna di Riverton area
Bactu, and Seaview, Waterhouse, Kentire
Long time the MP him nuh come near yah,
And the nedda one whey claims sey she a counselor
Rob senventy five percent and gi wi quarter
Conquer the land nuh waan fi gi wi a acre
Disconnect mi light an chop off mi water
To the Kings of Kings, well mi know them shall answer
The Lords of Lords well a him a wi sponsor
The lion from Judah dem well waan conquer
The eagle an the bear and the Queen an all daughter
Haile Selassie I mi know the whole a dem after
But them a go guh dung inna flames and water
See Selassie I nuh tek fi fun or laughter
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Some lost dem roots and figot dem culture
Nuh study the past, dem nuh know the future
Some nuh tek telling, so dem end up so vulgar
Dem don't know Selassie I from Ethiopia
Serious as mi born, nuh tek mi for any joker
Dat same man mek mi hol dem note yah
Mi nuh play dem casino, mi nuh play dem poker
Dem plan fi destroy wi wid the coke an drugs yah
Nuff gravalicious like a damn baracoota
Plan to lick Ronnie Thwaites off a di piece a scooter
Yuh think dem like to see wi inna dem hot car ya
Wid dem hot gal yah a sing dem song ya
Dem song yah stronger than them vial and obeah
Mi a go heng Pope Paul wid da piece a rope ya
Jus' because...
[Chorus]
In "Fed Up," Bounty Killer is expressing the frustration felt by poor people in Jamaica towards their government and media. The chorus cries out against the government for neglecting to provide basic necessities such as food and education, while also allowing for the proliferation of guns and violence that continue to consume the lives of young people in the ghetto. The first verse reveals a deep issue within Jamaica's political sphere, calling out politicians and leaders for their corruption, neglect and exploitation of the poor, who are surrounded by danger, unsanitary conditions, and diseases. The verse also pays tribute to Haile Selassie I, Rastafarian icon and emperor of Ethiopia, whom Bounty Killer believes will ultimately conquer the injustices of the world. The second verse speaks to the need for cultural preservation, urging listeners to study the past in order to anticipate the future. Bounty Killer also criticizes the system that allows for drug trafficking, corruption, and violence and describes his desire to hang Pope Paul, an Italian Pope who served from 1963-1978, with a piece of rope.
Line by Line Meaning
Well poor people fed up to how yuh system sheg up
The poor are frustrated with how the system oppresses them.
Yuh issue gun fi wi pickney bus
You give guns to our children to kill each other.
Poor people fed up to how yuh system sheg up
The poor are frustrated with how the system oppresses them.
Well everyday the ghetto youths dead up
Every day, the youths in the ghetto are dying.
Mi ask the leader
I ask the leader.
Him a di arranger
He is the one in charge.
Fi mek poor people surround by danger
To make poor people surrounded by danger.
Fly an the roach an giant mosquita
Flies, roaches, and giant mosquitoes are prevalent.
Sewage water whey fill wid pure bacteria
Water filled with bacteria from sewage is widespread.
Unno ever tak a look dung inna di Riverton area
Have you ever looked at the Riverton area?
Bactu, and Seaview, Waterhouse, Kentire
These areas mentioned are problematic.
Long time the MP him nuh come near yah,
The MP has not visited in a long time.
And the nedda one whey claims sey she a counselor
And the other one who claims to be a counselor.
Rob senventy five percent and gi wi quarter
Takes 75% and gives back only 25%.
Conquer the land nuh waan fi gi wi a acre
The land conquerors do not want to give us an acre.
Disconnect mi light an chop off mi water
Disconnect the electricity and cut off the water supply.
To the Kings of Kings, well mi know them shall answer
The Kings of Kings will answer.
The Lords of Lords well a him a wi sponsor
The Lords of Lords are our sponsors.
The lion from Judah dem well waan conquer
The lion from Judah wants to conquer.
The eagle an the bear and the Queen an all daughter
The eagle, bear, Queen, and all her daughters are involved.
Haile Selassie I mi know the whole a dem after
Haile Selassie I knows all of them are after him.
But them a go guh dung inna flames and water
They will go down in flames and water.
See Selassie I nuh tek fi fun or laughter
Haile Selassie I does not tolerate fun or laughter.
Some lost dem roots and figot dem culture
Some have lost their roots and forgotten their culture.
Nuh study the past, dem nuh know the future
They do not study the past and thus do not know the future.
Some nuh tek telling, so dem end up so vulgar
Some do not listen to advice and end up vulgar.
Dem don't know Selassie I from Ethiopia
They do not have knowledge of Haile Selassie I from Ethiopia.
Serious as mi born, nuh tek mi for any joker
Take me seriously and not as a joker.
Dat same man mek mi hol dem note yah
That same man made me hold these notes.
Mi nuh play dem casino, mi nuh play dem poker
I do not play their games of chance.
Dem plan fi destroy wi wid the coke an drugs yah
They plan to destroy us with cocaine and drugs.
Nuff gravalicious like a damn baracoota
A lot of people are greedy like barracudas.
Plan to lick Ronnie Thwaites off a di piece a scooter
Plan to kill Ronnie Thwaites on a scooter.
Yuh think dem like to see wi inna dem hot car ya
Do you think they like to see us in their fancy cars?
Wid dem hot gal yah a sing dem song ya
With their hot girls singing their songs.
Dem song yah stronger than them vial and obeah
Their songs are more powerful than their black magic.
Mi a go heng Pope Paul wid da piece a rope ya
I am going to hang Pope Paul with this rope.
Jus' because...
Just because...
Chorus
The chorus repeats previous lines expressing the frustration of the poor with the oppressive system.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SLY DUNBAR, RODNEY (PKA "BOUNTY KILLER" PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind