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.
Hey Baby
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girls say, boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey
Hey baby baby
I'm the kinda girl that hangs with the guys
Like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes
Taking it in, try to be feminine
Misfit, I sit, lit up, wicked
Everybody else surrounded by the girls
With the tank tops and the flirty ways
I'm just sipping on chamomile
Watching boys and girls and their sex appeal
With a stranger in my face who says he knows my mom
And went to my high school
All the boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Girls say, girls say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Hey baby baby
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Boys say, boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
All the boys get the girls in the back
I'm the one they feed upon
Give a bit, a star is born
And if you had enough you'll get the pass
And you can tell your friends how you made it back
No matter what they say I'm still the same
Somehow everybody knows my name
And all the girls wanna get with the boys
And the boys really like it
All the boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Girls say, girls say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Hey baby baby
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Boys say, boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
All the boys get the girls in the back
Check it out, it's Bounty Killer, and No Doubt
Jump on the stage makes me going crazy
Afterwards myself and one of them gorgeous ladies (that's right)
There is no need to be acting shady
Come on baby, hey hey baby
Jump on the stage makes me going crazy
Afterwards myself and one of them gorgeous ladies (yeah man)
There is no need to be acting shady
Come on baby, hey hey baby
When you rock your hips you know that it amaze me
Got me off the hook and nothing else don't phase me
Can you be my one and only sunshine lady
If no, no maybe, hey
I'm just sipping on chamomile
Watching boys and girls and their sex appeal
With a stranger in my face who says he knows my mom
And went to my high school
(That's right)
All the boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Girls say, girls say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Hey baby baby (hey baby)
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Boys say, boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Can you be my one and only sunshine lady
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Girls say, girls say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
When you rock your hips you know that it amaze me
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Boys say, boys say
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
All the boys get the girls in the back
In "Hey Baby," Bounty Killer and No Doubt weave together a story of the two contrasting worlds of a misfit girl and the confident girls surrounding the boys. The song emphasizes the voice of the misfit girl who feels excluded by the flirty ways of the other girls. The lyrics highlight the girl's observation of the social behavior of boys and girls in the surroundings. She watches the sex appeal of the girls and the cool demeanor of the boys.
The girl's character is contrasted with the boy's echoing chant calling out 'hey baby.' These are the guys in the group who have a fascination with the girls they admire. The chorus section of the song carries over different variations of 'hey baby' between the boys and girls. It is sung with an emphasis on a more cheerful and lively tone.
The song's central theme seems to be an internal struggle of finding oneself in societies that uphold very particular standards of appearance and personality. We see the power of the boys in this narrative and girl's response to play the part of an observer, rather than throwing herself directly into the mix.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey baby, hey baby, hey!
Addressing someone in a flirtatious way
Girls say, boys say
Both genders use the same expression
Hey baby baby
Repetition of a flirtatious expression
I'm the kinda girl that hangs with the guys
I prefer male company
Like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes
Observing events unnoticed
Taking it in, try to be feminine
Trying to be more ladylike
With my makeup bag, watching all the sin
Making myself look attractive while observing sinful behavior
Misfit, I sit, lit up, wicked
I don't fit in, but I'm still confident and attractive
Everybody else surrounded by the girls
Other people are focused on the popular, flirty girls
With the tank tops and the flirty ways
They dress provocatively and act flirtatious
All the boys get the girls in the back
Boys can always get the attention of girls
I'm just sipping on chamomile
I'm relaxing and watching others
Watching boys and girls and their sex appeal
Observing how sexuality influences people
With a stranger in my face who says he knows my mom
Someone tries to talk to me using a fake connection
And went to my high school
Trying to create a shared experience that doesn't exist
And if you had enough you'll get the pass
If you meet my standards, you can be with me
And you can tell your friends how you made it back
You can brag about being with me
No matter what they say I'm still the same
I won't change who I am for others
Somehow everybody knows my name
I have a reputation
And all the girls wanna get with the boys
Girls are attracted to guys
And the boys really like it
Guys appreciate the attention
Check it out, it's Bounty Killer, and No Doubt
Introducing the performers
Jump on the stage makes me going crazy
Performing on stage is exhilarating
Afterwards myself and one of them gorgeous ladies (that's right)
I get to spend time with a beautiful woman
There is no need to be acting shady
We don't need to be sneaky
Come on baby, hey hey baby
Flirtatious invitation
When you rock your hips you know that it amaze me
I'm sexually attracted to the way you move
Got me off the hook and nothing else don't phase me
Being with you is all I need
Can you be my one and only sunshine lady
Asking someone to be my partner
If no, no maybe, hey
If you're not interested, that's okay
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Thomas Dumont, Gwen Stefani, Rodney Price, Tony Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@themadrapper101
The kids that grew up in the 90's and early 2000's lived the best era
@darkangel07_
themadrapper101 I agree 100 percent!
@dannyhayes1305
gotta say I agree. We were lucky!
@mikethelegendarygamer4581
I agree!!!!
@alessandrofrancisquini6570
So many great memories from this era
@traviskarnes6825
Amen
@annie_xo
Gwen was (and still is) so gorgeous.
@solaire8723
Looks dont mean much compared to character and you bet these media people are lacking. Likely rite terrified about having to face reality when this experience ends
@kevinmcnally8076
She kinda looks like Emma Watson here, the eye area especially
@rantallaboutit
@@kevinmcnally8076 I was with you on the first seven words of your statement, though I found it a weird response to someone simply complementing another person. The rest of what you said was just stereotyping and presumptuous. None of us know these celebrities and people seem to forget that they're also human beings, very privileged human beings, but still human like the rest of us. It's very strange to me that people will form opinions about the personalities, or character, of someone they've never met and believe it as fact. Gwen Stefani is beautiful on the outside, I believe, and if her work is any reflection of who she truly is, which art usually is, she's beautiful on the inside too but that's not really for us to know or speculate about... we're all just here because we like the music.