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.
Mr. Wanna Be
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody wanna be
Crying to be
Dying to be
Trying to be
Can't you see?
You can't be me!
Ah! Lord-a-mercy, One time; for the crime; hey..niggaz got to pay the fine
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
A who? Coulda neva Mista War not me
A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
Unu wanna be me!
Weh tek dem insect
True mi tek Spring Break, si dem a impress
Hear this likkle punk guh sing a battyman concept
Seh him hood Deanie, a deh suh mi object
And him guh pon Mirage, and guh dis-respect
Bout dem box man a foreign dem nuh tek nuh bet yet
Tell dem if dem do dat World War woulda re-flex
Yuh lef' Clarendon and come drop ina wasp nest
With Guerilla warfare yuh caught mi interest
War mi start dat by reservation and request
To kill dis yah fool, to me dat is no stress
Murder dem fast just like a Federal Express
And mi run wild west
Ask dem a who?
Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill dem free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
Unu done know further
Talk fact not fiction, that's what yuh heard of
'Fore mi tell yuh seh mi hear yuh nyam fur burger
Yuh jus a realize right yah suh yuh get murder
A from yuh gal friend lips, mi hear dem word yah
Di likkle careless punk, weh dem call name Merva
Seh yuh dida guh dung and a sight observer
Mek haste emerge yah
Hey yow
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
Unu grudging to be
Mista Wannabe
Everybody sight that you wanna be me
Go as far and plan fi tek all plastic surgery
Wah day yuh friend a seh him nah guh run and flee
Mi fix him ina Mirage, him run, him neva agree
Unu nuh hear bout me
Mi nuh want a cent fi kill yuh, mi will kill yuh fi free
Send yuh mumma di fee fi mek sure yuh bury
When gunshot tek yuh 96 degree
Unu fi guh a Spanglers corner or T.G
Unu nuh hear bout we?
I ask
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Me A guh kill yuh free
Mek everybody see
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Me aguh done you too
And yuh friend mek three
Bounty Killer's song "Mr. Wanna Be" is a scathing attack on individuals who aim to imitate or copy him. Through his lyrics, Bounty Killer highlights that even though many people want to be like him, they can never truly replicate everything he represents. The chorus emphasizes that no matter how hard these individuals try, they will never be like him. The verses, on the other hand, use violence as a metaphor to emphasize this point. Bounty uses his lyrical prowess to tear down those attempting to be like him.
In the first verse, Bounty Killer declares himself to be the ultimate "Mr. Wanna Be," further emphasizing that no one can be like him. In the second verse, he takes jabs at those who are trying to imitate his style, fashion sense, or persona. He suggests that even though it might seem like a compliment to dress up like him, it is ultimately futile as it will result in certain death. In the third verse, Bounty Killer continues to mock those who emulate his style, this time using violence as a means of getting his point across. He suggests that he will not be afraid to use violence and kill those who dare to imitate him.
Overall, the song is a warning to those who attempt to copy or emulate Bounty Killer, that they will never be able to match his talents, style, and overall persona. The use of violence in the lyrics serves to drive home the point that trying to copy the greats is a futile effort.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Yo! Can't you see
Addressing the listener, Bounty Killer asks if they can understand what he's saying.
Everybody wanna be
People are desperate to be like him.
Crying to be
People are pleading to become like him.
Dying to be
People are willing to die to become like him.
Trying to be
People will do whatever it takes to become like him.
Can't you see?
Bounty Killer is emphasizing that the listeners should recognize that they can't be like him.
You can't be me!
No one can ever be like him.
Ah! Lord-a-mercy, One time; for the crime; hey..niggaz got to pay the fine
With this line, Bounty Killer reveals the reason why he is saying these things: he is settling scores for people who've been wronged by someone like the listeners.
A who? Coulda neva Mista Wanna be
Bounty Killer is questioning who these wannabes are.
Me A guh kill yuh free
He will kill them for free.
Mek everybody see
He will make sure everyone sees what happens to these imitators.
A you? People seh dress up fi look like me
Bounty Killer highlights that it is these listeners who dress up like him.
Me aguh done you too
He will take care of them as well.
And yuh friend mek three
Bounty Killer will also go after their friends.
A who? Coulda neva Mista War not me
Bounty Killer is once again questioning who these people are who want to be like him, but this time he's using a different term (war) to describe them.
Unu wanna be me!
The listeners are desperate to become like him.
Weh tek dem insect
Bounty Killer questions why the listeners are following these imposters like they are insects.
True mi tek Spring Break, si dem a impress
He points out how these imitators are trying to impress people while he was busy taking a break.
Hear this likkle punk guh sing a battyman concept
He refers to a person who's singing a song about homosexuality as a little punk.
Seh him hood Deanie, a deh suh mi object
He confirms that he hates people who try to copy his style even down to the way he speaks (using the term 'hood').
And him guh pon Mirage, and guh dis-respect
He talks about how this imposter went to a club in Jamaica called Mirage and showed disrespect.
Bout dem box man a foreign dem nuh tek nuh bet yet
He refers to people who claim to be tough guys in other countries but have yet to prove their worth in Jamaica.
Tell dem if dem do dat World War woulda re-flex
Bounty Killer is warning them that if they keep up their antics, it will lead to war.
Yuh lef' Clarendon and come drop ina wasp nest
He refers to a person who left one area of Jamaica (Clarendon) to go to another area (likely Kingston) where he's not welcome.
With Guerilla warfare yuh caught mi interest
He's saying that he's now very interested in this person and will go after him with everything he's got.
To kill dis yah fool, to me dat is no stress
He doesn't consider this person to be worthy of anything but contempt and killing him won't take much effort.
Murder dem fast just like a Federal Express
Once being confronted, he will quickly kill them like a fast delivery service.
And mi run wild west
He is saying he will go all out against these pretenders and won't hold back.
Unu done know further
The listeners should already understand where this is all leading.
Talk fact not fiction, that's what yuh heard of
He's saying that what he's talking about is the truth, not some made-up story.
'Fore mi tell yuh seh mi hear yuh nyam fur burger
He's warning them that he knows about their shady activities (like consuming stolen beef).
Yuh jus a realize right yah suh yuh get murder
He's letting them know that they are about to get killed right there and then.
A from yuh gal friend lips, mi hear dem word yah
He's saying that he found out this information from their girlfriends.
Di likkle careless punk, weh dem call name Merva
He refers to another person who he thinks is a fool.
Seh yuh dida guh dung and a sight observer
Bounty Killer accuses this person of being someone who just watches things happen without doing anything about it.
Mek haste emerge yah
He's demanding that this person should hurry up and do something, rather than being a passive observer.
Unu grudging to be
He's saying that the listeners are envious of him for who he is.
Mista Wannabe
He's calling out the pretenders for who they are.
Everybody sight that you wanna be me
He's pointing out that everyone can see that these people are trying to be him.
Go as far and plan fi tek all plastic surgery
He's accusing them of wanting to change their appearance permanently to be like him.
Wah day yuh friend a seh him nah guh run and flee
Bounty Killer is talking about how their friend claimed he wouldn't run and hide from him.
Mi fix him ina Mirage, him run, him neva agree
He's saying that when the time came, he got their friend in the club and he ran away as expected.
Mi nuh want a cent fi kill yuh, mi will kill yuh fi free
He's saying that he will kill these people without expecting any reward for doing so.
Send yuh mumma di fee fi mek sure yuh bury
He's saying that the listeners' families need to prepare a burial fund for them.
When gunshot tek yuh 96 degree
A gunshot will put these people down forever.
Unu fi guh a Spanglers corner or T.G
He's saying that these people will end up going to the cemetery corner known as Spanglers or T.G.
Unu nuh hear bout we?
He's questioning whether or not they've heard of him and his reputation.
Contributed by Caroline O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bricks Stacks
Big big tune🔥🔥
ReboMoscow Alliance
🇯🇲🇯🇲🇺🇸ONE GENERAL 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Shamar Miller
The hardest diss from bounty!
mehoo8
Nahh. Its Likkle Dread Bwoy or Bullet Proof Skin and its not even close
Aaron Averheart
classic
Anthony Poorman
One DON yah man!!! up bounty, yuh way up star
Zarava Brown
And merciless counteraction to this is better, badda than bounty tune.
Mark Clark
gunshots,badman tune
nicholas king
Sting 2000 bounty intro
Da Royal General
👍👊😎👊👍