Known as the Warlord, the Ghetto Gladiator, the Poor Peoples' Governor, and… Read Full Bio ↴Known as the Warlord, the Ghetto Gladiator, the Poor Peoples' Governor, and the Five Star General, Bounty Killer is one of dancehall reggae's most enduring artists and influences throughout the industry, known for his intricate, war-like lyrics, sound system dubplates, and stable of artists which has changed over the years but never lessened in popularity.

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.

Ready Fi Kill
Bounty Killer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Boardhouse(Boardhouse)
All roads out
Ready fi dem(ready fi dem)
Like all ova again
Rodney is around
Di General sey salute(salute)
Before mi shoot(Wappn to dem)
Well

Mi done wid di Hennessy
Ready fi dem mi see
Wait da likkle bit
Mek mi tell unnu weh mi see
Nuff a dem a hypocrite
And gwaan like dem a friend yuh see
Nuh trust none of dem
Dem can pretend yuh see

Well!
Wi a di rum blood
Gimmi back mi Hennessy
If di one Beenie ever call mi name again yuh see
Mi naah do no more Sting
All the one Laing yuh see
Mi lef dem inna problem yuh see
Well

Nah dweet fi mi self
Mi a dweet fi mi mamma
Miss Ivy mi done put yuh through enough drama
Nah go no more court go talk bout your honour
Yuh know mi nah go swing no more hammer
Dem might tek mi Range
But dem cyaan tek mi honour
A Warlord mi name so dem cyaan drop mi banner

Listen to mi keenly
Mi nuh talk and stammer
Nuh even bad mind cyaan stop dah one yah
So this year mi

Done wid di Hennessy
Ready fi dem mi see
Wait da likkle bit
Mek mi tell unnu weh mi see
Nuff a dem a hypocrite
And gwaan like dem a friend yuh see
Seh dem a badman but dem a man yuh see

Well!
Wi a di boardhouse
Gimmi back mi Hennessy
If di one Beenie ever call mi name again yuh see
Mi naah do no more Sting
All the one Laing yuh see
Mi lef dem inna problem yuh see
Well

Done wid di cigarette, nuh want anodda pack
Matter of fact, cross inna mi full suit of black
One bag of sitten, dem a talk and a chat
A chat bout??
Afta it nuh short a block
Well half of my lyrics neva run outta stock
Before Dr Juice, I woulda run out of track

Dancehall a tun hip hop di ting a get wack
We cyaan mek di standard drop
That′s why this year mi

Done wid di Hennessy
Mi ready fi dem mi see
Wait da likkle bit
Mek mi tell unnu weh mi see
Nuff a dem a hypocrite
And gwaan like dem a friend yuh see
Nuh trust none of dem
Dem can pretend yuh see

Well!
Wi a di rum blood
Gimmi back mi Hennessy
If none a dem fools eva call mi name again yuh see
Mi naah do no more Sting
All the one Laing yuh see
Wi lef dem inna problem yuh see
Well

Problem
Wappn to dem?
Boardhouse
Wah dem want?
Tall up, tall up
We have loud house
Ready fi dem mi see

Done wid di Hennessy
Yoo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bounty Killer's song Ready Fi Kill are about the artist's readiness to confront and eliminate his enemies. The song starts with the chorus "Boardhouse, all roads out, ready fi dem, like all over again. Rodney is around, the general say salute before mi shoot, well." Here, Bounty Killer is signaling his army to get ready for war because his enemies are coming for him again. In the following verses, he talks about being done with drinking Hennessy and smoking cigarettes, and how hypocritical people are pretending to be his friends. These people cannot be trusted, and he is ready to take them down.

Bounty Killer's use of metaphors and Jamaican slang in the song adds depth to his message. "Boardhouse" is a reference to the Jamaican game "ludi" or "ludo," in which players move their pawns around a board. "Rodney" refers to the famous Jamaican singer and songwriter, Bob Marley, whose middle name was Nesta. "Hennessy" is a type of cognac that is popular in Jamaica.

Overall, the song is a representation of the artist's readiness to confront his enemies and defend himself, and his frustration with hypocrites who pretend to be his friends but are ready to betray him.

Line by Line Meaning

Boardhouse(Boardhouse) All roads out
The Boardhouse is in control and no one can escape.

Ready fi dem(ready fi dem) Like all ova again Rodney is around
We are ready for our enemies, it's like reliving the past, and Rodney is with us in spirit.

Di General sey salute(salute) Before mi shoot(Wappn to dem) Well
The General commands respect and we won't hesitate to shoot if needed.

Mi done wid di Hennessy Ready fi dem mi see Wait da likkle bit Mek mi tell unnu weh mi see
I've stopped drinking and I'm ready for my enemies. Wait a moment and let me tell you what I've observed.

Nuff a dem a hypocrite And gwaan like dem a friend yuh see Nuh trust none of dem Dem can pretend yuh see
Many of them are hypocrites and act like they're friends, but don't trust any of them because they're pretending.

Wi a di rum blood Gimmi back mi Hennessy If di one Beenie ever call mi name again yuh see Mi naah do no more Sting All the one Laing yuh see Mi lef dem inna problem yuh see Well
We are strong and want our Hennessy back. If Beenie calls my name again, I won't participate in Sting. Laing is on his own now and in trouble.

Nah dweet fi mi self Mi a dweet fi mi mamma Miss Ivy mi done put yuh through enough drama Nah go no more court go talk bout your honour Yuh know mi nah go swing no more hammer Dem might tek mi Range But dem cyaan tek mi honour A Warlord mi name so dem cyaan drop mi banner
I'm not only doing this for myself but for my mother, who I've caused a lot of trouble for in the past. I won't go to court and tarnish your honor. They may take my vehicle, but they can't take my honor. My name is Warlord and they won't make me back down.

Listen to mi keenly Mi nuh talk and stammer Nuh even bad mind cyaan stop dah one yah So this year mi
Listen carefully because I speak clearly, and even those who don't like me can't stop me this year.

Done wid di cigarette, nuh want anodda pack Matter of fact, cross inna mi full suit of black One bag of sitten, dem a talk and a chat A chat bout?? Afta it nuh short a block Well half of my lyrics neva run outta stock Before Dr Juice, I woulda run out of track Dancehall a tun hip hop di ting a get wack We cyaan mek di standard drop That′s why this year mi
I've stopped smoking and I'm dressed in all black. People talk a lot of nonsense, but after that, it doesn't matter. My lyrics are popular and I wouldn't have enough space to fit them all. Before Dr Juice, I would have lost track of what I was saying. Dancehall is turning into hip-hop and we can't let the quality drop. That's why I'm taking a stand this year.

If none a dem fools eva call mi name again yuh see
If none of those fools ever call my name again.

Problem Wappn to dem? Boardhouse Wah dem want? Tall up, tall up We have loud house Ready fi dem mi see Done wid di Hennessy Yoo
What's the problem? What's happening to them? The Boardhouse is in control, what do they want? We're standing strong and ready for our enemies. We're done with the Hennessy. Yes!

Writer(s): Price Rodney Basil, Browne Richard

Contributed by Liam R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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