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.
Smoke Clears
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
BountyKiller: You know it's Warlord and Wayne Marshall
Wayne Marshall: true true true, Wooo ooooh oooh
BountyKiller: Together you know we caan pass yo!!
We get reason and cause dat's substancial huh, weh yuh seh Wayne????
Wayne Marshall: True true true
BountyKiller: Da musical is natural
Chorus:
Wayne Marshall:
When di smoke clears, and di battle has been won
True true true Warlord still a stand
Di smoke clears, and da war is gone
True true true a new star is born
Di smoke clears, and di body count dun
True true true Marshall a see yuh come
Di smoke clears, and it's over at last
Do Warlord buss di dance?
Verse 1:
BountyKiller:
Yo!, A war is goin on...in di land
Over who a di big man,in Jam One
Mek sure when inna gun jam, unno have a plan
Cause when di smoke clears only di strong will stand
A wuk man a wuk under nuh big man ting
It's like some bwoy get sad when man ting start...
( Wayne Marshall: Bling!!!)
Look under mi shirt and yuh see di gat bling
If a war or a lyrical ting?, uh huh
Chorus:
Wayne Marshall:
When di smoke clears, and di battle has been won
True true true Warlord is number one
Di smoke clears, and da war is gone
True true true a new star is born
Di smoke clears, and di body count dun
True true true King Jammys see yuh come
Di smoke clears, and it's over at last
Do Warlord buss di dance?
Verse 2:
BountyKiller:
Anyway, see dem a come and hide but mi know a just fi know
Seh dem true, know check dem a go
Cause when di smoke clear fi see who lay below???
Hey dem caan come near we flow nor we dough
A nuh fi defeat but a who caan endore it
Contender come and a first one we floor it
Push up your face inna mel and mek we bore it
Pon di ice man dem store it
Chorus:
Wayne Marshall:
When di smoke clears, and di battle has been won
True true true Marshall a see yuh stand
Di smoke clears, and da war is dun
True true true a new star is born
Di smoke clears, and di body count dun
True true true Madd Family a come
Di smoke clears, and it's over at last
Do Warlord buss di dance?
Repeat Verse 1 and chorus till end
In "Smoke Clears," a collaborative song by Bounty Killer and Wayne Marshall, the artists talk about coming out victorious in a war or battle. They highlight the importance of being prepared and having a plan when faced with a challenge. They emphasize that only the strong and powerful can survive in such scenarios.
The first verse of the song sets the tone for the theme of the song telling about a warfare where everyone fights to become the big man. Bounty Killer speaks about his strength and skill in handling and using guns. He also suggests that even though some people may not like war, it's still necessary for survival. In the chorus, Wayne Marshall points out that after the smoke clears and the war is won, new stars will emerge, and there will be a new order.
Overall the song is a celebration of victory and the strength that it takes to get there. It highlights how being prepared, and not give up easily, and keep fighting until the victory is achieved.
Line by Line Meaning
You know it's Warlord and Wayne Marshall
Bounty Killer and Wayne Marshall are doing the song together.
true true true, Wooo ooooh oooh
A verbal acknowledgement of what the other person said to confirm understanding.
Together you know we caan pass yo!!
Together we will succeed and surpass everyone else.
We get reason and cause dat's substancial huh, weh yuh seh Wayne????
We have strong and valid reasons for what we are doing, right Wayne?
True true true
Another verbal confirmation of agreement with what was just said.
Da musical is natural
The music comes naturally to them.
When di smoke clears, and di battle has been won
After the fight and chaos have ended.
True true true Warlord still a stand
Bounty Killer is still standing strong and victorious.
Di smoke clears, and da war is gone
The chaos has come to an end.
True true true a new star is born
Someone new has emerged victorious and will now shine.
Di smoke clears, and di body count dun
The physical damage has been done and people have died.
True true true Marshall a see yuh come
Wayne Marshall has emerged victorious.
Di smoke clears, and it's over at last
The chaos and fighting have finally come to an end.
Do Warlord buss di dance?
Did Bounty Killer come out victorious in the dance competition?
Yo!, A war is goin on...in di land
There is a war happening in the country.
Over who a di big man,in Jam One
The war is over who is the top man in the music industry.
Mek sure when inna gun jam, unno have a plan
Be prepared and have a plan in case the guns jam during the fight.
Cause when di smoke clears only di strong will stand
Only the strong and victorious will remain after the chaos is over.
A wuk man a wuk under nuh big man ting
As an independent worker, one is not under the control of anyone else.
It's like some bwoy get sad when man ting start...( Wayne Marshall: Bling!!!)
Some people get upset when others start succeeding and shining, hence Wayne Marshall interjects 'Bling!'
Look under mi shirt and yuh see di gat bling
I have a gun under my shirt with a custom bling decor.
If a war or a lyrical ting?, uh huh
Is the fight a real physical war or just a lyrical battle?
Anyway, see dem a come and hide but mi know a just fi know
People may try to hide or run away, but I will find out what's going on.
Seh dem true, know check dem a go
They say they are truthful, but we need to confirm that.
Cause when di smoke clear fi see who lay below???
When the chaos ends, we will see who has lost and suffered casualties.
Hey dem caan come near we flow nor we dough
They cannot compete with our style or financial status.
A nuh fi defeat but a who caan endore it
It's not really about winning, but rather who can withstand the fight.
Contender come and a first one we floor it
Someone has tried to compete with us, but we defeated them easily.
Push up your face inna mel and mek we bore it
Put your face in the sound system speakers and let the music take over.
Pon di ice man dem store it
Store the guns on the ice to prevent rusting and malfunctioning.
True true true Marshall a see yuh stand
Wayne Marshall has emerged victorious again.
True true true Madd Family a come
The Madd Family is now entering the scene.
Lyrics Β© CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: WAYNE MITCHELL, ANDRE GRAY, LLOYD WOODROW JAMES, RODNEY PRICE, GARY SAMUELS, VICTAN PAUL EDMUND, Gary Tyrone Samuels, Lloyd James, Rodney Basil Price, Victor Paul Edmund
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dancehalluniversejam7633
One of the top three best Wayne Marshall songs of all times
@maverickranger39
No way Bennie can touch Bounty when it comes to hardcore dancehall. 5 star general all the way. Kaboom!
@BiziPlace
No dislikes cos its true. That comment is done no disrespect to beenie bt it it what it is
@kingshango1569
Who's still in that category? Both are 2 of the greatest ever, we all know.
@maverickranger39
No one can touch Bounty Killer's voice. The badest,hardest dancehall artist in jamaica.
@delonthomas5049
The best days of dancehall music is either here or over I swear we need good music back bounty killer
@bigotrysux
LOVE IT!
@lynchtha1don
From 2001 until now, I'm trying to see how bounty fit a gatling under his shirt
@skawch3364
π€£ fr
@NYSBGamal
Facts lol