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.
Woman a Trail Mi
Bounty Killer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See di gal dem arrive
inna overdrive
want to be ma bride
di gal dem come a mi flee market, hey
wid pan, bucket and basket
aye yow
Look at likkle shorty walk it
look at it, aye
Anyway
Woman a trail wi
waan wholesale mi
want wi inna bulk and who nuh waan retail mi
seh nah fail mi
neither blackmail mi
waan hol' mi juss to inhale,uh hah
Unnu good gal a trail mi
waan wholesale mi
who nuh want mi inna bulk a seh dem waan retail mi
and dem nah fail mi
neither blackmail mi
waan hol' mi juss to inhale mi, like dat
Woman tek car, truck, bus and bike gal walk it
fly dung like flee market
who nuh get, some truss, some beg and buy it
some run guh home guh talk it,
guh tell dem madda and dem granny and dem aunty and dem miss
and dem big fat sista name margaret
well woman tek off like rocket and a move faster dan a bullet
run come a mi a dem target, suh well
In the beginning of the song, Bounty Killer describes the scene of women arriving with great enthusiasm and wanting to be his bride. He mentions a specific place, his "flee market", where women with various possessions and tools like pans, buckets, and baskets arrive. He then admires one woman walking by, which appears to have caught his attention. Bounty Killer then refers to the "women trailing him", they want him in bulk and will not settle for just retail. He says that these women want to hold and inhale him. Essentially, Bounty Killer is boasting about the attention he receives from women, specifically those who want to be with him in a more intimate way.
The phrase "woman a trail mi" is a Jamaican Creole expression that can be interpreted as "women are following me". The lyrics are speaking to the prevalence of women who desire to be with him, and how they come from all walks of life. The song itself speaks to Jamaican views surrounding masculinity where having multiple female partners reflects positively on one's ability to attract mates. Furthermore, the concept of inhaling and holding a partner refers to a desire for intimacy in a very physical way.
Line by Line Meaning
See di gal dem arrive
I see the women arriving
inna overdrive
They're moving quickly and with great energy
want to be ma bride
These women are interested in marrying me
di gal dem come a mi flee market, hey
The women come to where I am selling things
wid pan, bucket and basket
They come with pans, buckets, and baskets
Look at likkle shorty walk it
I observe a small woman walking
Anyway
In any case
Woman a trail wi
Women are following or pursuing me
waan wholesale mi
They want to buy me in bulk
want wi inna bulk and who nuh waan retail mi
They want to buy me in large quantities and those who don't want to, want to buy me by the item
seh nah fail mi
They say they won't disappoint me
neither blackmail mi
They won't threaten or extort me
waan hol' mi juss to inhale,uh hah
They want to just hold me and breathe me in
Unnu good gal a trail mi
Good women are following me
who nuh want mi inna bulk a seh dem waan retail mi
Those who don't want to buy me in large quantities want to buy me by the item
and dem nah fail mi
They promise not to disappoint me
neither blackmail mi
They promise not to threaten or extort me
waan hol' mi juss to inhale mi, like dat
They want to hold me and breathe me in, just like that
Woman tek car, truck, bus and bike gal walk it
Women come to me by every means of transportation including vehicles and walking
fly dung like flee market
They move quickly like they're at a busy market
who nuh get, some truss, some beg and buy it
Those who can't afford it will either beg for it or try to trade for it
some run guh home guh talk it,
Some will run home to tell their family and friends
guh tell dem madda and dem granny and dem aunty and dem miss
They will tell their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends
and dem big fat sista name margaret
They'll even tell their friends named Margaret
well woman tek off like rocket and a move faster dan a bullet
Some women move quickly and with great force towards me
run come a mi a dem target, suh well
They run to me, and I seem to be their main goal
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: RODNEY PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind