Not very often you see Bounty Killer opens up about starting out as an artists, as well as, his rivals and friends in dancehall.
During a recent interview with reggae.fr while on tour in Europe, Bounty Killer discussed a wide range of topics including getting his big break in dancehall in the early 1990s, Beenie Man biting his style, forming Scare Dem Crew, The Alliance, and Vybz Kartel leaving the group.
New Music: Bounty Killer – No Long Talking
On his early career
“Jammy’s was my first major producer, but the first time I really went into the studio to record was with Lego from Orange Street down town. That’s the first time I tried to record but I never got to record. Then I went to Mikey Cruze from Island Records. So the first time I record Copper Shot the song that burst me was recorded for Mango Label for Mikey Cruze but it wasn’t on the right riddim so the chemistry wasn’t there. It’s the same song but wasn’t the same groove. So its when I went to Jammy’s I re-record it. 1992 is when I get my first hit song “Border Clash.”
On Beenie Man biting his style
“My clashes aint so serious, my clash them serious about music, its nothing serious like in real life, all my clashes are just musical. I never have a personal issue about a person and turn it into music. It was really a musical issue where Beenie Man come and pirate my style and acting like this is his and like he had a user permit, so I show him no you have no right to use it. So it wasn’t anything beyond music, it was just Beenie taking my style and I got to prove it was mine.”
On the Alliance and Kartel leaving
“Alliance means one for all and all for one, its like one hand wash the other. Not because am the head or am the leader, I don’t see myself better than non of my brothers. We are all brothers and that is why you don’t see we disrespect and beat up each other and if you want to leave you can go. Because it is a big independent organization, it is no manipulation thing. That’s why Kartel could leave and go find his own empire and nobody look down on him. You notice they look down and Blak Ryno and Jah Vinci like they are less without Kartel.”
Watch video from the interview below.
