Bounty Killer gets his break

Bounty Killer - Winston Sill

Love him, hate him, you can't ignore him. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Bounty Killer, the 'Warlord' himself. And that was before Reggae Sumfest 2001. The deejay proved his stamina in a near three-hour interview with Melville Cooke, which began and ended with his upcoming 36-track CD, 'Ghetto Dictionary', which is slated for a November release. In-between there was dancehall, hip-hop, politics, Callaloo Bed, Seaview, Sumfest, Shabba, Richie Stevens, Border Clash, Sting, payola, charts, the Grammy, Natty Morgan, Lexxus, Sizzla, Baby Cham, Mr. Vegas, Merciless ­ and Beenie Man. Lots of Beenie Man. Lots and lots of Beenie Man. Between today and next Saturday, in The Gleaner and The Star, the Poor People's Governor tells it as only he can, sometimes relaxed, sometimes intense. But always focused. Welcome to Bounty Killer's Experience. We begin 15 minutes into the interview ­ and at the real start of his career.

MC: So, yu neva get involved in de payola ting?

BK: No, I can't do that. Because Bounty is too influential. Because Bounty Killer is too impacting for doing dat. I came about and I sing Dub Fe Dub on a dub plate for Sky Juice and that is how I burst. Dub plate. Nuff people don't even know that is a dub plate burst me.

MC: So you're coming from the roots.

BK: From the roots, at Woodford Park on a Wednesday night. Prento, who's working with Downsound now, he record me and Harry Toddler on the Nanny Goat riddim and take the special--They was runnin' off some pre-release and they had two space on the dub and they just say, 'do two tune'.

MC: And you were just at the studio and you do a thing--

BK: And I did my song called (he transforms into the on-stage Bounty Killer in an instant, sitting up, voice lifting and right hand going out to the 'crowd') 'Dem a talk bout dem have de mos' dub, an a brag sey dem have de bes' set a dub, but we no care, we no response fi man dub, we ago murder dem my soun' a go kill dem now, ....' Yea, an dat was the time when people was talking about 'yow, dub fi dub de nex' roun!' Yu memba dem talk deh?

MC: Yea, yea yea yea yea yea.

BK: It used to be a dub fi dub talk. Dem time deh dub plate was just getting prevalent, so people used to brag on their dubs, sey 'I have the best set a dubs, or the biggest set a dubs an' a dub fi dub now'. So it was a talk dat I eliminate.

MC: Mmmmm. So is nuff soun' die after dat.

BK: Yea. It was the biggest talk in the dance, dub fi dub in a sound clash. So as you say that, dat tune kills you. And Sky Juice went and killed some sound in Canada, kill Bodyguard and Bodyguard come back and trust de tune and I was so excited to do it, cause Bodyguard is a big sound. I neva think about sey, trusting dem mi tune. I was excited to know that Bodyguard interested in my tune. I trust dem de tune now.

MC: Dem pay you?

BK: Hold on! And when I trus dem di tune, I neva get to voice the song till like six months after. So after six months the song sorta cool dung, so dat song couldn't have burst me again, cause it rinse out an done. But it make my name wit a little impact in de dance. People know of dis likkle boy name Bounty Killer, so I came back with Copper Shot one year after. And that is how I see Bodyguard again, cause they came back for the Copper Shot. Cause they used Dub Fi Dub kill how much sound an no come back, cause dem sey di way dead. But true mi rebirth wit a big tune now and they have to come back, cause soun man a come fi di tune too. So they eventually come back an mi tell dem dem haffi pay ten grand fi da tune deh whe yu run whe wid fi a year.

MC: Mmmm. Yu haffi go pay off dat an pay off di nex one too.

BK: Yea. An yu haffi go pay extra too. Yu haffi go pay ridiculous. Cause yu dissapoint.

MC: Afta Copper Shot come Lodge an dem tune deh?

BK: Yea. Afta Copper Shot it was history. Spy Fi Die, Not Anadda Word, Kill Fi Fun, No Argument--you name them.

MC: So it all start with Copper Shot.

BK: Yea. And the first show I tore down was a show called Border Clash ­ the last Border Clash. July '92 ­ no, July '93.

MC: Representing Kingston, right? Who else was on that, representing St. Catherine?

BK: It was a Border Clash, but there was not much artiste to represent St. Catherine. As you know, St. Catherine don't have that much top artiste in the limelight all the time. You have like one and two at times. So it was just the theme Border Clash, true it have a impact. So it wasn't really a clash show. It was Terror Fabulous, Terror Fabulous was the star, Daddy Screw, Louie Culture ­ they were the big artistes on the show. Then me, Beenie Man, Tanto Metro and some more.

MC: An yu step up an deal wid de matter.

BK: Yea. An when I went up it was gun down. Cause at that time I don't know how to do show. I went up with the biggest song. I start the show with Copper Shot.

MC: No build up?

BK: No, I neva buil up, I just go from the top and tore it down. Yea, I just went on wit Copper Shot an I start di big song an a pure gunshot.

(Richie Stephens helps MC out): What happen after that?

BK: Everything I say is just murder. Cause a de wicked man dis. Yea. An dem time deh it was jus Ninja Man alone talking about guns and rude boy ting. An Ninja Man was at jail. So I was just exceptionally different from everybody. Yea. And that time I came out just in a little short pants an' a li- kkle vest, me look too simple fi saying dese tings. De way how me attack de people dem me look too likkle an too simple an too fine. A him sing dem song deh? People hard fi fin dis real.

MC: Yu did nervous before da big show deh?

BK: No, mi no even memba how mi did stay, but no, ah don't nervous cause tell yu wha, dats me from long time, I like to have a audience. Dats how me even get de name Bounty Hunter, from some man, Rashy Bull an' Niney an' Saltfish an' Son Son inna Riverton. Me deh deh a talk, an de deh a kill dem wid we argument, an dem a sey how dah bway deh full a argument so? Cause me a baby dem time deh, so dem always call me Prentice. So dem sey a Bounty Hunter yu name from tonight. An yu haffi go hol di mike too, cause yu have too much argument. An me no have no lyrics now, so me hol de mike an sing (the voice and stance change again) 'Woman make yu waistline roolll, she put one han inna de air like a TV pole, --.. her belly an har bottom jus a roll, --.. people get outta control, tra la la la la la ­ an de place mash up an me jus leggo de mike, cause me no have nutten more fe sey. An cut out. An dem a sey him mash up place an a play hype like him a star. But a done mi done.

(Bounty's laughter is echoed by Richie Stephens' and MC's).

In today's Star: Shabba, Seaview and getting shot.

Taken From Yesterday's Paper

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