Tennesia Malcolm, Gleaner Writer

Author Milton Wray ... beat everyone to the draw. - Contributed

REMEMBER WHEN Beenie Man, the self-proclaimed 'King of Dancehall', hooked up with Dancehall Queen, Carlene? Many thought it was a match made in blue-blood heaven.

Speaking of heaven. Fast forward to 2007 when the king married an 'angel', with a speedy separation hot on its heels.

We all had front-row seats to these episodes and everything in between, but if you think you've had enough Beenie Man, think again.

There is still more to learn about the artiste, at least according to Milton Wray, the one-time journalist, who offers not a lengthy profile of the Grammy-winning deejay but a biography - a 400-plus-page book, chronicling the life of Moses Davis.

First bio of dancehall artiste

Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man, according to Wray, is the first biography written about a dancehall artiste. It will be released this month by Greathouse/Omni Media.

Wray, who started research on the project 11 years ago, explains why he beat everyone to the draw.

"I know that somebody else would have done it eventually, most likely a foreigner, somebody who has not lived the culture and know the life and they might not have done it justice," he said.

"One of the things that I reject is that people feel that once it's dancehall it's supposed to be substandard, passa passa, ghetto," Wray said. "I wanted to write a book that when it goes on the international market, anybody can pick it up and read, and it would be up there with any other title."

Recognise what we have now

But why a book on Beenie Man?

"Beenie Man has done some things that no other artiste has done, including Bob Marley. Bob Marley is the King of Reggae but the king of its modern pop derivative is Beenie Man," Wray explained. "And, so, we have to celebrate Marley but we also have to recognise what we have now."

Wray is reluctant to share too much of his book.

He says it is not a public relations gimmick but a genuine effort, detailing not just the artiste's life but the workings of dancehall.

"Beenie Man has a very fascinating story, quite intriguing, quite colourful and that's from the perspective of his personal life," Wray said. "Now, as it relates to his career, he has achieved some things that are just mind-blowing, phenomenal and the world doesn't know that he has achieved those things."

Truth without bias

Though the artiste cooperated with the publishing of the book, he had no final say in its content.

"The objective was to be very accurate and tell the truth without bias, without fear, without question," Wray pointed out.

As an added bonus, Who Am I? offers never-before-seen photos of the artiste, sourced from friends, family and associates.