As the debate continues over who truly holds the title of King of Dancehall, dancehall superstar Beenie Man has stepped into the spotlight with a timely reminder, “Legends don’t fade, they become immortal.”
The veteran entertainer represents that message with the release of his new single, Immortal. The track,which was produced by Kemar McGregor and released on February 6 via Billboard King Records, arrives at a time when conversations about a “new king” continue to dominate the entertainment space. But Beenie Man, given name Moses Davis, said that he is still the king.
The veteran told THE STAR, “Mi nuh have to tell people that I am the king of the dancehall because it’s only one king and I am still working. I am still here and I am out there right now and it’s not to prove to nobody.”
But, fuelling the conversation, a video shared on Beenie Man’s Instagram page shows an artificial intelligence-generated clip of dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel placing a crown on his head while he is sitting on a throne.
Speaking with THE STAR, Beenie Man laughed before adding, “Nuh worry about it man, it’s good life. I don’t do it, I don’t even know who do that.”
When asked directly for his views on the video, the entertainer laughed again before responding, “I don’t have a phone. I hear about it, but I have never seen it.”
Despite the controversy, Beenie Man said he remains focused and has since launched a dance competition, inviting dancers from Jamaica and abroad to showcase their “immortal” skills for a chance to win US$10,000 (approximately J$1.55 million).
In the meantime, the deejay said that he is working on a new album and is trying to cope with sickle cell disease.
“This is the warm-up single for the album, and that soon release. Sickle cell still [cramp] your foot and thing, but you just have to deal with it because you have it,” he said.
The veteran also hinted that wedding plans may be soon, “wedding bells [are] always in the making, but not this Valentine’s but very soon”.
Jokingly, he added that he doesn’t have any last words, “because last words a for dead people but big up my fans”.
