Beenie Man performed twice, about seven hours apart, at Sting 2005 on Monday. The first time he was preceded by Shocking Vibes colleagues Don Mafia and D'Angel, the second and closing appearance was with his 'nephew' Vybz Kartel.
By Mel CookeWith the morning sun warm over Jam World in Portmore, St. Catherine, after a blitz of alternating lyrics which included One Man Alone to Kartel's Maths Class in which he calculated "your vagina plus my b...y/equal six black baby", Beenie Man sat on a monitor to say "Sting ram from 9:00 o'clock."
He was slated to perform at 10:45 p.m., but ended up on stage closer to 2:00 a.m., the early and the later performances both containing songs such as Frame I and King of the Dancehall but the closing performance ended with homage to Willie Hoggart on the '85' rhythm.
"Dem sey is my graduation time an' I am now the crown King of Sting," he said, as he sat and smiled.
The two put closure to a Guinness Sting 2005 at which peace, love and unity were emphasised. There was deep feeling too, torches blazing and lighters flickering as Vegas held up the picture of a six year-old girl who was raped and killed in downtown Kingston, demanding and getting silence in her memory.
On a night when the roots of Half Pint with Greetings, Luciano with It's Me Again Jah and the older dancehall stylings of Pinchers with Agony rubbed musical shoulders with the appreciated hardcore of dancehall's fantastic females, including Spice, Lady Saw and Ruffian, coming down the home stretch the men took charge. Aidonia went for a Lolly which was lapped up by the audience, Busy Signal stepped out mightily in full black, Turbulence declared himself Notorious and Gyptian observed the Serious Time.
Natural Black's frenetic skanks and leaps backed up a thunderously received Far From Reality, while I-Wayne scorched Lava Ground and Richie Spice high stepped to Blood Again. Earlier, Lutan Fyah had waxed lyrical in declaring bloodshed in the old capital.
Just before the closing pair, Ninja Man stepped back to the clash days of Sting. "Me a go kill dem lyrically!" he said.
"I gwine done everyting when they dis de Gorgon/when me done mouth long like Miss Ivy las' born," Ninja Man chanted.
Bounty was first, the audience exploding as Ninja deejayed "Bounty gal lef yu fi a betta man/Tru she fin' out yu prefa man". Beenie was not left out. "Beenie, true yu a pose up wid Bounty ex-girl yu tink yu no eena de war," he said, deejaying "chi chi man fe dead an me mean e/mi cyaan kill Bounty an' no kill Beenie."
The audience roared. As they did when Kartel opened with a quick reply that "me no normal/me get me ring whe day ..."
But Beenie Man advised Kartel to ignore him. "Ninja Man a me boss," Beenie said. "Ninja Man is a ol' time artiste. Yu haffi see wid him. When him call yu name, low him."
"I am a Ninja Man fan. Is de firs' record me buy," Kartel said.
