Bounty Killer has a career which spands nearly 2 decades of successful and highly entertaining continuous hits. Known by many different titles and names, but some that stand out the most are: The poor people`s governor, The War Lord, Miss Ivy`s Last Son, Rodney Price, Ground-god, and The 5 Star General. Hailing from Seaview Gardens, Bounty Killer knows and understands very well, the plight of poor people and the struggles of ghetto youth. With lyrics like: "Down inna de ghetto weh da poor nah have ah ting" and "Me see it fe me self, water full up me eye"........Bounty was truly translating his past experiences in the ghetto through the microphone that he spoke through.
Bounty entered Dance hall reggae as a "War Dee Jay". He declared War first on corrupt politicians and on corrupt religious institutions (Pope Paul). Bounty`s lyrics have covered some very controversial topics like: Speaking out on corrupt government officials, Un-fair statutes and laws that seem to target inner-city ghetto youth, Man to man is un-just, he spoke out against homosexual activity and behavior, but what set him aside from previous dee jays was his ability to speak openly on or off record about any artist currently in the industry. Bounty Killer is a War Lord, he says whatever he wants to say and he vexes whomever he wants to fret. Fear is not a viable option in an industry which pays respect to the most fearless and sometimes ruthless dee jay. To survive as a "War dee jay", you must be who or what you sing about or else not only your career will be done, but your street credibility will leave you as an open target with a red bullseye on your back. Bounty Killer has enjoyed much success from his many hits, but because true Stardom is almost always born out of rivalry, it was gonna take more than record sales to prove the strength of the "Killa".
Beenie Man and Bounty Killer`s rivalry is a rare but perfect opportunity in which Bounty, as well as Beenie, both seized in order to ascend a higher level. These two artists have had some tough "tuggy-tuggy" showdowns. There are several mixtapes, cd`s, and youtube footage which documents the nearly 2 decade span of the feuding between these 2 Reggae Super-Stars. Most would agree that Beenie Man is a bit more versatile, because he touches every aspect of daily life in his music. But Bounty`s music is quite different. From his inception into the business, Bounty spoke of war, made war, and studied war. War is a huge part of his musical personality. So it is also a known fact that Bounty Killer has an edge on Beenie when it comes to war lyrics, as his most recent hit, aimed directly at Beenie proves (Bullet Proof Skin). But there is so much more to Bounty Killer than you may or may not know.
The success that Bounty Killer was blessed with, opened many doors for other artists in the industry today. Scare dem Crew (Elephant Man, Harry Toddler, Boom Dondemite, Nitty Cutchie), Mavado, Busy Signal, Vybez Kartel, Foota Hype, Baby Cham, and a whole host of new artists, all came in through the medium of Bounty Killer. When asked about his reasons for bussing so much youth, and giving so many the opportunity to be successful, Bounty Killer humbly responds, we all ah ghetto youth, and our collective success is like unto the food chain, if one of us can't eat, then slowly we will all cease to eat.....!!!
It is this philosophy which truly sets Bounty aside from most dee jays in the business today. He is un-willing to see and Not help.....!!! Poor people`s governor was truly a prophetic title that he was labled as since his inception. This type of thinking has led the War General to create and form, "The Alliance", a group of Reggae Super-Stars, who are all equally marketable but yet collectively believe in the vision of the "Killa". Bounty has so many sides to him that it will be quite hard to accurately describe or rationalize him, but one thing you have to acknowledge is that he is, "The 5 Star General", a natural born leader, who leads and governs through intellect and spirit, who has a courageous persona, that says No to government corruption, religious persecution of faith, and defilement of God`s Law.
These attributes truly attest to the leadership qualities of a General. For a true leader knows and understands that he is just a prince carrying out the will of the King.....Jah, Most High, and Bounty acknowledges this, as he says he just a "Ground god".....!!!
