Move over Nelly and Ludacris! Dancehall icons Beenie Man & Bounty Killer went head-to-head in the latest Verzuz battle, and Rihanna was here for it!
Another week, another Verzuz battle! Beenie Man, 46, and Bounty Killer, 47, were the latest duo to face off on Saturday, May 23 and thousands of fans — including Rihanna, 32, were here for it. The dancehall edition had the Instagram and Twitter verses boogying away on their couches, until a brief pause when the police showed up! RiRi was not about to let the cops stop the party, and hilariously had some words for them in the comments. “Tell the police to go hooommeeee,” she begged, adding, “Come oooonnnn office,” and “let the chune run man.” She can say that again!
While it was wasn’t stated why, exactly, the cops showed up, the Jamaican government website states that a nationwide curfew is in effect from 8:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M. daily — and the interruption definitely fell in that time frame. Despite rules, Beenie Man had some words of his own for the officers. “We have thousands of people watching us all around the world — do you want to be this guy?” he could be heard saying to the cop, explaining to the 400,000 fans that, “the police are here — but we are not stopping…the police are gone! We are Jamaicans! We are being nice!” he added before jumping back into the tunes.
Rihanna made her presence known shortly after the hours-long event started, shouting “Bounty Killaaaaaaaa” and “S— gettin HECTICCCC,” later asking “Who keeping score?” Several other celebs were getting down to the tunes, including Missy Elliott, Gabrielle Union, Ashanti, and Diddy who showed some love in the comments!
Dubbed a “clash of the icons,” Timbaland and Swizz Beatz‘ official Verzuz account announced the showdown last week. The pair are both pioneers when it comes to the ’90s dancehall sound, popularizing the genre around the world! Beenie Man — born Anthony Moses Davis and dubbed the “King of Dancehall” — first made waves with Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder in 1983 (and yes, he was only 10). He made a splash when he re-entered the music scene in his 20s, skyrocketing to the top of the charts with songs like “Romie”, “Who Am I”, and “Girls Dem Sugar.” His 2002 collaboration with Janet Jackson, “Feel It Boy,” remains his most iconic hit to this day and he also took home a Grammy for his album Art & Life in 2001.
Bounty Killer — born Rodney Basil Price — is equally as known in the dancehall realm. The Kingston native burst onto the scene with four back-to-back albums released in 1994, followed by My Xperience in 1996. Largely regarded for his hiphop collaborations, including “Change Like The Weather” with Busta Rhymes and “Hip-hopera” with The Fugees, he also collaborated with Beenie Man on “Revolution, Pt. 3.” Unforgettably, he’s also featured on No Doubt‘s signature 2001 tune “Hey Baby,” which earned him his sole Grammy award.
Although the duo are both legends in their own right, they have had some drama in the past: the feud started after Bounty’s performance at the Sting 1993 show, leading the pair to exchange lyrical barbs in several songs over the years. They took the feud so seriously, they would even record versus using the same beats so they could easily be played back-to-back! They buried the hatchet on-stage at the Sting 1995 concert, but came up again after Bounty’s ex-girlfriend D’Angel ended up marrying Beenie (they divorced in 2011).