By GERMAINE SMITH, Staff ReporterLIKE THE ROLLER coaster plot of a thrilling novel or film, dancehall giants Beenie Man and Bounty Killer have come full circle to settle their feud...again.
During the 'Eclipse Pool Party' last week Saturday at the Rockfort Mineral Spa, the deejays hugged, shook hands and shared the same microphone peacefully again.
Many hailed the moment as a glorious one for dancehall music; others saw it as a temporary stage prank. Based on the expressions of the two deejays however, they see it in two words - growing up.
Beenie Man told THE WEEKEND STAR that he simply decided to put all his differences behind him for once and act maturely.
"Yu see, sometimes you have to just put certain things aside in this life," he quipped recently. "Sometimes life give you a chance to clear up things. Look at me, I nearly lose my life recently, an mi a seh, sometimes when life give you the chance to make things right you have to do it and don't hesitate."
On the other side of the fence, Bounty Killer stated that what happened on Saturday night was a good moment for music, and based on how his life is going, he is willing to keep the peace as well. "What happened Saturday night has happened before, but this time it is just a matter of how my life is going now. Anything that is not positive I will not follow it up. The negativity not good for me nor the business," Killer stated.
According to Beenie Man, settling their differences was something he wanted to see for quite a while now, but for one reason or the other, it did not materialise before now. "This a something I been trying to do for years, but it finally happen. Mi never inna it from morning, cause mi never make any money off it" (the feud).
Killer on the other hand, raised concerns about the role the public has played in perpetuating their
animosity.
"Sometimes mi wonder. The same people dem who jump up and seh dem glad me and Beenie settle things, are the same people who jump up and celebrate when me and him are at war. They love the unity and they love the rivalry, and sometimes mi wonder weh the public a defend."
"It's like they get bored easily. Tomorrow they may come and say, Beenie and Bounty, we tired a the peace, start a war now. It's like they are in it just for the show business and don't care about the artistes." With the present state of the country, he added, it is best that he depicts love and unity, and step onto the international scene.
That point of view is shared by Beenie Man as well, who noted that having lyrical confrontations does nothing to pay his bills. "The less war we have, the more money we mek. The more we can focus internationally on the fans and on the music, the better it is for the whole country."
With the die now cast, calls have come from the public for them to record a song together to prove their unity. This they both agree may just come in time.
