By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Left: Bounty Killer performs at 'Island Explosion' at Leiba's Esso Station in May Pen, Clarendon, on Sunday.   Right: Beenie Man performs at 'Island Explosion'. - nathaniel stewart photos

The cheers that greeted MC Nuffy's "cross" early on Christ-mas morning went even higher and louder when Bounty Killer screeched "Good morning" to the huge audience at Leibas' Esso Station in May Pen, Clarendon, but faded and turned to impatient handclaps as he proposed a clash with Beenie Man.

Eagle and The Hawk, the threat to "murder dem blt" and Normal came in quick succession to whip the audience into a frenzy. Bounty slowed to express his disgust with Ninja Man, who had earlier deejayed to a thunderous response. "A me spen' me money an' get him outta prison. Merciless kill yu an' me put me career pon de ropes fi yu. Yu a disrespec' me when me show yu appreciation as a elder," he said.

Skettel wife

He was soon on the topic of Angel, deejaying "no buy har no diamon' an pearl," classifying her as "just a nex' girl." And he went into the history with Beenie Man, saying he "say Heart Attack an' me no sey nutten. Go a Uptown Monday, dis me, me no sey nutten. B........n, a me beg fi yu life an gi yu skettel wife."

After cautioning Kartel "be careful of those vipers," Bounty said while he might not be the greatest deejay right now, "Bounty Killer have some of the greatest fans." After doing Spy Fi Die, Bounty said "me no come up ya an' disrespec' nobody. I come an' talk realistic situation."

"Call out de fish if yu waan de bl...t war den," Bounty Killer said. "If oonu waan de war, call on de fish. If oonu waan de sekklement a de argument, mek we sekkle it once an for all." But instead of calling out Beenie Man, the audience started to clap to get Bounty Killer off. Bounty called up Assailant, who the audience appreciated. But when Bounty Killer said "me no ungrateful, me naa diss oonu, so no diss," there was a round of boos. There were some cheers when he went Psycho and Bounty Killer called up the K-Queens then delivered Bullet, but there were more handclaps after he deejayed "from dem dis me, no waan know how."

Still, he kept going with It's OK, saying "if a gal waan leave yu no fight dem, mek dem gwaan."

There was an attempt to boo Beenie Man from the back of the audience during his show-closing performance, but it was drowned out by the frenzy whipped up by his songs.