Beenie Man brings his Grammy-award-winning music to the Cayman Islands

Beenie Man with his Grammy Award

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

After a five-year hiatus, Grammy-award-winning Jamaican singer, Beenie Man, graced a Caymanian stage and performed to a sold-out crowd in the Matrix parking lot Friday, 12 December. 

The 30-year-old artist was riding the wave that was created by his Tropical Storm album, released last year. The record, featuring singles with Janet Jackson, Lil' Kim, and Sean Paul, sold more than 115,000 copies in its first three weeks of release. 

Beenie's start in music began with toasting at the age of five in Waterhouse, Kingston, Jamaica. 25 years later, he is making serious inroads in the international music market. 

DJ, Super C, a recognised local artist in his own right, and one of the promoters for the show, performed for some of the night along side the reggae star. 

"A lot of people ask me what it's like to work so closely with Beenie Man, but I'm used to it now. I go to Jamaica a lot and play there. We hang out in the studio together. We joke around. He's a great artist." 

Super C remembers five years ago when a fatal stabbing at a Beenie Man concert forced officials to deny issuing him another permit. During the 1998 concert, a man was stabbed during an altercation with another man, although officials do not believe there was any association between the fight and the concert, itself.

"Visits to Cayman used to be a yearly thing for Beenie Man," continued Super C. "When that stabbing happened, they turned down his permit, year after year. Finally, this year, they allowed him back in." 

Security for this weekend's concert was beefed-up as a result of the incident. National Security, Hawkeye Security, and Kings Security all had a role in keeping things safe during the night. 

Beenie Man is expected to release a new album, tentatively titled Proper Fix, sometime next year. In the meantime, he will continue touring. Immediately following the Cayman Islands concert, Beenie Man was on his way to Antigua.

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