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‘The Warlord’ has maintained his top position for over twenty years through a combination of raw talent, a deep understanding of exactly what’s going on and a complete fearlessness in telling it how it really is.
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| Date Added: Feb 6, 2015, Date Updated: Feb 6, 2019 Copyright (C) 2024 Dub Store Sound Inc. |
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Born 12th June 1952 in Kingston's infamous Trench Town district Rodney Pryce then moved to Seaview Gardens and onto Riverton City. Life was unimaginably hard in these tough ghetto areas, and at the age of fourteen, he was caught in a shootout between rival political gunmen and shot by a stray bullet. During his recuperation in hospital he decided on the nom de mic. of Bounty Killer and his early deejay influences were Brigadier Jerry on Jah Love sound and Ranking Joe on U Roy's Sturgav sound.
He began to take a turn on the mic. on sounds including Stereo Two and Metromedia and was encouraged to record by another notable deejay (also his cousin), John Wayne, and his debut recording was for King Jammy(Lloyd James)'s brother, Trevor 'Uncle T' James(Trevor James), in 1992 under the name of Bounty Hunter. 'Gun Must Done' set the template for all that was to follow and he registered his first big hit, 'Spy Fi Die', with Jammy's son Lloyd 'John John' James Junior(Lloyd James Junior). Unlike many of his contemporaries Bounty Killer did not voice out for anyone and everyone but remained close to Jammy's St. Lucia Ave headquarters where he recorded hits galore for Jammy family members Uncle T, John John including 'Action Speaks Louder Than Words', 'Down In The Ghetto' and 'Smoke The Herb' and Jammys himself with 'Book, Book, Book'. His albums for Jammy, 'Down In The Ghetto', 'Jamaica's Most Wanted' and 'No Argument', were released in London on Greensleeves Records where, before too long, Bounty's name and music were as well known in the UK as they were in Jamaica. His lyrics condemned violence while his stance strove to come to terms with the reality of day to day living, and dying, in Kingston's notoriously trigger happy ghettos. On the insightful 'Down In The Ghetto' he pointed the finger of blame at corrupt politicians for the deluge of guns and drugs into downtown Kingston's ghettos over a King Jammy's cut to Baba Brooks' ska classic 'Shank I Sheck'. A lesser artist would have detailed and perhaps empathised with the lot of the ghetto sufferers but Bounty Killer went further and named the guilty men. A moving hymn of praise to his mother, 'Miss Ivy Last Son' for Uncle T, revealed a far gentler side to Bounty Killer.
In 1993 a much publicised feud with Beenie Man began over the "people dead" catch phrase and the two rivals clashed on stage at the appropriately titled Boxing Day Sting in Portmore and again on record the following year on the 'Guns Out' album which was also released on Greensleeves. The feud was resolved at the end of 1995 through the help of radio deejay Richard Burgess who invited Beenie and Bounty to the RJR studios where both mic. men acknowledged the "negative effect their feud was having on the industry" and a truce was called.
Bounty established his own Priceless label and Scare Dem productions in 1995 and the hits, including 'East Indian', 'Go Now', 'Who Create The World (Take Me Home)' and 'Killer Sound' with Future Trouble, kept on coming. His 'My Xperience' album released by VP in New York in 1996 consolidated his reputation in America, spent six months on the Billboard reggae chart and sold a reputed 300,000 copies worldwide. During that summer his rockstone voice gave an added edge to the HOT 97 FM Hip Hop Remix of The Fugees international hit 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Unlike many crossover hit makers Bounty Killer (or Bounty Killa) remained true to his ghetto roots while simultaneously reaching out and touching an international audience.
"If any deejay can lay claim to be the raw voice of Jamaican ghetto youth over the last three years it has to be Bounty Killer." Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton 1997
Bounty Killer was the ideal role model for youths looking to find a way to the top of Jamaica's dance hall scene and he went on to establish The Alliance, a group of up and coming artists, that included Angel Doolas who he had worked with on 'Go Away' while he was still recording at King Jammy's. A whole host of rising stars such as Busy Signal, Elephant Man, Mavado & Wayne Marshall also joined The Alliance all going on to win over notoriously hard to please Jamaican audiences at massive stage shows such as the annual Sting and Reggae Sumfest concerts. After Vybz Kartel's show stopping performance at the 1998 Portmore 'Champions In Action' show Vybz was invited to join The Alliance and he began to write lyrics for a number of Bounty Killer hits including 'High Grade Forever' and 'Warlord Rule The World'.
The New Millennium saw his career continue from strength to strength when he recorded 'Hey Baby' with No Doubt, which reached Number Five in the US Hot One Hundred and his 'Ghetto Dictionary Volume Two: Mystery' album received a Grammy Nomination in 2001. And in 2006 he released the compilation album 'Nah No Mercy – The Warlord Scrolls' through VP Records. Despite his occasional altercations with the forces of law and order: Bounty Killer was arrested twice at Reggae Sumfest, in 2001 following a heated disagreement with another artist and again in 2008 for the alleged use of profanity during his performance, he has showed no signs of ever easing up the pressure. His unbridled talent, business acumen and hard earned knowledge of exactly what the audience wants are certain to keep him at the top... Rodney Pryce is truly priceless.
Sources:
Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton: Reggae The Rough Guide Rough Guides Ltd. 1997 |
| Feb 6, 2015 (Feb 6, 2019 Update) Text by Harry Hawks
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