Bounty Killer

Jamaican reggae and dancehall giant Rodney Basil Price aka Bounty Killer was born June 12 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is the founder of the Group Scare Dem Crew and dancehall collective The Alliance which has helped young struggling artists to reach stardom, like Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Mavado, Busy Signal and Aidonia. Growing up in the ghetto region of Riverton, Kingston, at age 14 he was caught in the crossfire of waring political enforcers and shot in the head, and while convalescing in hospital decided on the name Bounty Killer. Prior to his entry into the music industry, Rodney worked in the assets management branch of Bank of Ireland. This role involved dealing with self-employed, and wealthy, individuals. He was then encouraged to record at King Jammy's studio in Kingston. Price eventually recorded with King Jammy, the first session being in Spring 1992. One of his first tunes was the "Coppershot", which Jammy was unwilling to release due to its lyrics glorifying gun culture. Jammy's brother Uncle T disagreed and released the single himself. In 1993, Price performed at the annual hardcore festival Sting, held in Portmore, Jamaica every year on Boxing Day, whereupon he had a high-profile clash with fellow deejay Beenie Man. The rivalry continued through the 1990s, with both accusing the other of a stolen act. They settled their differences after both realized the negative effect their feud was having on the industry. He has also had heated rivalries with several other top deejays, including Merciless, Super Cat, Vybz Kartel and Sizzla throughout his career. He increased control over his output in 1995 by leaving Jammy and setting up his own Scare Dem Productions company and Priceless Records label. During the 1990s, Price voiced for several producers and labels in Jamaica, releasing songs such as "Defend the Poor", "Mama", "Book, Book, Book", "Babylon System" and "Down in the Ghetto". At about this time, he became known in USA and in Europe, recording with such artists as Busta Rhymes, No Doubt, Masta Killa, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga, Swizz Beatz and AZ. In the mid-1990s, he began releasing albums, with four released in 1994. His 1996 album My Xperience was hugely successful, spending six months on the Billboard reggae chart. In 1997 Bounty Killer decided to make a cover version of Rose Royce hit single Love Don't Live Here Anymore. The song made a huge success in the Caribbean & the US. It was also featured in She's So Lovely (Sean Penn film). In 1998, contributed the song "Deadly Zone" to the album Blade: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture. Price has expressed disdain for popular rap, which he called "embarrassing to reggae," even while collaborating with Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and others he considers hardcore. In 2001, Price collaborated with No Doubt on their single "Hey Baby". Further success followed with albums such as Ghetto Dictionary Volume I: Art of War and Ghetto Dictionary Volume II: Mystery, the latter receiving a Grammy nomination. In 2006, he signed with VP Records and released the compilation album Nah No Mercy - The Warlord Scrolls on 7 November 2006. He has been credited with having inspired many young artists such as Vybz Kartel, Mavado and Elephant Man and several other young artists in Jamaica.