Bounty Killer

Bounty Hunter - Wanted - Nu Name Music - 1991

Chester Manning/Bounty Hunter’s debut album places him in the style of Ninjaman and Cobra. In many respects it predates the style of Bounty Killer, and with the names so close it could suggest a link. The emergance of any new dj style usually is a complicated process that makes DNA tracking look simple. Still this production comes from Castro Brown, while engineering /and programming comes from Noel Brown. Together they presnt Bounty Hunter with some tough rhyhtms. Some of track titles ‘Godfather’.‘Gunsmith’ and ‘Flush Him’ should provide a good indicator of where the man is coming from lyrically.

Bounty Killer - Jamaican’s Most Wanted - Greensleeves - 1993

By 1993 the slackness that had dominated the dj scene since the late eighties through Shabba etc, was ripe to be removed from the programme, well for the time being. That is not to say that Bounty Killer doesn’t go in for slackness, he does, it’s just that it’s part of a wider range of subjects. This Jammy’s studio set featuring productions from the King, son John John and Uncle T, is perhaps more interesting for the style aspects of Bounty, than anything else. It’s a very srong debut album. He sounds like he’s been deejaying for years. Although of course it’s a clever mix of Capleton relentlessness with Ninjaman’s ramblings, and that is nothing to worry about, for every dj owes something to those who came before him.

Bounty Killer - Down In The Ghetto - Greensleeves - 1994

One year on from his debut album and Bounty Killer’s style is now more distinctive than ever. Lyrically the emphasis is on reality, with no less that 6 tracks (half the album) devoted to it. ‘See You No More’(2004) is one of most interesting one’s. It’s one of those cross theme lyrics that on this occassion is part gun and part lifestyle. ‘How The West Was Won’ moves into a rap style that works very well. ‘Go Away’ featuring Nitty Kutchie is another very good track, perhaps one of the best cuts of the ‘A Get A Lick ‘ rhythm. Production on the album comes from the Jammys studio featuring King Jammy, John John and Uncle T.

Bounty Killer - No Agrument - Greensleeves - 1995

Without a single doubt 1995, was a classic year for dj lp’s. Buju Banton’s ‘Til Shiloh’ was an instant classic, and so is this set from Bounty. What is very important as well is that they (Buju’set, and Bounty’s) are totally different in both the lyrical and musical sense. Bounty’s is the raggamuffin representation of life in the mid-ninties. From the story of his cellular phone, to the preaching on ‘Seek God’. With it’s “Before they seek god, the seek the devil.” message. The highly detailed lyrics are incredible, within a couple of statements, you wonder if your listening to a book! Production is the usual combination of Jammy, John John & Uncle T, and sets a new standard for the music.

Bounty Killer - My Experience - Virgin/VP - 1996

The popularity of the multi-producer sets was always going to crossover into reggae music, and with the CD now more popular than vinyl, it’s an efficent way of getting the

track listing up to the 16-20 tracks needed. Thankfully though someone as thought about what a DJ album is, was and should be. DJ’s have always experimented with various slangs and languages. Musical styles are something else, but it works here, with the Fugees, and the very strange ‘Hip-Hopera’ more traditional is ‘Living Dangerously’ with Barrington. This big reggae hit should have taken the pair of them into the pop charts. Still with Bounty Killer it’s only a matter of time.