Tracks and Records welcomes the King of the Dancehall

Davina Henry, Staff Reporter

Audience members waited with bated breath for the King of the Dancehall, Beenie Man, to take his place on the stage at Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records Lounge for the Behind The Screen series on Tuesday.

Clad in a pair of white sneakers, blue vest and white patterned jeans, Beenie Man and his signature "zaga zow" took to the stage and immediately launched into his catalogue of hits.

The little-more-than-an-hour-long set saw fans dancing and singing along to hits such as Toy Friend, Let Him Go, Memories and Girls Dem Sugar.

The night got into high gear when 'The Doctor' did a remix of the hit single I Gotta Feeling, much to the delight of the audience who began jumping up and down and waving their hands in the air.

One of the highlights of the night occurred when Beenie Man called on dancer John Hype to the stage for a dance-off.

Beenie Man, the consummate performer, launched into hits such as Chakka Dance and Frame I and I and proved to be the better dancer.

Beenie Man had the audience when he asked that ladies who were in monogamous relationships raise their hands. Only a few hands went up.

"Mek mi see all a di woman dem who have more than one man," screamed Beenie.

The sentence was met with a chorus of screams and hands waving.

Saluting jamaica

Paying homage to Jamaica's 50th anniversary, Beenie Man called for peace and unity among all Jamaicans.

The deejay then launched into newer songs such as Let's Go To The Beach, Dweet Again, Nah Talk Too Long and Inna The Go-Go Club.

Beenie Man ended the night by thanking all his fans for their continued support and urged them to continuously support Brand Jamaica. He then launched into a cover of Bob Marley's Redemption Song.

After ending his set, Beenie Man was called back on to the stage and was presented with a gift from Usain Bolt.

Beenie Man is the first artiste to receive a headset from Bolt's headphone line titled 'Soul'.

Event promoter Sharon Burke told The Gleaner that the series continues to grow each week.

"Beenie Man was really up close and personal with his fans, and this is the only place in Kingston on a Tuesday night that individuals can enjoy live music and be up close and personal with the artistes. The series is really going well and we're just looking to keep it solid," she said.

Behind The Screen will continue next week with artiste Romain Virgo.