"Art & Life is about the way an artist paints a picture - but a picture also paints an artist," explains Beenie Man. "It's about the inner man and the outer man." "Since I was a little kid, I've been in dancehall and listening to reggae and Beenie Man is one of my favorites," says Wyclef. "We're always working together because our chemistry works so well." Art & Life is a muscular and sophisticated collection featuring guests like Wyclef and ghetto diva, Maia, who croons on "Girls Them Sugar," a deft take on "Who Am I?," the track that brought Beenie Man, born Moses Davis, to international attention in 1997.

Always present and correct are his signature rough rhythm riding skills that have made Beenie Man a star since he turned out ghetto talent contests as a young man. Beenie Man's spontaneous, rapid-fire toasting and singing skills are endlessly inventive and commanding. His catchphrases - "Zim Zimma, who's got the keys to my Bimmer" from "Who Am I?" among countless others - have made him a folk hero everywhere they care about dance music.

Describing his gift, Beenie Man says, "I'm a word garden. I build words, make words. Words are always in my head. All I need is a beat and that's it. I have a dictionary in my head, the beats create a melody and once you find the melody, that's the song." Contradicting his name, which means "shortie," the long, lean and lanky Beenie Man, with his melting eyes, is dubbed 'De gal dem sugar,' in tribute to his magnetic power over female fans.

Lovers of Beenie Man's raunchy lyrics will flock to his vivid self-advertisements for popularity and athletic sexuality on "Analyze This" and "Ola." Yet in some respects, the soul of Art & Life is "Jamaica Way," a lyrical hymn of praise to his island and its musical heroes, while its heart is "Ain't Nobody," a strutting mission statement of self-determination. "What I do in the States is what Beenie Man does in Jamaica," says Wyclef. "He takes everything and puts it together and comes up with a sound that, even though it's dancehall, you can still hear a little bit of rock, a little bit of reggae harmony singing, opera … a whole bunch of things."

"You have to get everyone involved in your music," Beenie Man explains. "You can't be an artist stuck in Jamaica, America or England; you have to be a
universal artist. I'm a fan of all music."

Known for his eclectic assemblages on Art & Life, songs like "The Tumble," with its Latin dancehall beat will send a charge right through from
Trinidad's "Port of Spain to Portland, Maine," as Beenie Man sings.

Flavor enhancement comes from the great Cuban trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval, and Beenie Man's combo of English singing and rapping in Spanish. Beenie Man utilizes the tracks of Art & Life in weaving his own tapestry. "Love Me Now" flows into the Civil Rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome." He interlaces lands and legends on "I've Got A Date," which mixes the Staples Singers' "I'll Take You There" bassline with the Alton Ellis rock steady classic of the title, a favorite of Beenie Man's mother when he was a child.

Music surrounded the young Beenie Man. With his mother and many siblings, he lived in a government 'tenement' yard in the Waterhouse area of Jamaica,
where regular rasta nyabinghi drum and chant sessions attracted the neighborhood's many musicians, including Black Uhuru, and the Wailers' Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailers and Bob Marley.

Improvising at a local talent contest at age six, Beenie Man was spotted by the controller of the Shocking Vibes label, Patrick Roberts. "He was talent itself," Roberts recalls.

Beenie Man remembers that night. "I won the concert out of about fifty artists. I never lost a DJ contest. I have to go to school and my mother don't have no money. I would win $25 JA and two boxes of beer for a contest; the beer was my shoes and school uniform money, the $25 JA was my lunch
money. I had to win."

Football (or as we in America call it - soccer) and music are traditional escape routes from the ghetto. Indeed, Beenie Man was selected to attend many schools because of his strength at football. But a broken foot made him realize, "Music is my only hope."

Much time was spent at King Tubby's Studio with the engineer, Jammys, who would let the gifted youth sing a track and then give him a cassette to play for his friends. Then, during a temporary split with Roberts, Beenie Man cut "The Invisible Beenie Man, Ten Year Boy Wonder" with producer
Bunny "Striker" Lee. It became a global reggae hit, though Beenie Man's rewards were in experience, rather than finance.

Pursuing his dream, Beenie Man often had it rough. He slept on streets and beaches and went hungry. Escaping the rigors of Jamaican ghetto life, Beenie
Man traveled to England, America and then Canada, where Roberts tracked him down and insisted he come home to make music. "I sat there for three years and nothing happened," Beenie Man recalls ruefully.

Ultimately, collaborations with the production team of Sly and Robbie and artists like Luciano and Barrington Levy propelled Beenie Man on until he was voted Jamaica's DJ of the year in 1994, a position he has since maintained. In that same year, a collection of remakes of Beenie Man's local hit, "Blessed," was released in a short-lived deal with Island.

But it was 1997's autobiographical The Many Moods of Moses album, boldly mixing dancehall with Zulu Harmonies, that broke Beenie Man big internationally. "Who Am I?" charted R&B as well as topping reggae charts for weeks. Its country track, "Ain't Gonna Figure It Yet," even became a hit in Nashville. Now, with the powerful production of Art & Life, Beenie Man has achieved a compelling synthesis that will ignite listeners everywhere.
Concludes Beenie Man, "I'm an entertainer who entertains all people. I do standup comedy, I act (he starred in the Jamaican hit, "Dancehall Queen"). I do everything. On Art & Life, you not only see me alone, you see the world through me, like
I am your guide. "It's a fullness that we reached."

LINDO P FROM RED FLAME SOUND /TORONTO

He started his career with Blessed in the late 80’s. They started a DJ group called Poison Ivy, he later joined a DJ group called Lone Star and debuted at club Hollywood then on Danfourth and Greenwood. He later left Lone Star in the 90’s and joined Red Flame (a popular east end reggae sound), and started playing at club Spectrum and Copa. Lindo P has also played at The Beat, which is now Called Sheppard Station with world renowned DJ group Stone Love, Heat Wave and recording artist Spragga Benz. Lindo P has also been invited to play at every university sports weekend ever held. Other notable artists and dj’s he has performed with include Jedi, Black Cat, Exodus, Metro Media , Jam Rock , Super D, Body Guard, Merciless, Dennis Brown, Beenie Man, and Spragga Roots. In 1997 Red Flame broke up and in 1998 Lindo P was recruited by Spragga Roots of the sound Heat Wave.

With Heat Wave, Lindo P played at the Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Luciano, Lady Saw, Barrington Levy, Coco Tea, and Baby Sham , he also played the Capleton show held at the Government night club. Over the years Lindo P has also been invited to play and perform at events in Calgary, Vancouver, Nova Scotia, Jamaica, Guyana, Antigua, London Ont, Windsor Ont, Ottawa, Montreal and New Jersey. After the Break up of Heat Wave, Lindo P started to focus more on writing and performing songs rather than just playing them. He started writing songs daily until it started to become easier and easier.

Lindo was then approached by a popular sound from Jamaica called Jah Creation and went down to Jamaica for a while. The trip proved to be most beneficial to his career, while in Jamaica Lindo was not only able to develop his disc jockeying abilities but he was able to refine his performance style while and his experiences there gave him more than enough materials to continue his song writing. Upon his return to Canada, Lindo felt that it was time to develop his singing career Though he was nervous at first the overwhelmingly positive response from the crowd made him feel right at home and Lindisimo was born. Lindisimo kept writing and performing and soon other artists came knocking looking for Lindisimo’s unique energetic flavour to be on their songs.

He has performed songs with countless artists such as Kardinal Official, Blessed, Frank N Dank, Danny O just to name a few. Recently Lindisimo was asked to join The Black Jays, a group Toronto top urban artists lead by Virgin recording artist Kardinal Official. Now Lindo P is looking to utilize his knowledge experience and connections in the music industry to spread his positive message to an even larger audience.

BLACK REACTION /TORONTO
(2006 SOUNDCLASH WORLD CHAMPIONS)

Founded bv Natty Britz (R.I.P.) and Paul Watson in 1993, Black Reaction is an award winning sound out of Toronto, Canada. Their most notable win is the Irish & Chin World Clash 2006. Known for their original speeches and on-point mixing, Black Reaction is a favorite amongst the clash culture today.

Black Reaction has a strong fan base due to their superior juggling skills. Enter a dance and they will take you back to one foot skank, all return you to the era of today’s aerobics dances. Something for the ladies and the men, Black Reaction is a universal sound.


OPENING ACTS:

MATRIXXX SOUND
DJ BRUKOUT
Dj Daddy Mikey

DOORS OPEN AT 7PM

TIX AVAILABLE @

DIPT
819 Hornby
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E6
(604) 669-9990

BEATSTREET
439 Hastings Street West
Vancouver, BC V6B 1L4
(604) 683-3344

Zulu records
1972 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5
(604) 738-3232

Eastside Urbanware
Metropolis mall
6044513310

& online @ www.clubzone.com

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