'Verzuz': Cops interrupt Beenie Man and Bounty Killer's reggae battle, Rihanna says 'tell them to go home'
Reggae heavyweights Bounty Killer and Beenie Man have gone head-to-head on Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's 'Verzuz' Instagram Live battle series. Unlike other 'Verzuz' battles, the two legends were sharing mics in the same room while delivering their classic hits.
With both the artists having longstanding careers in the dancehall music scene, which goes as far back as the late '90s, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer rendered a different sound — something the 'Verzuz' series hasn't had before. Hip-hop and dancehall have intertwined throughout both of their careers and the legendary artists are no strangers to the mix. Their music is extremely diverse, with Bounty Killer collaborating with hip-hop groups including The Fugees and Mobb Deep.
Although fans were anticipating some tension since the two have been going back-and-forth for decades, the cops actually showed up at the venue as the battle picked up traction. However, Beenie handled the situation pretty well as he spoke to the officers. "We have thousands of people watching us all around the world — do you want to be this guy?" he asked the cop, before turning to the camera and saying, "The police are here, but we are not stopping..." Soon after this he said, "The police are gone! We are Jamaicans! We are being nice!"
Fans on Twitter were "in stitches" over the incident. "I assumed it was a gag?" one fan asked and another replied, "Nah the police really b doing that..... it ain't Jamaican till police show up to shut things down." One fan wrote, "Lmao ok that was hilarious." Another said, "This is legendary." One fan added that Beenie Man "handled it like a boss".
Rihanna also had a comment for the police. "Tell the police to go hooommeeee," she begged and added, "Come oooonnnn office." She said, "let the chune run man."
Shortly after the battle started, Rihanna's earlier comments included, "Bounty Killaaaaaaaa" and "S— gettin HECTICCCC", and "Who keeping score?" Several other celebs were loving the tunes too, including Missy Elliott, Gabrielle Union, Ashanti and Diddy who also commented, according to Hollywood Life.
Meanwhile, several fans were talking about Beenie Man vs Sean Paul battle. One fan said, "Beenie Man -vs- Sean Paul would've been a good battle as well," while another wrote, "We need a Jamaican clash on IG Live next. I'm thinking Sean Paul vs Beenie Man just for global appeal." One fan didn't take too kindly to the notion, saying, "Lol I seein people with West Indian flags sayin dat clash should be between Sean paul and Beenie. If you just started listenin to dancehall or don’t know DH then just hush please. There is no greater rivalry in DH than bounty killer and Beenie man. Vybz kartel and mavado is close. (sic)"
