Bounty Killer

Rough and tough even by rude boy standards, Bounty Killer was one of the most electrifying and polarizing dancehall stars to emerge in the genre’s ’90s boom. Born Rodney Basil Price (in 1972), the young deejay was building a rep at sound systems as a teenager in Kingston when he was injured by a stray bullet in 1986. His personal experience of street violence became part of his inspiration for his 1992 breakthrough, “Coppershot,” and more hard-edged tracks that caught on in Jamaica—and America, too. Collaborations with hip-hop greats like Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep—as well as No Doubt on their 2001 hit “Hey Baby”—boosted Bounty Killer’s international profile even as his lyrics attracted controversy for their violent, sometimes anti-gay content. In later years, Price shifted toward more positive subject matter while defending his status as dancehall’s King of Kingston.