Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Beenie Man (right) holds a copy of his book 'Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man', while the author, Milton Wray, looks on. The launch was at the Devonshire, Devon House, on Tuesday. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

When radio personality Empress, host of Tuesday night's launch of the book, Who Am? The Untold Story of Beenie Man, started the official proceedings, she emphasised that "it is a Jamaican story, written by a Jamaican and published by a Jamaican company".

And when the book's author, Milton Wray, addressed those gathered at the Devonshire, Devon House, he noted that the book's 'Jamaicanness' presented its own challenges and opportunities.

It surrounded the subject of the book, who walked the red carpet into the Devonshire to his own King of the Dancehall.

"There is just one caveat," Wray said. "I have got myself in trouble because of one simple belief I have, that truth must always take precedence."

"There are those who would rather wait until Beenie Man is dead, some will turn up their noses," Wray said about the critics, who would question that the deejay is worthy of a biography.

"It stems from the deep, deep classism that we have. It is a social discrimination," he said, pointing out that many of the people, who would be generally considered worthy of a biography are hardly known outside of Jamaica. "This classism has long rejected dancehall because it is from the ghetto. It is the music of the poor person."

Excerpts read

Wray said that he wants Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man, "to start the debate on our discriminatory social classism. It is divisive, it is counter-productive because it stifles talent and potential. Let's make it a real issue and do something about it".

That said, he read two excerpts from the Great House Omni Media-published book, the first covering the birth of Moses Dean Anthony Davis and a tiff with one-time girlfriend Dancehall Queen Carlene. Both, however, ended with tension over sexual matters, as the joy over the birth of Moses (later dubbed Beenie Man) faded to the question of "whether Lloyd was really the biological father of the child".

And when Beenie Man returned from a New York trip, the joy at a reunion with Carlene evaporated when she found an empty condom wrapper in his luggage, which Beenie Man attributed to a band member 'borrowing' his room.

"What would you do if you found a used condom in my bag," Beenie Man asked. "Me woulda kill yu," he replied.

Guest speaker Professor Carolyn Cooper also read an excerpt from Who Am I?, including Carlene, that one covering their confirmation that she was pregnant.

First dancehall biography

Cooper noted that deejay Macka Diamond has already done the first dancehall novel, Bun Him, and the first dancehall biography, Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man', has now been published. "Dancehall culture is now developing a new profile," she said, noting that relatively few books have been written by us about our own culture.

And she noted that Beenie Man, who she congratulated for revealing himself in the book, was a worthy subject, saying, "If him was only the girls them sugar him woulda salt."

Writer Joan Andrea Hutchinson, who did the bulk of Tuesday evening's reading from Beenie Man's biography, covered his initial meeting with Shocking Vibes' Patrick Roberts at a concert. Roberts gave the deejay and Little Kirk some money when they were five and eight years old, respectively, so they could travel to Craig Town to perform on Staxx sound system. "Beenie Man quickly counted the cash. It was six dollars," Hutchinson concluded.

Created touchstone

Michael Grant of publishers Great House Omni Media said, "Who Am I has created touchstone, something people are going to refer to for a long time."

Beenie Man indicated the root of the openness shown by Carlene and used condom saga, saying that when he sat down with Wray to do the initial interviews for his biography, Wray said, "De greates' ting is to interview people who know yu personally."

"It is good to have a book written about you when you is not a dead man," Beenie Man said, to applause.

Patrick Roberts was at the launch, Carlene and Beenie Man's estranged wife, D'Angel, were not. His mother was.