Beenie Man mends fences with Shabba - Superstars in collab talks after three-decade feud

Dancehall heavyweights Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks have ended their decades-long rivalry, sealing the truce with a handshake and an embrace at a recent show in the United States.

The two icons, who had famously avoided each other since the early 1990s, say the reunion marks not just personal healing - but a powerful step toward unity in the dancehall community.

"It's a great feeling," Beenie Man told THE STAR. "We haven't talked or shared a stage since around 1990. But after doing the Barbados and St Thomas shows recently, we just realised it nuh mek no sense fi wi nah talk."

For Beenie Man, reconnecting with Shabba wasn't just about putting an end to a stand-off that "wasn't even worth it". He said it is also about paying respect to someone he considers an idol.

"Shabba Ranks is like mi idol, and for me to become other artistes' idol, and fi me to see Shabba and not have a conversation with him wasn't a good feeling, so I just walk over and just hug him, and dat was it," Beenie Man told THE STAR.

Shabba, the Trailer Load A Girls hitmaker, has been hailed a pioneer for the genre. He is the first dancehall artiste to win Reggae Grammy Awards, in 1992 and 1993, and is credited for paving the way for the wider acceptance of dancehall music beyond local shores. In fact, the magnitude of Shabba's contribution to music is not lost on Beenie Man.

"Yuh affi express yuh strength towards dem man deh, because a dem gi yuh di strength first, and mek you know who you can be before yuh become who you are. They were stars before us, so we have to give credit where it is due," Beenie Man said of the pioneer deejay, who has been hailed as the dancehall emperor.

The truce with Shabba marks the latest chapter in Beenie Man's ongoing mission to heal old rifts. In 2020, he famously ended his decades-long feud with Bounty Killer, setting aside their differences after years of rivalry. Beenie Man says he is bridging divides for himself as well as the dancehall culture.

"Dancehall music is mi life, is mi bread and butter, suh di more unity yuh can mek inna dancehall, the more unified the people will become. So mi affi duh dis fi me personally, yes, but more so fi di culture," the Simma artiste shared..

He added: "It's all about unification in music ... Mi nuh like di dissonance in music because all of us doing the same thing - wi a duh dis fi di culture, and the people dem who love and support wi music."

Now that both men have put the past behind them, Beenie Man says fans should be prepared to be wowed by the two legends as they are in talks to drop a "long-overdue" collaboration.