Beenie Man Says Sons Mosiah And Moses Jr Should Play Him In A Biopic

Should there ever be a biopic of Dancehall giant Beenie Man, he wants his sons Mosiah and Moses Jr Davis to portray him. 

Father to 12 children, the ‘Doctor’ boasted that it’s already a no-brainer to have his offspring depict his life as they all look like him, but had his picks for the lead role. 

“Yuh have Moses Jr and yuh have Mosiah,” Beenie recently reasoned with Dutty Berry at his Simma restaurant in Kingston. 

Mosiah popped in to show his face during the discussion. 

“Him look like 90s Beenie Man; him can play a part,” the deejay said.

Beenie Man with son Mosiah Davis

He added that Mosiah “knows everything” regarding his life story, catalogue and mannerisms to nail the part. 

“Den yuh have Moses now,” he continued. “Him have him locs so him can be Beenie Man (as a) big man.”

Moses Jr, also a recording artist, is a spitting image of his father in the early 2000s.

Moses Jr (left) and father Beenie Man

There was no room to entertain if his children even wanted to participate.

“Dem haffi do it man,” Beenie insisted.

The 51-year-old added that he would want such a project to be done while he was still alive.

“Mi woulda love fi mek my movie when me alive though. Like Ray; (singer) Ray (Charles) actually make him movie and him actually pick the star weh him want.”

Singer/actor Jamie Foxx starred in that 2004 film.

The topic arose after the Romie act was asked if he’d seen the Bob Marley: One Love biopic where British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir played the reggae icon. In a 2022 Jamaica Observer feature, Marley’s son Ky-Mani claimed none of the Marley men got a chance to audition to play their father/grandfather in the Paramount Pictures movie. According to his brother Ziggy, the team could not find a suitable Jamaican to play the part.

Beenie said he is yet to watch the film, and initially said he wouldn’t before being probed further.

“Me a hear too much thing bout it,” he said. “Mi a go watch it enuh, one of dem day yah.”

Just like the name of the Marley film captures the hit song, accompanying album and philosophy of the reggae pillar, Beenie envisioned his own picture being named after his most critically-acclaimed work. 

“Art and Life woulda be the name of my movie,” he said.

Beenie Man’s ‘Art and Life’ album cover

Art and Life pocketed Beenie’s cultural roots, Rastafarian lifestyle and commercial crossover, best represented with album’s star, Girls Dem Sugar. The Neptunes classic was a remix of Beenie’s 1996 track produced by Patrick Roberts. While working on the album, Beenie said producer/artist Pharrell Williams ideated revisiting the track, adding samples from Who Am I, and cotton candy vocals from R&B singer Mya.

The track peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100, No. 8 on Rap Airplay and No. 16 on the Hot RnB/Hip Hop Songs chart. The album earned Beenie his first and only Grammy award for Best Reggae Album, and was the topic of discussion in 2020 when Girls Dem Sugar made Billboard’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s (No. 84). 

These are just a few stars in a universe of accomplishments for an artist who started his career at age five. Other noteworthy chapters of his story are his former rivalry with fellow juggernaut Bounty Killer; attaining the ‘King of Dancehall’ title; his high-profile relationships with figures like Dancehall Queen Carlene and Bounty’s ex D’Angel; and maintaining relevance for 45 years. The latter has, no doubt, been aided by an extensive, timeless repertoire of classics, and his ability to put on a stellar, one-man show.

Beenie’s latest adornment came in February; a ‘special award’ for his contribution to music at the Reggae Gold Awards. The presentation came months after outrage from fans who lobbied for the star to be conferred a national honour.