Bounty Killer Regards Artists Who Deny Songwriters Credit As “Pirates” And “Thieves”

Bounty Killer regards Reggae and Dancehall artists who refuse to credit songwriters who compose songs for them as old “pirates” and “thieves.”

While paying homage to his own songwriters, including Angel Doolas, Dave Kelly, and Vybz Kartel, Bounty expressed disdain for any artist who disrespectfully relegates songsmiths to ghostwriters.

“I like [to] highlight writers, caw some bwoy a pirate an dem a teef.  People write dem thing gi yuh an yuh want to look like is you write it.  Why you wanna do dat?  Don’t teck people props!” he declared in an interview with YouTuber Teach Dem.

“Me a di only big artiste weh highlight writers enuh,” he had said before naming two other Dancehall heavyweights who have never outrightly named their songwriters.   “A me a di only man weh come out an bring out people as writers.  An why yuh hidin it?  An tell yuh what?  Das why we are more versatile dan dem!”

Bounty had also shared that four of his own recordings, which he regards as among his top five, were written by his favorite songwriters: Mama is not in a Good Mood and Book Book Book by Angel Doolas and Poor People Fed Up and Look into my eyes by Dave Kelly.  The other was The Lord is My Light and Salvation, which he penned himself.

Bounty went on to say that Angel Doolas had written the most songs for him but affirmed that his respect for the songwriter’s contributions was not just in terms of quantity but also quality.

“Doolas a mi bredda man.  Doolas is one of the most significant partners inna di whole journey a music.  Out of all a di person dem weh me come up wid, him a di most significant help and support,” Bounty said.

“Di type a support weh Doolas give me musically; di amount a song weh Doolas write fi mi and di depths a dem, caw Mama Is Not In A Good Mood, a Doolas come up wid dat.  Him write dung di chorus and den me do di verse dem.  Book Book Book, Doolas write for me intro, everything.   Doolas, write endless song.  Mi can’t even memba how much song Doolas write.  Doolas a one a mi big support inna music,” he emphasized.

He also bragged about the other songs Dave Kelly had written specifically for him.

“Dave Kelly was one of my great writers: Look Into My eyes, Wutliss Bwoy, Can’t Believe Mi Eyes, Another Level – all a dem big bad song deh.  Dave Kelly write all a those,” he said.

Bounty Killer, Dave Kelly, Cham

“Suh Dave Kelly a one a my major writers.  And Kartel write a lot of songs too, but Doolas write the most songs out of all of them, so Doolas is one of my major writers,” he emphasized.

Bounty also went on to say that even to this day, he still uses the services of songwriters, but he explained that these lyricists are young adults who can pen songs for him that can attract the attention of the younger generation.  

“How mi a guh siddung an meds like a 25 year old yute?  Mi have fi get people weh a 25 year old fi sing fi dat an bring mi pan dat level.  Me caan bring back miself to 25 year old?  Dat would be living backwards. Me suppose to a try think like 55, not 25.  So we have to get people to write on the level of the younger people to mek my songs sound relatable,” he had said.

“Me naw guh try think like 25 year old.  Me a guh get a 25 year old fi think like a 25 year old.  Das how you do it… Suh me have a different direction weh me teck my music and den di people dem who help me to write dem help mi to tweak mi style and keep it modern and evolute mi.  Because when you hear mi, mi nuh sound like 1990s straight.  Mi sound like a man from 1990 but mi nuh sound like 1990.  Mi sound like fi man from di 1990s a deejay 21^st century,” he quipped, then added: “So that is why I use other writers.  Suh me get young people fi refresh di young people dem”.