Next year dancehall celebrates 50 years since the first song of the genre was released but today August 22, 2023, is King Of The Dancehall, Beenie Man‘s 50th birthday. The Grammy winning artist has been at the forefront of global music with dancehall since the mid 1990s along with his former rival Bounty Killer.

Beenie Man has a total of six Billboard Hot 100 hits with his last being “Dude“ Featuring Ms. Thing which peaked at No. 26 on June 12, 2004 and went on to spend 26 weeks on the chart. “Who Am I” peaked at No. 40 on May 23, 1998, spending 20 weeks on the chart. “Girls Dem Sugar” Featuring Mya peaked at No. 54 December 2, 2000 and spent 15 weeks on the chart. “Feel It Boy” Featuring Janet Jackson peaked at No. 28 September 7, 2002 (12wks). “King Of The Dancehall” peaked at No. 80 on October 23, 2004 (12 wks) and “Dancehall Queen (From ‘Dancehall Queen Movie Soundtrack’)” Featuring Chevelle Franklyn peaked at No. 90 on August 23, 1997 ( 3wks).

As for his albums, the “Sim Simma” artist’s albums have had significant success on the international charts, with several of them reaching the top spot in the US. “Art And Life,” “Many Moods Of Moses,” “Tropical Storm,” “The Doctor,” “Undisputed,” and “Back To Basics” all claimed the No. 1 position on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart during their respective release periods.

On the Billboard 200​, “Tropical Storm” reached No. 18. “Art And Life” peaked at 68, and it spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. “Many Moods Of Moses” peaked at 151, “Back To Basics” at 51,  and “Undisputed” at 65.

With over 400 million streams across all credits on Spotify, here are Beenie Man’s 10 most streamed albums on Spotify with supporting sales data provided to WMV by Luminate.

1. Best Of (Collector’s Edition)

• • Streams: 86,311,737
  • Record Label: VP Records
  • Year Released: 2000

This 40 track 2 LP collection of songs reflects a career of hits including “Yaw Yaw,” “Dancehall Queen” featuring Chevelle Franklyn, “Healing” Featuring Lady Saw, “Crazy Bald Head” fearing Luciano, “Murderer” Featuring Barrington Levy and “Kette Drum” featuring Determine. The compilation is executive produced by Chris Chin of VP Records and Cristy Barber.

2. Back To Basics

• • Streams: 64,532,826
  • Record Label: Virgin Records
  • Year Released: 2004

Back To Basics climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae albums chart and No. 51 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in July 2004. The 15 track set which includes productions from the Kelly brothers (Dave and Tony), Stephen Lenky Marsden, Timbaland, and Beenie’s then manager Patrick Roberts has so far sold 231,000 units in the U.S. including 168,000 pure sales and 60.2 million streams.

3. Art And Life

• • Streams: 44,015,997
  • Record Label: Virgin Records
  • Year Released: 2000

Art and Life was driven by a slew of reggae fusion tracks including the Rock Wilder produced Love Me Now featuring Wyclef and Girls Dem Sugar fearing Mya peaked at No. 68 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart upon release and No. 18 on the R&B Hip Hop albums chart.

5. Many Moods Of Moses

• • Streams: 33,010,227
  • Record Label: VP Music Groups
  • Year Released: 1997

Beenie Man’s eighth studio album Many Moods Of Moses was the set that gave him global attention. Released in 1997, the album was nominated for Best Reggae Album and  it has so far sold 279,000 units including streams and sales. 235,000 of that sum are pure sales and the album earned 64.4 million on-demand streams in the US so far. The album spawned the singles Who Am I and saw Beenie taking on a conscious dancehall with the track Steve Biko which was about the South African freedom fighter. 

6. Tropical Storm

• • Streams: 27,019,689
  • Daily: 15,777
  • Record Label: Virgin Records
  • Year Released: 2000

Beenie Man’s 15th studio album Tropical Storm {Virgin} is his second most commercially successful project in the US surpassing 300,000 units so far. The album accumulated 248,000 pure copies and 23.4 million streams as of March 10, 2023.

7. Maestro

• • Streams: 21,099,146
  • Record Label: VP Records(US), Greensleeves (UK)
  • Year Released: 1996

“Maestro” is an album by Beenie Man, released in 1996. The album features a mix of dancehall and reggae tracks. It includes collaborations with artists like Lady Saw and Silver Cat. Some of the notable tracks on the album include “Nuff Gal,” “Girls Dem Sugar,” “Yaw Yaw,” and “Oh Jah Jah.” The album was produced and arranged by various producers, including Aiden Jones, Sly & Robbie, and The Shocking Vibes Crew. It was executive produced by Patrick Roberts and distributed by VP Records. “Maestro” showcases Beenie Man’s signature dancehall sound and features a variety of catchy and rhythmic songs.

8. Undisputed

• • Streams: 9,195,298
  • Daily: 2,793
  • Record Label: Brookland Entertainment
  • Year Released: 2006

“Undisputed” has sold 79,000 units so far with 69,000 in pure album sales. Beenie Man’s 18th studio album and his fifth most commercially successful according to data provided to WMV by Luminate.

9. The Doctor

• Streams: 9,149,351
• Record Label: VP Records
• Year Released: 1999

  “The Doctor” is an album by Beenie Man, released in 1999. This reggae album falls within the dancehall genre and was released by VP Records. It features a mix of solo tracks and collaborations with other artists. Notable tracks include “Let Him Go,” “The Doctor,” “Pride & Joy” (featuring Jon B), “Bad Man Nuh Flee” (featuring Mr. Vegas), and “Bookshelf.” The album also includes songs like “One More Time” (featuring Little Kirk), “World Gone Mad,” “Kingston Hot,” “Battery Dolly,” “Some Gal,” and “Protect Me.” “The Doctor” showcases Beenie Man’s dancehall style and features a range of catchy and rhythmic songs, making it a notable addition to his discography.

10. Unstoppable

• • Streams: 4,769,543
  • Record Label: 357 Records/ Vpal Records
  • Year Released: 2016

“Unstoppable” was released on September 16, 2016. It was Beenie Man’s first studio album in ten years(since Undisputed 2006), with production from Major Lazer, Tony Kelly, Don Corleon, Seanizzle, Jeremy Harding and Chimney Records among others.

Features on the album include Bounty Killer, Agent Sasco, Christopher Martin and Verse Simmonds.

Beenie Man’s next studio album “Simma” drops August 31, 2023 and it will be released independently by MD Music Group.