00:00What's up, fam? My name is Empress Barnado. I am the senior social producer here at Essence.
00:05And today, I am interviewing the one and only King of the Dance Hall, Mr. Beanie Man,
00:11who is bringing all of his big, big Beanie Man energy to Essence Festival this year.
00:17King Beanie Man, thank you for coming to bless Essence Festival this year.
00:22Yeah, thank you. Thank Essence Festival for having me.
00:25Oh, yeah.
00:26I've got my next questions.
00:28You've been the King of Dance Hall for years.
00:30What can we expect from your performance this year?
00:33Nothing but the best because everything I do, I do to the best of my ability.
00:38You know, I do it so my fans can be entertained and enjoy themselves.
00:42So, yeah, nothing but the best.
00:44Oh, man.
00:46Essence, we made this video called Big Beanie Man Energy.
00:49I am the King of Dance Hall.
00:51I am the balance.
00:57And it's just, it's so much energy.
01:11It's so good.
01:12So, I already know you're going to come, like, with all of that goodness.
01:16I'm going to do all the things.
01:17So, speaking of, you have a career that's been over 20 years, right?
01:24And you've proven yourself to be a true entertainer, a true professional, literally, like, the king of dance hall.
01:31How do you continue to stay motivated and creative?
01:33Because you're still dropping products.
01:35You're still dropping products.
01:36But you see, the whole thing about music is, work out in the studio, but work out on stage.
01:43So, you can remain as a man because it's not about the man of the moment.
01:49When you just become a star, you're the man of the moment.
01:52But continue being a star, you become the man.
01:55It's like richness and keeping the money, you know, and don't lose it.
02:01So, it's about maintaining the house of music.
02:04And that's why I'm always here because I work hard in the studio, but I work harder out there.
02:10So, the fans can continue loving me for who I am and not what I do.
02:16Oh, that's beautiful.
02:17That is so beautiful.
02:19So, basically, you're saying that when you go perform and when you're with your fans, you're giving them so much energy.
02:26And you're making sure that you're connecting with them.
02:27And that's how you continue to grow your...
02:29No, you learn from other people.
02:32You learn from Michael Jackson.
02:33You learn from Jesse.
02:35You learn from, you know, the younger guys who would, you know, come out at the same time when you're out.
02:40And you watch how them move and you watch how them live.
02:43The only difference between me and them is my God, you know.
02:47I'm a part with my fans and I'm a part with my people.
02:50So, when the people love you for who you are and not what you are.
02:57A king.
02:58A king.
02:59Oh, a king right here.
03:03So, for those who aren't familiar with Dancehog...
03:06Can you explain the energy that Dancehog music brings to a space?
03:20And or are there any dance moves?
03:22Any space?
03:23All right.
03:24You see, you have people that listen to rock music.
03:27You have people that listen to college music.
03:29You have people that listen to all different types of music.
03:32Once a beat goes...
03:33Dancehog brings all that energy without it.
03:38So, Dancehog is the most energetic music in the world.
03:45Just want to tell us that.
03:47In case anybody...
03:48So, we make a move if you don't want to move.
03:52Yeah.
03:53Yeah.
03:54I got a feeling.
03:55Yeah.
03:56Yeah.
03:57So, speaking of moves, are there any dance moves we need to get together or practice
04:03before you're set at Essence Fest?
04:05Yes.
04:06Because you're telling us that we have to dance when you come to...
04:08Yes.
04:09What are you saying?
04:10Practice every dance move that you can find.
04:12Copy.
04:13Okay.
04:14You got Deesha Gay.
04:15She's my daughter.
04:16And she's one of the best female dancers in Jamaica.
04:19City.
04:20City.
04:21City.
04:22New York City.
04:23Oh, my days.
04:24City.
04:25I can tell you that.
04:26Nice.
04:27Anza.
04:28See?
04:29So, Google her, you know.
04:32She's a teacher, dancing.
04:33So, you learn it.
04:34There's something there, man.
04:36And there's something there, man.
04:39See?
04:40So, you get it, right?
04:41All right.
04:42We're going to look at her TikTok and probably put some...
04:44Yeah.
04:45She's crazy.
04:46Come on.
04:47So, Friday Night at Essence West is going to be a big Caribbean-African reggae mashup.
04:54We got you, Nicki Minaj, Marshall Montano, and Kes performing.
04:59How does it feel to be one of the people who helped bring, like, dancehall music into the international sphere, into the mainstream sphere?
05:07All right.
05:08You see?
05:09First of all, you got two of the best soccer performers on the show.
05:13And then you got Nicki Minaj, which is the best hip-hop female performer ever.
05:17And then you got me, the king and the dancer.
05:19Okay.
05:20Damn.
05:21That's going to be wicked.
05:23I'm excited from, I'm excited that I'm not there yet.
05:28Yeah.
05:29It's going to be wicked.
05:30Oh, man.
05:31It's a wicked show.
05:32So, we line up.
05:34I like everybody on earth who need to be entertained.
05:40You need to be at this Essence Festival.
05:42And if you're not there, you're nobody.
05:45Seriously.
05:46You got to be somebody to be there.
05:48Like, get up.
05:49Buy your ticket.
05:50Go to the show.
05:52Go.
05:53So, your new song, Blessings Con Blessings.
05:55Blessings.
05:56Blessings.
06:09Right on time.
06:10Like, we needed a song like that.
06:12That's right.
06:13What's your inspiration behind this song in particular?
06:16It's not the world.
06:17Because, you see, what's going on in the world today?
06:20Especially in Jamaica.
06:21All right.
06:22This whole COVID thing, the man treated it like it was an occupation more than you try to
06:28protect the people.
06:29Because if you protect the people, you're supposed to work with masks as police and give
06:34the people who don't wear a mask.
06:36Because not everybody can't afford a mask.
06:38You work for the government.
06:39The government can't give a mask to someone.
06:41You're going to stop people, arrest people.
06:43Because they might go out of their yard and everything there.
06:46It feels more like an application, you know, than a curfew.
06:50So, when all of these things done now and them shut it off, it's just the idea will just
06:56fly through my brain.
06:57We have to sing about the country.
06:59Not who are going on in the country, but the people who want to make a better life.
07:03Who want to get out of this distress and dearest and how much people get arrested.
07:10Who want to make their brain rest.
07:12You just give them blessings, my blessings, my blessings.
07:15So, the theme of Essence Best this year is, it's the black joy for me.
07:19Yeah.
07:20If you give me being a man, what brings you joy?
07:23Just being black.
07:24Ooh.
07:25I feel that in my soul.
07:27Yeah.
07:28Just being black, give me a child.
07:32Trust me.
07:33Because black people do different things than other people.
07:36You know what?
07:37The Chinese don't enjoy their self like us.
07:40The Japanese don't enjoy their self like us.
07:42The Indians enjoy their self differently.
07:44White people, they have a different thing.
07:47The black people, we enjoy their self everywhere we go.
07:50We can go to a white party, a bar.
07:53We can go to a Muslim party, a bar.
07:55We can go to the Christian party and take over that .
07:58If you go like, Jesus, you're gonna have to say, you're gonna have to say, you're gonna have to say, you're gonna have to say, you're gonna have to say.
08:03So, my joy is being black.
08:07That was the most incredible answer I've ever heard in my life.
08:11Like, we gotta put that on the shirt.
08:13My joy is being black.
08:15Exactly.
08:16And that's it.
08:18Aw, thank you so much, Beanie Man.
08:20You're welcome.
