Video: Busy Signal, Bounty Killer – Bang Bung

On June 11, legendary dancehall deejay Bounty Killer celebrated his 49th birthday, but it was his fans who got a gift they really needed in the form of a hot new song called “Bang Bung.”

“Bang Bung” was produced by Gorilla Music Source, and its sound has a vibe that is reminiscent of dancehall songs from the late 1990s and early 2000s. In point of fact, throughout the entirety of the track, Bounty Killer can be heard shouting a number of his most famous catchphrases, such as “Level,” “Cross,” and “Yahlo.” Fans of the Warlord will be aware that each of these phrases refers to a different period in the Warlord’s career.

When he sings the lyrics “When you hear yahlo / One general a speak / King of Kingston guns dem nuh discreet,” the artist behind the song “Sufferer” chats using his signature acrobatic vocal range. While Busy Signal is responsible for such lyrical content as “Gorilla,” “nah guh deal with none of them baboon yah / Dawg dem know mi head sick / It something more like brain tumor,” demonstrating the pair’s undeniable synergy as artists.

The relationship between these two DJs goes back quite a ways, as Bounty Killer helped Busy Signal when he was just starting out as a young artist. In point of fact, the singer best known for “One More Night” has referred to him as “a bigger brother, a father.” In addition, they have worked together on a number of other tracks, such as “Summn’ A Guh Gwaan” (2010) and “Nuh Weh Nuh Safe” (2019). But “Bang Bung” appears to be their most successful collaboration to this point.
#BangBung,” a fan wrote in the comments section of the visualizer that was directed by Warrior Films JA and released on June 6. The visualizer depicts the two musicians performing in front of an abandoned building and was released on June 6. Another user commented, “That’s the dancehall that we love, and we needed it [Jamaican flag, oncoming fist, and fire emojis].” And a third comment sparked a heated debate when it was stated that “With this song dancehall have hope of reviving.” In response, another person inquired, “When did dancehall die for it to be revived?”

In recent years, the aesthetic of dancehall has undergone massive shifts, shifting either toward the low-energy monotone sound of trap-hall, which is a fusion of dancehall and American trap music, or echoing a lighthearted, vacation-friendly Afrobeats-soca hybrid. Despite the fact that these interpretations of the genre have been enjoyable, many die-hard fans would argue that this music is not dancehall in any way.

Check out the music video for “Bang bung“.