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"The energy god"
Elephant Man Jamaican Artiste  

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Elephant Man | Jamaican ArtisteElephant Man Jamaican Artiste

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

Dancehall music and parties are two of the main forms of entertainment in Jamaica. It is a huge part of our culture and may seem outright vulgar and even dangerous to others. Dancehall has always been about keeping your body moving with fun, high energy and even risky dance moves. Yes, risky, but it is commonplace to attend a dancehall party and see dancers climbing and jumping from trees, buildings and speakers.

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It’s not just the music that is a high energy, but the artists themselves usually represent their music genre well with their high-energy performances. One such artist is Elephant Man, also popularly referred to as the Energy Gad.

Do you know these phrases? “A weddie weddie weddie”, “out and bad”, “shizzle ma nizzle”. If you do, you know exactly who Elephant man is. Oneil Bryan was born on the 11th of September 1975 in Seaview Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica.

Career

He began his musical career as a member of the Scare Dem Crew in 1995 and later as a solo performer.

He was later known for his dyed yellow-orange hair, his distinct low-key voice, and his stage performance, which featured jumping and running, as well as climbing on stage props and monitors.

His deep, scratchy grumble singing voice and faint lisp are his acoustic trademarks.

Bryan first received international attention when he and Puma agreed to use his single "All Out" in the 2004 Olympics advertising campaign. In early 2006, his song "Willie Bounce" was featured on various mixtapes.

It sampled the first few bars of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". "Willie Bounce" has been characterized as one of Elephant Man's most well-known songs, with the associated dance still popular in 2015.

Bryan signed with Bad Boy Records in New York and released Let's Get Physical on November 6, 2007. Wyclef Jean was featured on the first single, "Five-O". Cipha Sounds and Solitair produced another single on the album that featured Diddy and Busta Rhymes.

Many of Elephant Man's tunes can be found on VP Records' Riddim Driven and Greensleeves Records' Rhythm Album series. He sang on popular riddims like "Diwali", "Coolie", "Stepz", and "Bubble Up".

And of course, we can’t talk about Elephant Man and not mention his hit song, “Pon di River” which is still a major dancehall song even today.

The LGBTQIA+ Community

Like many other Jamaican artists, Elephant man has found himself in a few legal matters.

Bryan has been chastised for his lyrics in which he calls for violence towards LGBT people. In 2003, the British LGBT organisation OutRage! demanded that many dancehall stars, including Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, and Beenie Man, be arrested and prosecuted for violating hate crime statutes. He was dropped from the MOBO awards in 2004.

Since then, he has been able to perform in the UK due to pressure from his record label and an agreement with gay rights organisations to avoid songs with lyrics that are regarded to encourage homophobic violence.

For identical reasons, his scheduled appearance at Toronto's Caribana festival in 2009 was cancelled. In February 2015, a concert in Munich was cancelled after LGBT rights groups requested that the police ensure that he would not perform songs that incite people to harm people who are apart of the LGBT community.

Fun Fact

  1. Elephant Man is a playable character in the 2004 video game Def Jam: Fight for NY.

  2. The Energy Gad himself reportedly has 20 children.

  3. He has a 12,000 sq. feet hillside mansion located in Kingston, Jamaica, that over the years he has upgraded, refurbished and decorated multiple times. He is known for always sharing these changes with his fan base on various social platforms.

  4. He’s a romantic and believes in treating his dates to special dinners of lobster and wine, making her smile and holding her hands.

  5. Usain Bolt performed the Gully Creeper dance, for which Bryan wrote a song, after winning the gold medal and breaking a world record in the 200-meter dash at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

  6. Elephant Man paid tribute to Michael Jackson by covering the song "We Are The World" in 2009.

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Return to Jamaican Artistes from Elephant Man Jamaican
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References & Sources For Elephant Man Jamaican

  1. The ‘Energy God’ Elephant Man Jamaican Artiste | Entertainment | Jamaica Gleaner, https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20191108/energy-god-elephant-man
  2. Elephant Man's Biography And Facts' | Popnable, https://popnable.com/jamaica/artists/11058-elephant-man/biography-and-facts

Elephant Man Jamaican Artiste | Written: August 13th, 2022

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