Beenie Man Talks Fathering 12 Children, His Biopic, the Bob Marley Movie, and His Fiancé Camille Being His Rita Marley in Interview

In an interview released on Friday, May 10, dancehall artiste Beenie Man spoke about his 12 children his music, family, legacy, the recent Bob Marley movie, as well as his own potential biopic and his fiancé Camille being his Rita Marley.

There are few Jamaican artistes who can boast that they have successfully been in the industry for over 45 years and maintained a strong presence throughout the decades. Veteran deejay Beenie Man is capable of doing just that, with the 50-year-old first entering music at the age of five.

During an interview on the Dutty Berry Show, Beenie discussed his longevity in Dancehall. The Grammy-winning artiste expressed that he chooses not to compete with the younger generation but instead has positioned himself to be the one that they want to emulate.

While many of his peers have voiced their concern about the direction Dancehall is going, Beenie is of the opinion that the new artistes have to build their own legacy separate from his generation. 

“One ting a don’t like is when people ask mi ‘weh yuh feel dancehall is going now.’ [ … ] Mi nuh like it, because, yuh see di problem is, is di yute dem fi build fi dem legacy. Suh, if you wah kill your generation, a your generation, but my generation will always be here,” Beenie stated.

Further speaking on legacy, Beenie shared that legacy is the reason for his new business venture, Simma Seafood & Lounge.

According to the father of 12, Simma was born from a desire to develop something specifically for his children and create a strong foundation for his family to build on. During the interview, Beenie shared the names of 11 of his children: Deshagaye, Akeem, Raheem, Mosiah, Moses, Ikyra, Anthony, Ashley, Marco Dean, Crystal, and Xiah, whom he shares with exes D’Angel, Carlene Smith, and Krystal Tomlinson, respectively. 

He also shared that he has a young daughter who lives in St. Ann. The deejay, who has developed a ladies’ man persona over the years, said that he is a very handsome man, which women love. He also joked that they are attracted to his money.

As Beenie reflected on his musical legacy and life, the artiste also spoke about a potential biographical film about him. According to the Who Am I deejay, he is a massive movie fan and would like to have one of his children depict him in a potential biopic. Beenie added that he prefers a biopic to be made while he is still alive to take part in its production.

While he is a massive movie fan, Beenie admitted that he has not yet seen Bob Marley’s biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, and appears unsure if he will ever see the film due to its reviews. The artiste went on to declare who was the Rita Marley in his life and shared his affection for his fiancé, Camille.

“A 22 years now mi know har and mi love har from den. But den she have har own life fi live and mi have my own life [ … ] Mi did have a woman at the time and she did have a man at the time [ … ] Suh mi a tell har seh when shi free and me free mi ready! … Suh mi seh a my time now,” Beenie stated.

The artiste also shared how Camille plays an integral role in his career, and is basically his second manager.

Watch Beenie Man’s full interview below.