While Bounty Killer is considered one of Dancehall’s most hardcore deejays with confrontational and explicit lyrics, some of his songs went beyond that of ‘gyal tunes’ and ‘gun songs.’ Born Rodney Price in Trench Town, Kingston, in addition to taking on the moniker Bounty Killer, he would also become known as the Poor People Governor.
With songs like Fed Up, Look, Down In The Ghetto, Sufferer, and Anytime, Bounty addressed Jamaica’s societal issues and the plight of the majority poorer class. At the height of his career in the 1990s, Bounty frequently worked with producer Dave Kelly of Mad House Records, and Anytime was one of the number of singles created while collaborating with him.
The song was featured on Mad House’s Bruckout riddim, in addition to Bounty’s single Can’t Believe Mi Eyes. Initially released in 1998, Anytime was later added to the deejay’s 5th Element album in 1999.
Anytime was a stark warning directed at Jamaica’s politicians, with the artiste expressing that if extreme poverty and corruption continued in the country, people would turn to violence.
Some lyrics, “Neva let yo problem get yo down, got-to stay focus and hold yo ground, though it seems hopeless there is no progress, we still a hustle round town… we tired a the f**kry and we fed-up from bout 95.”
“So tell them seh anytime mi hungry again them a guh si mi nine. Police outta road seh them a fight crime, and holiday a come and mi nuh si the first dime. Tell them seh anytime the government policies a undermine poor people plight that a sure sign corruption and war a guh reach it’s prime,” Bounty sings in the song’s chorus.
During an old interview, Bounty addressed the assumption that he was inciting violence with the song and said its lyrics were a reflection of discussions on the streets. The deejay explained that he wrote the song as a preventative measure and that sometimes things may not be the nicest thing to say, but they are the right thing to say.
Listen to Anytime below.
