Elephant Man

A true dancehall superstar, the boisterous DJ Elephant Man (aka Energy God) was born O'Neil Bryan in 1974. Overly large ears as a child earned him the nickname "Dumbo Elephant" from his classmates in the Seaview Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica. <a href="spotify:artist:3j7Sw80qzL2FJlryUhI3wG">Shabba Ranks</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6UuT0BJZ9vF8Y1sxXnJl2s">Bounty Killer</a> were Seaview residents at the time, and with <a href="spotify:artist:0xvTSLJBdLWHwUoQhGNbCe">King Jammy</a>'s studio not so far away, Elephant Man had early exposure to dancehall culture. While singing at the gates of <a href="spotify:artist:3j7Sw80qzL2FJlryUhI3wG">Ranks</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0xvTSLJBdLWHwUoQhGNbCe">Jammy</a>'s studios, <a href="spotify:artist:6UuT0BJZ9vF8Y1sxXnJl2s">Bounty Killer</a> heard him and suggested forming a group with other Seaview teens. The group was originally called the Seaview Family, but after <a href="spotify:artist:6UuT0BJZ9vF8Y1sxXnJl2s">Bounty Killer</a> had a massive hit with "Big Guns Scare Dem," the name changed to <a href="spotify:artist:2JVtndACMU9u4hpL3TCoCl">Scare Dem Crew</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:2JVtndACMU9u4hpL3TCoCl">Scare Dem Crew</a> only released one album but played multiple festivals around Jamaica, giving Elephant Man a chance to refine his on-stage persona. Dancehall night at 1998's Reggae Sumfest was a highlight, with Elephant Man climbing up a television camera crane and delivering his energetic rhymes high above the audience.

The rest of <a href="spotify:artist:2JVtndACMU9u4hpL3TCoCl">Scare Dem</a> started to question the DJ's ability to be a team player and Elephant Man left the group feeling disrespected. Solo, he was able to incorporate the hip-hop rhythms he loved on his full-length debut, Comin' 4 You, released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Greensleeves%22">Greensleeves</a> in 2000. The title cut from his second release, Log On, was a huge hit and the album's WTC attacks commentary attracted a wealth of attention from the press. A duet with one of Elephant Man's favorite rappers, <a href="spotify:artist:1YfEcTuGvBQ8xSD1f53UnK">Busta Rhymes</a>, appeared on a remix of <a href="spotify:artist:7sfl4Xt5KmfyDs2T3SVSMK">Lil Jon</a>'s "Get Low," and <a href="spotify:artist:4iHNK0tOyZPYnBU7nGAgpQ">Mariah Carey</a> recruited the DJ for an appearance on her Charmbracelet album. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Atlantic+Records%22">Atlantic Records</a> took note of his growing popularity and released his major-label debut, Good 2 Go, in late 2003 while his "Pon di River, Pon di Bank" single was taking urban radio by storm. In 2008, the Let's Get Physical album appeared on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22VP%22">VP</a> label in partnership with <a href="spotify:artist:59wfkuBoNyhDMQGCljbUbA">P. Diddy</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bad+Boy+Records%22">Bad Boy Records</a>. It featured the single "Five-O" with <a href="spotify:artist:7aBzpmFXB4WWpPl2F7RjBe">Wyclef Jean</a>, while <a href="spotify:artist:7bXgB6jMjp9ATFy66eO08Z">Chris Brown</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1YfEcTuGvBQ8xSD1f53UnK">Busta Rhymes</a> appeared elsewhere on the album. Featuring the Jamaican hit “Nuh Linga,” the 2011 effort Dance & Sweep! Adventures of the Energy God found him back on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22VP%22">VP</a> proper. In 2013, he appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:738wLrAtLtCtFOLvQBXOXp">Major Lazer</a>'s album Free the Universe, and had a solo hit with a cover version of <a href="spotify:artist:7dGJo4pcD2V6oG8kP0tJRR">Eminem</a>'s "Berzerk." ~ David Jeffries