Beenie Man book set to go worldwide

Following on a high-octane media/celebrity launch in Jamaica, Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man, the sensational new book on the life of dancehall king Beenie Man will be coming full force to American shores early in the new year.

Billed as the first ever dancehall biography, the book, already available on Amazon as well as vprecords.com, will be available – in response to audience requests – in several major North American markets. Author Milton Wray will be touring several US destinations during the annual Black History Month observances in February, signing copies and doing interviews about the book and its renowned subject.

The culmination of eleven years of work, Who Am I? The Untold Story of Beenie Man documents the hitmaking toaster’s tabloid-rich life and career as they unfolded, encompassing more than four hundred pages of intrigue, eye-opening revelations and never-before-seen colour photographs. Wray, a former entertainment writer for the Jamaica Observer among other publications, first contacted the artiste in 1994. He eventually took a sabbatical from journalism to live in New York City, where he conducted interviews and collected vast amounts of information on Beenie Man and his impact on the international music business. While writing the book in Jamaica, Wray did in-depth research by interviewing a host of persons including relatives, friends, associates, music business personnel, rivals and, of course, the girlfriends of the reggae/dancehall icon.


Who Am I? is published by Jamaican publishers Great House OmniMedia The book will also be distributed in the European Union, the CARICOM region and Japan within short order. For its Asian release, Who Am I? will be translated into Japanese. the bulk of North American and European markets will be serviced by A&B Books in New York City. A distributor in Barbados will oversee the availability of the book in the CARICOM region, wile a reggae promotions company will manage the production and sales of Who Am I? in Japan.

Reviews from the entertainment press have thus far been very positive. Billboard magazine’s Pat Meschino wrote : “ Milton Wray colourfully details Beenie Man’s life, professional triumphs and tragedies” while VIBE magazine’s Rob Kenner said it presented “ a complex and compelling Jamaican superstar with the proper critical context.”