From
an early age, O’neal Bryan knew
he was destined to be an entertainer
and credits fellow artist and friend
Bounty Killer for helping launch his
career. Bounty took under his wing
a crew of his neighborhood friends
named the Scare Dem Crew, coming out
of Seaview Gardens, Kingston Jamaica.
Scare Dem consisted of the artist
now known as Elephant Man, Boom Dandimite,
Harry Toddler and Nitty Kutchie and
they were a four man wrecking crew
in the dancehall arena.
“I
used to hang out at King Jammy’s
with Bounty Killer and the rest of
Scare Dem,” Elephant said. “And
it grew from there to working with
Steely and Clevie.”
Although
they released one album and made a
solid name for themselves, things
didn’t work out for Scare Dem.
Elephant Man, however, was determined
to succeed and embarked on his solo
career. For the past few years, ‘Ele’
has topped the Jamaican charts and
easily has been one of the wildest
and most popular artists in the Caribbean.
With songs like “Log on,”
“Higher Level,” and “Signal
di Plane,” the charismatic sound
and style of Elephant Man is clearly
evident, as is his goal to keep the
fans dancing.
Currently,
the busy Elephant Man has wrapped
up recording tracks with R&B sensation
Mariah Carey and hip-hopper Da Brat
for Mariah’s upcoming album.
Making further forays into urban music,
Elephant also appears on Lil’
Jon’s “Get Low”
remix with rapper Busta Rhymes.
That’s
all part and parcel for Elephant Man.
Always trying new flavors, new approaches.
So much so, he has taken that approach
of offering a myriad of styles to
“Good to Go.” Elephant
looks to capitalize off early-career
success with a set that includes hot
dancehall beats, catchy melodies and
rapid-fire lyrics. There’s the
exceptional “Mexican Girl”
cut, and the album is full of collaborative
‘niceness’ also.
“On
‘Mexican Girl,’ I am signing
in Spanish and explaining it back
in English, which is very, very hard,”
the effervescent dancehall master
said. “I just want to step up
my game, come up with something different,
some new words.”
Elephant
Man has enlisted a crew of his own
to assist in his latest urban airwave
blitz. “I have Rayvon, Lil Jon,
Bone Crusher, Jimmy Cosier, and Killah
Priest, “ Elephant said. “Yes,
there are a few collaborations.”
But
what really fuels Elephant Man? Is
it the touring, the love he receives
from the islands, stateside and international
masses, or does it lie in the joy
of just making smash hits? For Elephant,
it’s a mixture off all these
elements, seasoned with a healthy
amount of self-respect and peer-to-peer
support.
“I
wish for more unity among the artists.
Everyone is arguing, and that’s
the problem,” Elephant Man said.
“I want to change that through
song and action, as do the other artists.”
Make
no mistake, Elephant is prepared to
storm radio, television and international
shores with his infectious lyrics
and boundless energy. In fact, Elephant
is looking to capitalize on early-career
efforts by parlaying it into his VP
Records-powered debut. Featured in
MTV’s upcoming “Advance
Warning” program, Elephant Man
is recognized by many to be dancehall’s
rising star for the year to come.
With a hit single and new video in
tow, Ele plans to keep the massive
dancing ‘pon the river, pon
the bank’ and anywhere else
he can get them to.