Bounty Killer Launches Dynamic New Alliance Record Label
Bounty Killer has officially launched his new record label, Alliance Music, signaling a fresh chapter in his music production career. This exciting announcement was made on Instagram, where he shared the news alongside an image of the new Alliance logo. “Label is ready now for some production. It’s been a while since I’ve done any production. Let’s go, folks!” he enthusiastically posted.
The announcement was met with widespread acclaim from his followers, who expressed their excitement and anticipation. Comments flooded in, with one fan, culchagideon, suggesting a revival of the iconic ‘Scare Dem‘ productions, and another, perryblunt, proposing that Bounty should tailor beats to specific artists, similar to DJ Khaled‘s approach.
The Alliance collective, initially established by Bounty in 2003, has played a pivotal role in the careers of several prominent artists. Early members included Busy Signal and Bling Dawg, followed by Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Aidonia, and even selector Foota Hype. These artists gained significant exposure and honed their skills under Bounty’s mentorship.
In an interview with I Never Knew TV last year, Bounty Killer explained that the Alliance was born from his desire to mentor and elevate upcoming artists, a mission inspired by his late friend Boom Dandimite, who had similarly supported him in his early years. Bounty clarified that the name “Alliance” was not his own invention. It naturally evolved as the artists frequently referred to their musical relationship with him as an “alliance” or “allegiance.”
“We started calling ourselves the Allegiance, the Alliance. It was a term we used among friends – ‘What’s up, my alliance friend?’ – and the word became so popular that everyone started calling us the Alliance. We never officially named our crew Alliance, but the name stuck because it represented unity: one for all, all for one,” Bounty explained. His strategy for nurturing talent involved bringing these artists to perform during his sets at stage shows, providing them with valuable exposure and experience.
“When I went to shows, everyone came with me. That’s how they really started to develop their craft, just by coming to shows with Killer. No one received special treatment from promoters or producers; instead, I took them to the producers I worked with, always encouraging them to support the younger artists,” he shared.
He highlighted Vybz Kartel as an example: “I took Kartel to the producers first. He wasn’t polished but was creative and talented. He just needed time and nurturing, and look at him now—they’re all giants.”
Bounty Killer is widely regarded as the grand patriarch of Dancehall. His Alliance protégés, including Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Aidonia, Wayne Marshall, Bling Dawg, Busy Signal, and Foota Hype, have all achieved considerable success. He is especially praised for never charging the artists any fees, allowing them to earn from local and international shows, thereby improving their own circumstances.
However, the Alliance began to disintegrate in 2006, with several artists departing after conflicts with Bounty. The first major fallout occurred with Vybz Kartel in 2006, partly due to Kartel’s association with Beenie Man, Bounty’s chief rival at the time. Kartel later cited his need for greater artistic independence as the reason for his departure.
Aidonia was reportedly expelled from the Alliance in 2007 after releasing a song titled “Addi a Mi Daddy,” which praised Kartel—a move that Bounty saw as a serious insult.
Mavado‘s relationship with Bounty soured following a shooting incident at Bounty’s birthday party in 2011, where a member of Mavado’s entourage was killed by the police. Mavado felt Bounty’s response was inadequate, causing a significant rift. The tension escalated when Mavado’s Gully Side member, Chase Cross, released a diss track targeting Bounty. Mavado’s failure to reprimand Cross led to the end of their alliance.
Foota Hype also fell out with Bounty in 2016 after criticizing him during an interview on the Jamaican entertainment show OnStage. Foota claimed Bounty was not ‘hot’ due to repeated collaborations with the wrong producers. Bounty was outraged by Foota’s comments, leading to a public feud that included Foota removing Bounty’s music from his playlist and challenging him to a duel.
