The Jamaica Star :: Entertainment :: It's the Year of the Elephant

Elephant Man - file

Dubbed the 'Energy God' for his high-spirited stage shows, Elephant Man plans on running the dancehall with hot songs, hot new rhythms and hot new dance moves.

From an early age, O'neal Bryan knew he was destined to be an entertainer and credits fellow artiste and friend Bounty Killer for helping to launch his career. Bounty took under his wing a crew of his neighbourhood friends, named the Scare Dem Crew, out of Seaview Gardens, St Andrew.

Scare Dem consisted of the artiste now known as Elephant Man, Boom Dandimite, Harry Toddler and Nitty Kutchie. 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 artistes in the Caribbean.

Keep dancing

With songs such as Log on, Higher Level, and Signal di Plane, along with current hits Gully Creeper, No Linga and Sweep, the charismatic sound and style of Elephant Man is clearly evident, as is his goal to keep the fans dancing.

Elephant Man has recorded tracks with R&B sensation Mariah Carey and hip-hopper Da Brat. 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 flavours, new approaches. So much so, he has taken that approach of offering a myriad of styles to Good to Go and his latest effort, Let'sGet Physical. Elephant looks to capitalise off early-career success with a set that includes hot dancehall beats, catchy melodies and rapid-fire lyrics.

Fuel

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 artistes. Everyone is arguing, and that's the problem," Elephant Man said. "I want to change that through song and action, as do the other artistes."

Make no mistake, Elephant is prepared to storm radio, television and international shores with his infectious lyrics and boundless energy.

The hardcore 'Energy God' hasn't slowed down since his debut on the music scene. He has recorded collaborations with Lil Jon on the Get Low Remix, R. Kelly on Reggae Bump Bump, Pitbull and Daddy Yankee on the Rah-Rah Remix and Janet Jackson on All Nite (Don't Stop), and also performed on stage at the 2004 BET Awards and signed with Diddy's Bad Boy Records, all while preparing for the release of his sophomore album Let's Get Physical (Bad Boy/VP Records).

Ele linked up with Diddy back in 2005 while opening for Usher on his Truth Tour. When Ele hit the stage with an electrifying performance, the Bad Boy CEO took notice. "When he saw my performance he was like ..Yo, Elephant, we got to do this and I was ready," said Bad Boy's first reggae act. Never abandoning VP, the label that nurtured and supported Ele from the beginning, Elephant Man is excited about his major label joint venture (Bad Boy/VP Records) and looking forward to making dancehall history with Sean Combs and the entire Bad Boy family. "I been a fan of Bad Boy for the longest time and now I'm Bad Boy for life!" Ele laughs.

He further said: "We gonna take dancehall to another level. I'm looking forward to dropping this album and doing all the promotion, cuz Diddy is creative, and with him and the Energy God together, it's gonna be madness!"

Elephant released his latest album Let's Get Physical in August 2007.

Sway!

Its dancing time again!

Elephant Man is one of the artistes in the business, known for his crazy dance moves. Here's your chance to dance for Ele, in a 'throwback dance competition'.

You have to be 18 years and older, as well as a skilled dancer, who knows the latest moves and the old time grooves. Special prizes await the winner.

To register, call the STAR on 1-888-843-7827, between 4-5 pm. Registration ends Wednesday, August 13.

Can you keep up with the Energy God?

STAR of the month Elephant Man will be having an extra-special one-hour workout session. You saw him on youtube giving his hilarious dance aerobics, now you can be a part of the action.

Call the STAR from 4-5 p.m. today, and the first 12 callers will get the chance to train with Ele in the gym for an unforgettable workout.

Call The STAR on 1-888-843-7827 today!

And get ready for the Energy God.