Merciless (DJ)

Merciless, born Leonard Bartley 1 July 1971 in the Turner district of Chapleton, Clarendon, Jamaica, is a ragga and dancehall artist.[1]

Biography

Merciless first found success performing with sound systems.[2] He made his recording début in 1994 with "Lend Out Mi Mercy", which was a hit in Jamaica and elsewhere, and a string of further hits followed, including "Mavis", which was the top reggae single in Jamaica in 1995 and used the same riddim as Shaggy's "Mr. Boombastic".[2] Like several other dancehall stars, he adopted 'conscious' lyrical content in the late 1990s.[2] He is similar in sound to fellow artist Bounty Killer.[1][2] In the late 2000s he was imprisoned in Florida for fourteen months.[1]

He is also known by the nickname "Warhead", and engaged in several high-profile on-stage 'battles' in the late 1990s and 2000s with fellow deejays Beenie Man, Ninjaman, and Bounty Killer.[3] His rivalry with Bounty Killer did not prevent the two from recording together, with "No One Cares" released in 2000.[4]

Discography

References
  1. Campbell, Howard (2009) "Merciless prepares a 'Letter' for Sting Archived 23 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 6 December 2009, retrieved 2010-11-04
  2. Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 194
  3. "No mercy for Merciless Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 28 December 2001, retrieved 2010-11-04
  4. "Bounty Killer and Merciless record together Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 6 August 2000, retrieved 2010-11-04


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