A true dancehall superstar, the boisterous DJ
Elephant Man (aka
Energy God) was born
O'Neil Bryan in 1974. Overly large ears as a child earned him the nickname "Dumbo Elephant" from his classmates in the Seaview Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica.
Shabba Ranks and
Bounty Killer were Seaview residents at the time, and with
King Jammy's studio not so far away,
Elephant Man had early exposure to dancehall culture. While singing at the gates of
Ranks and
Jammy's studios,
Bounty Killer heard him and suggested forming a group with other Seaview teens. The group was originally called the Seaview Family, but after
Bounty Killer had a massive hit with "Big Guns Scare Dem," the name changed to
Scare Dem Crew.
Scare Dem Crew only released one album but played multiple festivals around Jamaica, giving
Elephant Man a chance to refine his on-stage persona. Dancehall night at 1998's Reggae Sumfest was a highlight, with
Elephant Man climbing up a television camera crane and delivering his energetic rhymes high above the audience.
The rest of
Scare Dem started to question the DJ's ability to be a team player and
Elephant Man left the group feeling disrespected. Solo, he was able to incorporate the hip-hop rhythms he loved on his full-length debut,
Comin' 4 You, released by Greensleeves in 2000. The title cut from his second release,
Log On, was a huge hit and the album's WTC attacks commentary attracted a wealth of attention from the press. A duet with one of
Elephant Man's favorite rappers,
Busta Rhymes, appeared on a remix of
Lil Jon's "Get Low," and
Mariah Carey recruited the DJ for an appearance on her
Charmbracelet album. Atlantic Records took note of his growing popularity and released his major-label debut,
Good 2 Go, in late 2003 while his "Pon di River, Pon di Bank" single was taking urban radio by storm. In 2008, the
Let's Get Physical album appeared on the VP label in partnership with
P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records. It featured the single "Five-O" with
Wyclef Jean, while
Chris Brown and
Busta Rhymes appeared elsewhere on the album. Featuring the Jamaican hit “Nuh Linga,” the 2011 effort
Dance & Sweep! Adventures of the Energy God found him back on VP proper. In 2013, he appeared on
Major Lazer's album
Free the Universe, and had a solo hit with a cover version of
Eminem's "Berzerk." ~ David Jeffries