Merciless, born Leonard Bartley (July 1, 1971–July 19, 2022) in the Turner district of Chapelton, Clarendon, Jamaica, was a Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist. He died on July 19, 2022, in St. Andrew, Jamaica. [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. [3] [2] In the late 2000s he was imprisoned in Florida for fourteen months. [3]
He was 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. [4] His rivalry with Bounty Killer did not prevent the two from recording together, with "No One Cares" released in 2000. [5]
Discography
- Mr. Merciless (1994), VP Records
- Len' Out Mi Mercy (1995), Annex
- Mama's Cooking (1997), Greensleeves Records
References
- ^ "Merciless: 10 things to know about Leonard". Jamaica Observer. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 194
- ^ a b 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
- ^ " No mercy for Merciless Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 28 December 2001, retrieved 2010-11-04
- ^ " 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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