Jamaican Dancehall Artist Elephant Man is a King, and there’s no denying it. Known as the “Energy God”, he ensures that every musical release puts a jolt in your spine, and he electrifies the stage whenever he is summoned to perform. With a career that started in the 90s, it’s amazing that he still commands a large audience, and still possesses a hit-making skillset. This year he celebrates 30 years of music, a feat that is well-respected, and he is as active as ever. He has a few things in store, but let’s go back down memory lane a little.
Born O’Neil Bryan on September 11 in Seaview Gardens, Kingston, Elephant Man was made to entertain. His music career started as a member of the group, “Scare Dem Crew”, which consisted of himself, Harry Toddler, Boom Dandimite, and Nitty Kutchie, and had a close association with Dancehall Icon Bounty Killa. Elephant Man would disband from the group after a number of releases to pursue a solo career, and he would cause a storm from there. With a charged delivery, catchy lyrics, loud fashion, and the ability to get you dancing, Ele became a hit machine since the mid 90s. His crossover to the International market in the 2000s made him a dominant force, and helped to increase the value of the Jamaican music scene during that era. His catalog is filled with hits like “Pon De River”, “Jook Gyal”, “Nuh Linga”, “Signal De Plane”, “Elephant Message”, and “Log On”, and he had something for everybody. He also had a knack for remixing popular songs, making hits out of them (you can find a number of them in this Playlist), and teaming up with various dancers to create catchy moves to accompany certain releases. The 2010s never found Ele slowing down, and he continued to feed the streets, and cause scenes when he gets to perform. This King of Dancehall reigned supreme.
Since the advent of the 2020s, Elephant Man continued to produce music at a rapid pace, while welcoming an influx of regional and International bookings during various times of the year. He is a regular in North America during the summer, and being a part of annual events like Hot 97’s “On The Reggae Tip” and “Summer Jam”, “Reggaefest”, and the “Love and Harmony Cruise” not only keeps him busy, but allows him to introduce new music along with the hits. He made waves this year on Social Media when he made a remix to Ghanaian-American Singer Moliy’s “Shake It To The Max” called “Dancing To The Max”, flipped the Connie Francis 60s hit, “Pretty Little Baby” called “Pretty Baby“, and recently he celebrated another high point in his career when he was granted the opportunity to perform for the first time in 16 years in the UK.
Elephant Man has enjoyed a successful career that still takes care of him. His 30 years has been filled with many high points, and not so high ones, but his support system continues to uplift him, and the various accolades and awards he has received over the years are testaments to what he’s really about, making good music for the people. You can find Elephant Man on Instagram at @ElephantManTheEnergyGod, and on TikTok at @Oniel.Bryan.
Check out our “30 Years Of Elephant Man” videos below, and share with a friend. Show us some love/follow us on Twitter, TikTok, Threads, and Instagram at @13thStreetPromo.
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