STAR of the Month : Bounty Killer looks forward to collab with DJ Khaled

Dancehall stalwart Bounty Killer can boast of collaborations with a number of international performers. Busta Rhymes, The Fugees and Capone-N-Noreaga are just a few of the acts he has worked with. His collaboration with pop-rock band No Doubt on the song 'Hey Baby' earned the deejay his first Grammy award and his first Platinum selling single.

As a result of the revocation of travel privileges to the United States, the feasibility of future collaborations have been thwarted. Still, when Bounty Killer is ready to reintroduce himself to the international scene, he knows exactly the collaboration he'd like to make.

"One person mi wah work wid right now a DJ Khaled," he said. "That's my people, 'cause I'm not a groupie. I'm not the groupie guy, who gonna say 'hey, you remember me? There's a lot of hot people in America, but I don't know them. I know DJ Khaled, and he's hot enough."

He continued, "It's not that he's the most talented, or the biggest thing. It's just that he's one of my friends that I was working with from he's a little tot. From him a seh, 'more fiyah!,' until him start play a 99 JAMZ and became a big disc jockey, until him become a big record exec."

Notably influenced

DJ Khaled is an American disc jockey, whose delivery and production style has been notably influenced by reggae and dancehall music. After leaving his first job at a record store, DJ Khaled began participating in sound clashes and mixing dancehall and hip-hop music. In the early stages of his career, the disc jockey built relationships with then rising stars of Cash Money, Birdman and Lil' Wayne, as well as dancehall's very own 'Gully Gad', Mavado.

"He took Mavado under his wing how many years now. That's our family. We the Best," Bounty Killer told THE STAR.

DJ Khaled's career moved steadily upwards. In 2009, he became president of record label Def Jam South. He is also the founder and CEO of We The Best Music Group.

"When I go back to America, that's the first international group that I know I'm gonna work with, We The Best. And many more, but the first place mi a drop a Miami, guh work wid Khaled," Killer said.