'UNDISPUTED' Dancehall Champion BEENIE MAN Rams the Dance Floor With New 2006 Single 'Hmm Hmm'

NEW YORK, NY (Virgin Records) - Dance hall star BEENIE MAN is once again setting off a mad rush to the dance floor with the release of his latest Virgin single "Hmm Hmm." BEENIE MAN is one of the acknowledged founders of modern hardcore dance hall, especially for his part in an unforgettable epic lyrical battle with Bounty Killer that defined dance hall style in the Nineties. In the post-2K period, his international hits have remained fixtures in hip-hop and crossover club and radio playlists.

Breakout airplay at leader crossover/hip-hop radio stations in the dance hall hotspots of Miami and Philadelphia indicates that the ingeniously simple, yet irrepressibly catchy and sensual "Hmm Hmm" will be another long-running BEENIE MAN dance hall classic. The track was produced by Tony Kelly, who previously created such worldwide smashes as Sean Paul's "Like Glue" and "Deport Them," and Sasha's "Dat Sexy Body."

"Hmm Hmm" is the lead single of the forthcoming "UNDISPUTED" album, currently set for July 18, 2006 release. Also producing on the project are Tony Kelly's brother Dave, producer of BEENIE MAN's 2004 worldwide smash "Dude," featuring Ms. Thing; and hip-hop mega-hit maker Scott Storch (Beyonce, Eve, Chris Brown, Nelly, The Roots). So far, studio guests on prospective album tracks have taken on a global flavor with Akon ("Lonely") and reggaeton's seminal female star, Ivy Queen. Don Corleon - T.O.K. "Footprints," Elephant Man "Pon Di River."

BEENIE MAN made headlines in London recently with tabloid reports that a fan attempted to steal a jewel-encrusted watch, valued at $150,000 or more, right off of his arm, amid a crush of admirers outside a record store. Fans retrieved the watch for the artist, and reportedly dealt with the thief themselves.

BEENIE MAN first began performing professionally at age 8. His string of long-lived dance hall smashes made the genre an indispensable part of the urban music vocabulary for U.S. hip-hop and pop audiences. He had a 20-week run on the U.S. Hot 100 with the pop Top 40/Urban Top 15 crossover "Who Am I (Sim Simma)," and charted for 15 weeks on the Hot 100 with "Girls Dem Sugar," featuring urban songstress Mya. He was most recently in the pop top 30 with "Feel It Boy," featuring Virgin labelmate Janet Jackson, and the all-time classic "Dude," featuring Ms. Thing. BEENIE MAN's Virgin album "Art and Life" won the 2000 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.