FIRST OFF, I'D LIKE TO MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR TO ALL THAT I AM NOT NINJAMAN - I REPEAT - I AM NOT NINJAMAN. I AM A FAN SHOWING LOVE TO NINJAMAN. I SEARCHED ALL OF MYSPACE & FOUND OUT THAT THERE ISN'T A PAGE FOR DI DON GORGON, SO I CONSTRUCTED A PAGE FOR HIS FANS(LIKE MYSELF) TO SHOW THEIR LOVE TO HIM & HIS MUSIC. ONCE THE REAL NINJAMAN HAS HIS OWN PAGE ON MYSPACE, THIS PAGE WILL BE NO LONGER, AS IT WILL NOT BE NEEDED. ANYONE WHO KNOWS NINJAMAN PERSONALLY, PLEASE LET HIM KNOW THAT THERE IS A FAN PAGE HERE IN DEDICATION TO HIM & ANYTHING HE WISHES ME TO ADD(OR DELETE) TO JUST SEND ME A MESSAGE PON HERE. ONE LOVE... width="425" height="350" ..
^an intresting take on Ninja's "Hortical Don".
.... width="425" height="350" ..
^Ninjaman w/Killamanjaro Sound..late 80's.
.. width="425" height="350" ..
^Sting 1988: a SPECTACULAR clash with di "roughneck chicken" a.k.a. Junior Demus, Flourgon, Ninjaman & Red Dragon!!!
^Sting 1989.
^Reggae Sunsplash 1989.
width="425" height="350" ..
^Ninjaman vs. Shabba Ranks:Sting 1990.
/embed..
^Ninjaman vs. Supercat:Sting 1991.
^*event & year unknown...but mi tink it's sometime inna di early 1990's*.
.. width="425" height="350" ..
^Reggae Sunsplash 1992.
.. width="425" height="350" ..
^Reggae Sunsplash 1993.
^Sting 1994.
^Fresh 1996: classic clash between Ninja & Mad Cobra.
^Ninja's return:watch what happens when Squiddly Ranks(who was originally clashing Invincible Ninja) badmouth Ninjaman - an example fi all to sight.
^..second part of Ninja/Mad Cobra clash.
^Sting 2000: the ever-controversial "Millennial Clash" between Ninja, Merciless(newly dubbed "Warhead" for this clash), Bounty Killer & Beenie Man.....TRULY WICKED CLASH!!!!!!!!!!
^Sting 2001: the re-clash between Ninja, Merciless(a.k.a. Warhead a.k.a. Bottlehead)& Bounty Killer.
^Sting 2002: controversial set as Ninja hands-over his loaded gun to Jamaica's Senior Superintenent of Police(& badman cop), Reneto Adams.
^St. Mary Mi Come From, 2003.
.. width="425" height="350" ..
^clash with Vybz Kartel at Sting 2003 that got out of hand.
.. width="425" height="350" ..
^Ninja interviewed minutes after di Kartel clash(low volume, so raise your levels).
^Love Symbol 2004: Ninja clash Beenie Man.
^Sting 2005.
^Champions In Action 2005: Ninja, Beenie Man, Kartel & Elephant Man.
.. width="425" height="350" .. ...^Reggae Sunsplash 2006: a WICKED pairing with Elephant Man!!
.. width="425" height="350" ..
...^Full Black 2006(low volume...so raise your levels).
^..2006 - Ninja's birthday bash event.
^Shaggy's "Church Heathen" video - keep your eyes out fi di Ninja inna dis one....ITAL!!
^Ninjaman with Bunny General.
^2007:an Air Jamaica event with Shaggy & Ninja performing "Church Heathen".
^Jam Jam: Jr. Reid, Ninja, Kulcha Knox & Beenie Man...BIG UP Dr. Myal fi di head's up pon dis one.
^unknown year & unknown show.
^2007: Ninja performing in Wuppertal, Germany.
^Sting "Super Clash" between Ninja & Shabba Ranks(part 1).
^...part 2 of Ninja & Shabba "Super Clash".
^..part 3 of "Super Clash".
^..part 4 of "Super Clash".
^..part 5 of "Super Clash".
^an interview from Lyric Magazine.
^...part 1 of an interview with Squeeze on PLUSH TV.
^..part 2 of the same interview with Squeeze.
^...part 3.
^..part 4.
^...part 5.
^...part 6.
^...Ninja on "Reggae Dancehall Report" - part 1.
^..."Reggae Dancehall Report" - part 2.
^..Ninja performing at Black Scorpio's 37th Anniversary.
^Spring Break 2006(part 1 of 2).
^Spring Break 2006(part 2).
^On Stage interview with Ninja(part 1 of 2).
^On Stage interview with Ninja(part 2).
^Sting 2006:...a lil' piece of Ninja's performance.
^Sting 2006.
^Black Scorpio's 37th Anniversary 2007: Ninja clash Burro Banton...WICKED!!!
^Curefest 2007.
^Sting 2007.
^Ninja vs. Lenn Hammond in a singing clash - 3/23/08.
^Ninja & Demus Family in Philadelphia, Pa. - 2008.
Cool Stuff at BlingJam.com
.. BlingJam Page Editor
Ninjaman Discography - Albums(in no particular order):
"My Weapon"
"Don Bad Man"
"Ninja Is A Ninja"
"Pon Mi Mind"
"Ting A Ling A Ling A School Pickney Sing Ting"
"Returns"
"Hold Me(Like a M16)"
"Bounty Hunter"
"Bad Grand Dad"
"Nobody's Business But My Own"
"Hollowpoint Bad Boy"
"Run Come Test"
"Anything Test Dead"(Reggae Anthology series)
"Original Front Tooth Gold Tooth Gun Pon Tooth Don Gorgon!"
"Two For One"
"Hardcore Killing"
"Booyakka Booyakka"
"Article Don"
"Big Showdown"
"Target Practice"
"Sunsplash"
"Out Pon Bail"
"Kill Them & Done"
"What A Shame"
"From The Don Gorgon To Brother Desmond"
"Settle All Score"
...other titles(that i don't have pictures for): "Excuse Me", "Warning You Now", & "Move From Here".Video Titles/Filmography:
"Ninjaman Rides Again"
"Fresh 96 part 2:Ninja vs. Cobra"
"Ninjaman:Return From the Dead, parts 1 & 2"
"Third World Cop"
"Rude Boy"
Cool Stuff at BlingJam.com
Born Desmond John Ballentine on January 20, 1966, in Annotto Bay, in the rural Jamaican province of St. Mary, Ninjaman is considered by many to be the king of the dancehall clashes & is one of the most popular dancehall artists/pioneers in the genre's history - as well as the most controversial. When he was 11, his family moved to Kingston & he started DJing the following year under the moniker of Double Ugly - which he later changed to Uglyman in the early 80's(which was when he started DJing for Killamanjaro), until another DJ presented himself as Uglyman, which forced Desmond to finally settle with the name Ninjaman - which was christened upon him by Killamanjaro founder Noel Harper, due to the fact that Desmond had actions & behaviors like a ninja.
In 1986, Ninja released his first single with reggae singer Courtney Melody( who, at the time, had an international hit with his single, "Bad Boy", ironically) with the tune "Protection", which marked not only the first release from the newly-established Killamanjaro record label, but the beginning of Ninja's recording career.
With the success of "Protection", Ninja became an in-demand DJ in Jamaica & released more singles, the most successful of which was his collaboration with reggae singer Tinga Stewart on the track "Cover Me", which became an international hit & expanded Ninja's name & fame from Jamaica to the rest of the world.
Best known for his live performances, Ninja always brings the theatrics, politics, charizma, hostility & ultra-skilled battle lyrics pon the stage & still makes a large percentage of DJ's fearful of battling him. His extensive knowledge of vintage classic reggae/dancehall tunes is that of well-educated genius & one never knows what tune Ninja will draw from his mental encyclopedia of songs to "kill" a man with.
His "bad bwoy"/"gun talk" image was solidified when he released the anthemic "Murder Dem" & "My Weapon in 1991. The following year, Ninja released the morbidly chilling tune, "Permit To Bury", which he would sing at various clashes before "killing" his opponent.
One of Ninja's more memorable/historic clashes was with then international dancehall superstar, Shabba Ranks - which Ninja voiced his distain over Shabba's signing to American record label(which didn't really know anything about reggae...much less dancehall), Epic. Ninja & Shabba clashed many times & seeing as both artists were at the top of their careers, it was a legendary head-up, no-holds barred lyrical clashing.
Ninja continued to make duet tunes with a variety of reggae legends such as Gregory Isaacs, Linval Thompson, Admiral Tibett & Cocoa Tea, ranging in topics from gun talk to reality/roots - Ninja's a chameleon of many hues.
By the mid 90's, Ninja's recording career suffered greatly as a direct result of his on-going personal problems/drama. By 1997, Ninja became a born-again Christian, changed his name to Brother Desmond & began to perform gospel reggae tunes - but this was a short-lived venture for Ninja & a percentage of Jamaica's Christian community condemned him for it.
1999 was a very turbulent year for Ninja: he was accused of murdering a taxi driver(he was eventually acquitted), raping a woman at knifepoint in his home(of which he was also eventually acquitted), convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm & ammunition & was sentenced to a year in jail where he was reportedly assaulted by prison guards for attempting to shield his cellmate from a beating. 1999 also saw the beginning of Ninja's acting career, as he played the sinister informant, Deportee, in the hugely successful "Third World Cop"(the highest-grossing film in Jamaican film history) & began calling himself "Deportee" in his shows("yes, Deportee is back/ wickedest man inna "Third World Cop"..").
In 2001, Ninja suffered several machete wounds from a family member trying to break-up a physical debacle between Ninja & his common-law wife(he was later charged with domestic assault). Several months later, he was arrested for erratic driving. That year, at the annual Sting festival - an event that Ninja's been a long-time driving force behind...performance-wise - Ninja had the most controversial clash in his career when he clashed with rising artist, Merciless - who changed his name to "Warhead" specifically for that particular clash. To this day, a line has been drawn in dancehall circles as to who really won that clash, as Merciless not only clashed with Ninja, but as the clash went on, Merciless clashed with Beenie Man & Bounty Killer.....& supposedly "killed" them all onstage. All of 2002 was hot for Ninja, as he was on a mission to find & "kill" Merciless & regain his reputation as the deadliest clasher in the dancehall. Every chance he got, Ninja badmouthed Merciless, claiming that Merciless had many of his people in the audience that night at Sting to give him forwards - but it was forwards that he didn't deserve. That December, at Sting.....the old Ninja was back!!! Donned in ninja garb - with sword - the crowd exploded into pandemonium as Ninjaman graced the stage........awaiting Merciless with bloodthirsty anticipation. When Merciless came out - in a black leather trenchcoat & - oddly enough - a black ski mask - Ninja didn't waste any time to destroy this man.......Merciless' death was quick & just - & Ninja regained his respect & lyrical reputation.
To this day, Ninja still performs around Jamaica & Europe, but due to his constant clashes with di law, he hasn't been permitted in di United States since di 1990's. Ninjaman is di only dancehall artist who hasn't put out hardly any records in years who still commands an audience & steals a show - simply put, Ninja's di whole package...he's your favorite dancehall artist's favorite dancehall artist. There seems to be no slowing-down fi di Ninja...even some 20+ years after he started, as a matter of fact, Ninja's even deadlier now than he was then. He remains a legendary performer every year at Sting, still clashing with the so-called "toppa-top" performers, "killing" them & reminding di people dem who di REAL toppa-top is.....it is Ninjaman, a don gorgon in every sense of di word!!!
