By Nomad
OutAroad.com Writer
For Merciless it is not about being lost in the music, it is about not being able to be found, literally. The last we heard of Merciless was that he was in lock up in the United States, and there was rumours circulating within the entertainment fraternity that he was in Miami ‘running taxi.’
Whatever the situation is with ‘The Gal Dem Gizadda’ one thing is for sure, he once gripped the attention of the dancehall arena.
Merciless blast to the pinnacle of dancehall in 2000 at the annual Sting festival when he annihilated three of dancehall’s biggest guns Ninja Man, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man. Dressed for war in army fatigue and with his face painted to match his striking attire, Merciless waited patiently as he sounded his war cry: “Real war mi come, … “light!, b*mb*h*le dead tonight.”
Ninja and Merciless were head to head initially, however, Merciless used his witty rhymes and chatter to win over the crowd. His line “It look like yuh lef’ yuh under pants inna Kid Ralph prison cell,” got the better of Ninja Man who struggled to find a comeback.
“How Laing fi inna him right mind and clash mi wid ‘Junkie’ (Ninja Man), sen’ out bl**dcl**t Bounty,” Warhead said to thunderous roars from the crowd. The Killa was no match for Merciless who easily dismissed him. Beenie Man soon joined the fracas and was himself embarrassed. After that famous clash, Merciless killed three goats, each representing the three-dancehall giants that he slewed.
Fast forward three years later and there is hardly any word of Merciless. In that famous 2000 Sting clash Ninja Man said “Merciless career inna pothole” and that is now close to reality. The exception being that Leonard’s career has actually fallen down a precipice.
A product of Clarendon Leonard Bartley initially called himself Sugar Demus before changing his name to something more fitting to his lyrical persona - Merciless. He was well known for hits such as Mavis and Gal Dem Gizzada, and has several other hard-hitting songs such as Mama's Cooking, Click Boom, Bon Voyage, and Not Me a well-put together counteraction for Bounty Killa.
After bursting into the limelight in 1995 with the ‘big tune’ Lend Out Mi Mercy, Leonard made strides in the dancehall, but was often criticized for sounding too much like Bounty Killa.
No one who follows dancehall clashes will forget Sting 2000, however the ‘victor’ did not make use of the spotlight and soon fade like evening into night. Beenie Man still has a blossoming career, while Bounty Killer and Ninja Man still enjoy a bit of the spotlight. As for Leonard Bartley aka Merciless, aka Warhead, the same cannot be said. Merciless have not been seen on a stage in Jamaica for years and there are no records of him performing overseas. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Merciless please find out if he is still recording music.
Posted on July 8, 2008 10:39
wat u mean by killa still enjoy a bit of the spotlight. u cant put ninja pan an killa in the same category...killa a star real superstar...outaroad neva gives anyone in the alliance respect..stop hatin on the alliance giants
Posted on July 8, 2008 10:41
Lol Bwoy I think merciless had talent inuh him just neva capitalize on him buzz
Right now him in and out a broward county jail pretty frequentlty
Posted on July 8, 2008 11:07
Mi nuh understand how rondon a defend the Killa suh, like nutten a gwaan fi him career. If a few more months pass and wi nuh hear a good tune from the Killer him might all join merciless pan di lost in the music thing. Wayne marshall, jaguar, and Bling Dawg should be on the list too. Yow wha really a gwaan wid Merciless though???
Posted on July 8, 2008 12:12
It is so funny how some of u guys hate d killa so much but yet still all d fight unnu a fight, d man is still a headliner on any reggae event. Full time now unnu stop fight d rass man a wah d man do unnu so, fi unnu full a hate fi d man so.
Posted on July 8, 2008 12:48
re appliance fixer, go fix ur moma appliance. killa and alliance run de world. killa kill merciless career.alliance
Posted on July 8, 2008 14:15
merciless was the greatest clashing artist of his era one of the main reason why merciless never made it bigger was because bounty killa paid all the selector not to play merciless record and that merciless cant be on any stage show he is on so merciless wasnt getting any big show in jamaica so bounty killa will suffer
Posted on July 8, 2008 15:14
MI RATE MERCILESS, BUT HE NEEDED MORE DISCIPLINE..HIM DISS THE TOP MAN DEM, CHAT ANYTHING COME TO HIS MOUTH..IF HE HAD MORE RESPECT HE WOULD STILL BE IN THE ACTION......
ALLIANCE MI SEY..
Posted on July 8, 2008 15:48
Yow everything a Bounty. An everybody career whe get pop down, unuh talk bout Killa pay selector. Di yute neva have no hit song an him use him likkle pay weh Laing give to buy goat.
Outaroad unuh need fi stop mek unuh bias against Alliance show up in unuh article dem.
Posted on July 8, 2008 16:02
jamaykan it looks like yuh a jam a man everything in the article is facts outaroad gwaan duh uhnu thing because bounty is the one made himself apart of all these artistes history, right now mavado a di only one a gwaan in a di alliance and busy signal is hot but mi nuh consider him apar of the alliance
Posted on July 8, 2008 17:26
If me did know say it was going to Kill Merciless career like that me wouldnt take the money wha Bounty pay me fi stop play him tunes. Jah know me feel bad and me know say a whole heap more people out deh wha get pay. A guess a so the music industry set up.
Posted on July 8, 2008 17:56
wow, unu love call up bounty name, a nuh bounty alone merciless did class wid suh why unu a talk bout bounty pay off selecta, unu low bounty, mek the man enjoy life. Yes, merciless have some whole heap a charges against him, from Lauderhill, Miramar to hollywood police that a just inna broward county : from gun charges to drunk driving. And mi did hear say a Orlando him deh a drive taxi
Posted on July 8, 2008 18:42
@hustler and alliance....
Killa will always b in the headline fi beat up him bl"dc"uat gyal,alliance yuh sound dunsss nuh bomb@cla@,a man a giv his views and ur tellin the man bout his madda...Appliance fixa gwan hold yuh groundz ute mi role wid di portmore alliance...Nuff luv to all the portmore empire fanz....kartel str8.....Bounty loose man,ya
Posted on July 8, 2008 21:25
killa a my dj unno can gwaan hate all i know any dj who rise against the killa always fall and cant rise again him might no have no hit song but him still a mash up stage show gwaan killa
Posted on July 8, 2008 22:02
merciless a hang out wid Zackie Frass dem a Florida! me see him a ! show a D.C last year April, him still have talent but him neva stop wipe him nose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on July 8, 2008 22:06
Big Up Merciless:
Me rate you meh dupppzz... For the people Merciless is cooling, man a live life and enjoys what he does. Merciless soon come back... Member meh tell you... sooooonnnn...
Posted on July 8, 2008 22:08
who this fool alliance if u dont know about reggae music shut up merciless kill his own career. how the the he focus his career to clown bounty instead put music that ppl want to listen he get boo off stage in his own back yard clarendon just to call killa name so what u dont lock yuh mouth talk mucking fuch
Posted on July 8, 2008 22:45
a try killer is a bad mined yute from day 1 killa hated mi dj warhead mi did read 1 article back in the day were green sleve records did a interview rodny him a fire hate after mirciless an beenie man a try dem a teef him style is a s**k pu**y bwoy caa him cant live without dissing ppl now him done diss beeine baby cham ,sizzla ect him trun to him daddy ninjaman who bring him come in de toppr top light him run up mouth ninja will destroy him rodney a likel fool mi loose of him
Posted on July 9, 2008 03:02
i used to be friend with matterhorn and most of the selector and they told me they cant play merciless tune because bounty will not do any dub plate for them ricky trooper was the only selector who never fraid a bounty he is always playing merciless tune back in the days listen me the music faternity is not as nice as you think it is its a lot o obeah going on bounty is the biggest obeah worker in the business ask cartel and ninja i love bounty music but i dont like is dirty ways nuff love
Posted on July 9, 2008 08:41
Hey I cannot understand why so much persons here talking about Bounty. Isn't the article about Merciless. I want to know what happen to War Head. I don't give a f*@k about Bounty
Posted on July 9, 2008 11:39
i knew from longtime if killa is in no war wit beenie him can't bring out any tunes killa is still killa cauz of the yutes him bring out Merciless was tougher than killa too bad him flop outa de bizness
Posted on July 9, 2008 11:44
how dem fi say nothing not going on fi kill how you people so fool di man rich how much money you people have killa a the big man kartel a deh puppa so what all a who say nothing not going on fi the killa how him still inna di music bez is him buss all a di man dem
Posted on July 9, 2008 12:03
Killa must be di greatest artist inna di land. Him get blame fi every artiste weh pap down. Merciless guh up against di man innah cut throat industry an get flop. Nuff other artistes guh up against Killa.
Beenie - career still going strong
Kartel - career still going strong
Sizzla - career still going strong
Cham - had couple of his biggest songs since then, an a gwaan cool out now.
This just goes to show that if di yute did do good music him woulda still deh bout.
Posted on July 9, 2008 12:57
Your right Ricky Rudy, if him did have good music him woulda still deh bout, them soon start say a Bounty mek him in and outta jail. Everything a Bounty, Bounty is one of the most hated and yet still the most loved DJ. Bounty love help people and it look like that a him downfall
Posted on July 9, 2008 15:33
TO DI IDIOT DEM WEH A SEY BOUNTY RICH, WE ALL KNOW DAT.. its not about that cause most a di artiste dem rich but him and merciless career still pop dung and killa need to be on this list. his name is only being mentioned because of mavado..
Posted on July 10, 2008 08:48
Some people a very judgmental. As if no "mistakes" have been made in your lives. You live and you learn and you come back stronger, different attitude and humble. No matter what Merciless does there will always be "chatter" whether it's good or bad. Be assured Merciless will be back home and working hard within the month. I just hope he uses all this chatter to see how the public views him and make better on what has been proven to be talent. Merciless ................soon come!
Posted on July 10, 2008 15:10
As to the idiot who say Bounty pay him off nuh fi pay merciless songs, a how you one suh licky licky, you will sell your soul for a little money. You say u didnt know it would mash up Merciless career, then what do you think it would have done, bill his career you fool, you shouldnt be talking lies cause it only makes you look like a f**king fool
Posted on July 11, 2008 03:22
MERCILESS HAVE BARE NEW TUNE PON HIM MYSPACE PAGE
myspace.com/mercilesstheofficialsite
NUTTIN NUH CHANGE LENNY A MI ARTISTE FI LIFE
WADDUP.. BADMAN NUH TEK BADD UP
Posted on August 18, 2008 17:08
WHO,I DONT EVEN MEMBA DAT DUDE A HIM SING GIZZARDA DONT ,OH A THE ONE WEY DE WARLORD DUN HIM CAREER OH ZEEN HAHAHAAAA,B''BOCL''T,A WAH DO EDIOT WARHEAD LIVIN IN THE SHADOWS OF BOUNTY,GO DO SOME BL''DCL''T TUNE AND STOP FOLLOW UP MAN GO FOLLOW SOME BL''DCL''T GAL
Posted on August 31, 2008 19:08
Too much of Bounty mi just want to know what happen to Leonard Bartley aka Merciless?
His he alive? and if so his he doing music?
Posted on August 31, 2008 19:12
Mi just want to know if merciless is alive and well?