Beenie Man is celebrating another international milestone as his 1997 dancehall anthem Who Am I (Sim Simma) earns Gold certification in the United Kingdom, while facing renewed criticism over remarks about Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival history. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) issued the certification on Friday, October 23, recognising the equivalent of 400,000 units in sales and streaming. However, the achievement comes as the Girls Dem Sugar deejay seeks to repair relations with Trinidadians after admitting that he got the history of Carnival wrong.
The controversy followed an interview on New York radio station HOT 97, during which Beenie Man suggested that Jamaica began Carnival celebrations before Trinidad and Tobago, crediting the late Jamaican music pioneer Byron Lee. His comments prompted criticism on social media, given Trinidad and Tobago’s deep-rooted Carnival traditions, which developed from historical and cultural practices dating back to the period of slavery. Jamaica’s modern national Carnival celebrations, by contrast, began in the early 1990s.
In response, Beenie Man apologised publicly, acknowledging that he had confused Byron Lee’s contribution to Jamaican Carnival with the wider history of the celebration. “I got the carnival history wrong, and I apologise,” he said, while affirming his respect for Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural heritage. The latest apology follows a separate controversy in February 2025, when the dancehall veteran faced backlash over comments about doubles, the popular chickpea-filled flatbread dish associated with Trinidadian cuisine.
Meanwhile, the UK Gold certification marks another achievement for Who Am I (Sim Simma), which became a breakthrough hit for Beenie Man in the United States, reaching No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart and was built on the Playground rhythm produced by Jeremy Harding. It also appeared on Beenie Man’s Grammy-nominated album The Many Moods of Moses. Harding previously described the track as a worldwide dancehall anthem, praising the chemistry between the artiste and the rhythm.
The certification is Beenie Man’s second in the UK, following the Silver award for Dude, featuring Miss Thing. As the veteran deejay celebrates the enduring appeal of one of his signature recordings, his latest apology has placed him at the centre of another Caribbean cultural conversation. The contrasting developments highlight both the international longevity of his music and the importance of cultural history in the region’s entertainment landscape.
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