Merciless (DJ)

Merciless, born Leonard Bartley (1 July 1971 – 19 July 2022) in the Turner district of Chapelton, Clarendon, Jamaica, was a Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist. He died on 19 July 2022, in St. Andrew, Jamaica.^[1]

Biography

Merciless first found success performing with sound systems.^[2] He made his recording début in 1994 with "Lend Out Mi Mercy", which was a hit in Jamaica and elsewhere, and a string of further hits followed, including "Mavis", which was the top reggae single in Jamaica in 1995 and used the same riddim as Shaggy's "Mr. Boombastic".^[2] Like several other dancehall stars, he adopted 'conscious' lyrical content in the late 1990s.^[2] He is similar in sound to fellow artist Bounty Killer.^[3][2] In the late 2000s he was imprisoned in Florida for fourteen months.^[3]

He was also known by the nickname "Warhead", and engaged in several high-profile on-stage 'battles' in the late 1990s and 2000s with fellow deejays Beenie Man, Ninjaman, and Bounty Killer.^[4] His rivalry with Bounty Killer did not prevent the two from recording together, with "No One Cares" released in 2000.^[5]

Discography

• Mr. Merciless (1994), VP Records
• Len' Out Mi Mercy (1995), Annex
• Mama's Cooking (1997), Greensleeves Records