Buju Banton

Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer.

History and Recordings

Buju Banton was born in a slum near Kingston, Jamaica called Salt Lane. "Buju" is a nickname given to chubby children which means Breadfruit. The name is ironic in light of Mark Myrie's slim frame, but it is, nevertheless, the nickname his mother gave him as a child. "Banton" is a Jamaican word referring to someone with a superior attitude and a gift with speech, but it was also the name of a local artist Burro Banton that Buju admired as a child. It was Burro's rough gravelly vocals that Buju emulated and ultimately made his own. Buju's mother was a higgler, or street vendor while his father worked as a labourer at a tile factory. He was one of fifteen children born into a family which was directly descended from the Maroons, a group of escaped slaves who proudly fought off the British colonialists.

As a youngster, Buju would often watch his favourite artists perform at outdoor shows and local dancehalls. At the tender age of 13 he picked up the microphone for himself and began toasting under the monicker of "Gargamel". His first single, "The Ruler" was released not long afterwards in 1987 under the production of Robert French at Penthouse Studios.

In 1991, Buju joined Donovan Germain's Penthouse Label and began a fruitful partnership with producer Dave Kelly. Buju is one of the most popular musicians in Jamaican history, having burst onto the charts there suddenly in 1992, with "Bogle" and "Love Me Browning/Love Black Woman", both massive hits in Jamaica. Controversy erupted over Love Me Browning which spoke of Banton's preference for light-skinned women: "I love mi car I love mi house I love mi money and ting, but most of all mi love mi browning." Some accused Banton of promoting a colonialist attitude and denigrating the beauty of black women. In response, he released "Black Women" which spoke of his love for dark-skinned beauties: "Stop cry, fi all black woman, respect all the gyals with dark complexion." 1992 was an explosive year for Buju as he broke the great Bob Marley's record for the greatest number of number one singles in a year. Beginning with "Man fi Dead", Buju's gruff voice dominated the Jamaican airwaves for the duration of the year. Banton's debut album, Mr. Mention, includes his greatest hits from that year. 1992 also saw a good deal of controversy concerning the song "Boom Bye Bye" and its homophobic content, concerning which see below.

Banton released the hard-hitting Voice of Jamaica in 1993. The album included a number of conscious tracks. These tracks included "Deportees" a song which criticized those Jamaicans who went abroad but never sent money home, a remix of Little Roy's "Tribal War", a sharp condemnation of political violence, and "Willy, Don't Be Silly" which promoted condom use. Some dancehall fans felt that Banton could have exploded onto the American scene if his homophobic song hadn't held him back. Nevertheless, Buju was adopted by many new fans who appreciated his gravelly vocals and cared little about his homophobia.

Till Shiloh (1995) was a very influential album, using a studio band instead of synthesized music, and marking a slight shift away from dancehall towards roots reggae for Banton. Buju claimed to have adopted Rastafarianism and his new album reflected his new beliefs. Til Shiloh successfully blended conscious lyrics with a hard-hitting dancehall vibe. The album included a single called "Murderer" which condemned the violence in Jamaican dancehall music, inspired by the murders of dancehall musicians Panhead and Dirtsman. The song inspired several clubs to stop playing songs with excessively violent subject matter. This conscious album had a large impact on dancehall music and showed the hunger the dancehall massive had for conscious lyrics. Dancehall music did not move away from slack and violent lyrics, but the album did pave the way for a greater spirituality within the music.

Inna Heights (1997) substantially increased Banton's international audience as Buju explored his singing ability and recorded a number of roots-tinged tracks. Banton covered the Silvertones' "Destiny" and recorded songs with such artists as Beres Hammond and the legendary Toots Hibbert. The album was well-received but had distribution problems. Also, some fans were disappointed, having hoped for another ground-breaking album like "Til Shiloh." Still, Buju's experimentation and soaring vocals impressed many fans and this album remains a highly regarded work.

In 1998, Buju met the punk band Rancid and recorded two tracks with them: "Misty Days" and "Life Won't Wait." The latter became the title track of Rancid's 1999 album, Life Won't Wait. Subsequently, Buju signed with Rancid's eclectic Anti, a subsidiary of Epitaph and released Unchained Spirit in 2000.

In March 2003 he released Friends for Life, which featured more sharply political songs, including "Mr. Nine", an anti-gun song that further verified his status as one of reggae's most anti-confrontational artists. Buju is set to release Rasta Got Soul sometime in the near future.

Controversies

Cannabis cultivation

On April 5 2004 Banton was fined the equivalent of US$9000 for the possession and cultivation of cannabis after 2 mature marijuana plants were discovered growing at his studio in December 2003. He defended himself by stating that he just came from a long tour and found the plants there. ^*.

Homophobia

Banton has incited a considerable amount of international controversy because of his 1992 song "Boom Bye Bye" which calls for violence against homosexuals — including shooting them in the head, pouring acid over them and setting them on fire. As a result, Banton was forced by his label to issue a statement; nevertheless he refused to apologize, citing his Rastafarian religion as the basis for his beliefs. Banton still performs the song, notably at the Smirnoff Festival in Negril, Jamaica 8 August 2004. As a consequence, Banton's concerts are often met with protesting crowds and calls for cancellation. This should, however, be seen in the context of the fact that Jamaican law considers male homosexuality a criminal offense and the generally very negative stance towards homosexuals found in Jamaican culture (for which see LGBT rights in Jamaica), in reggae in general and in dancehall in particular, a subject further treated in the article on Reggae.

Assault charges

In July of 2004, the Guardian Unlimited published an article that Jamaican Police were seeking Banton after an armed attack on gay men in Kingston. According to the published article, Banton was allegedly one of a group of about a dozen armed men who forced their way into a house in Kingston on the morning of June 24 and beat the occupants while shouting anti-gay slogans and insults, according to the victims, two of whom were taken to the hospital. ^*

By September 2004, reports that an arrest warrant was issued by the Jamaican police for Banton for the incident widely circulated in the general press [http://www.avi.org/men/node/view/676. The actual status and exact nature of the charges were unclear: as of May 2005 no reports of the arrest warrant being executed had been published, nor had there been any reports citing the resolution of the charges, though Banton was dropped from several US and UK and German concerts over the controversy.

On October 1 2005 Banton appeared in Court and had his $50,000 bail extended. According to the Jamaica Observer ^*, he had appeared in court with his attorney to have his bail conditions altered to allow him to work. He had previously been required to report to the Constant Spring Police Station three times weekly, the Magistrate reduced this to once per week. He has plead not guilty to the charge.

On January 16 2006 Banton was acquitted of all charges related to the alleged assault.

Similar Artists

External links

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