Buju Banton

Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall and ragga singer. He was born in a slum near Kingston, Jamaica called Salt Lane. "Buju" is a common nickname for chubby children; it means breadfruit. "Banton" is a Jamaican word referring to someone with a superior attitude, but was also the name of a local artist (Burro Banton) that Buju watched as a child.

Related Topics:
1973 - Jamaica - Dancehall - Ragga - Slum - Kingston - Salt Lane - Breadfruit - Burro Banton

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He is one of the most popular musicians in Jamaican history, having hit the charts there suddenly in 1992, with "Bogle" and "Love Me Browning/Love Black Woman", both massive hits in Jamaica and less so abroad.

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His reputation has suffered internationally for his gay bashing lyrics and pending criminal charges for assault.

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His lyrics to "Boom Boom Bye Bye", state:

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:The world is in trouble

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:Anytime Buju Banton come

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:Batty boy get up and run

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:ah gunshot in ah head man

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:Tell dem crew? it?s like

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:Boom bye bye, in a batty boy head,

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:Rude boy nah promote no nasty man,

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:them hafi dead.

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Batty boy is a Jamaican slang term meaning a gay man. Many allege that the song's lyrics are homophobic and advocate violence against gay men http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3653140.stm http://www.amnestyusa.org/outfront/jamaica_report.html http://www.gwu.edu/~english/ccsc/2001_pages/MelissaHenry.htm http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0626-03.htm. Homosexual behavior is illegal in Jamaica, where police and other authorities are often complicit and sometimes directly engaged in violence against Jamaican gays http://www.amnestyusa.org/outfront/jamaica_report.html. Banton, who had just signed to Mercury Records, was forced by his label to issue a statement; nevertheless, he refused to apologize and cited 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.

Related Topics:
Jamaica - Gay - Homosexual - Mercury Records - Rastafarian - Religion

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Buju has since begun supporting AIDS education and released a song called "Willy (Don't Be Silly)" (1993; The Voice of Jamaica), promoting the use of condoms.

Related Topics:
AIDS - 1993 - The Voice of Jamaica - Condom

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Till Shiloh (1995) was an influential album, using a studio band instead of synthesized music, and marked a shift away from dancehall towards roots reggae for Banton. It also 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. Inna Heights (1997) substantially increased Banton's international audience.

Related Topics:
Till Shiloh - 1995 - Roots reggae - Panhead - Dirtsman - Inna Heights - 1997

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In March 2003 he released Friends for Life, which featured more sharply political songs.

Related Topics:
2003 - Friends for Life

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