Ja’s Dancehall fraternity welcomes ‘Prodigal Son’
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Caribbean L BQ ife, March 22–28, 2019 11
Port St. Lucie, Florida —
Last weekend, an exodus out
of every county in Florida,
recorded full flights departing
from Miami International,
Palm Beach International,
Tampa International and
Orlando International to Kingston,
Jamaica where a “Long
Road To Freedom” headliner
invited fans to his first concert
in almost a decade.
Contingents of diasporans
from the Sunshine State said
they travelled further south
in order to greet their beloved
Buju Banton, a dancehall
deejay who had not performed
since Jan. 16, 2011 when he was
granted permission by a judge
to headline his own fundraiser
in Miami to help with his legal
fees.
The Tampa magistrate
okayed the concert 11 months
into the incarceration period of
Mark Myrie AKA Buju Banton
who was found guilty of possession
of drugs and a long list
of related charges after surveillance
cameras captured him
tasting and offering cocaine to
a government informant who
he befriended.
A large number of Jamaicans
denied the allegations saying
Banton was setup by the
federal government because of
his lyrical recording interpreted
to advocate the murder of
homosexuals.
The song was actually an ageold
recording titled “Boom Bye
Bye” and chorused “inna batty
bwoy head” to mean “shoot
them in their head.” Although
Banton explained that the reason
he penned the diatribe
against homosexuals was due
to a specific rape incident in
Kingston, which involved an
underage, male who was sexually
violated by an adult male.
Despite the fact the telling
tune was first introduced when
the deejay was a teenager, an
international, advocacy group
for the gay community waged a
relentless protest campaign to
stunt his rise throughout the
American music industry.
Banton was banned from
performing at many venues
and radio stations dropped the
song and others he recorded
from their playlists.
Protest groups positioned
themselves outside his concerts
forcing promoters to refrain
from billing the popular Jamaican
entertainer.
Despite a preponderance of
negative media coverage, Banton’s
fans stood their ground,
rallied in support of his stance
and although faced with
reduced and limited tour offers
Banton was dubbed the Voice
Of Jamaica, a moniker borrowed
from his Loose Canon
Records debut album.
And after his arrest, prior to
a conviction while in captivity
the judge approved a fundraising
concert at Miami’s
Bayfront Stadium with provision
that Banton would wear
an electronic monitor to track
his movements. Thousands
flocked to show solidarity with
the showcase billed “Before
The Dawn.”
The concert featured Gramps
Morgan and Morgan Heritage,
Stephen Marley and others
convinced the nicknamed Gargamel
was trapped for voicing
aversions against homosexuals
.L
ess than a month after the
concert the Gargamel won a
Grammy Award in the best reggae
album category for Since
his release last December fans
have anxiously awaited his
return to the stage. When he
announced a March 16 date
at the National Stadium loyalists
converged online to purchase
concert tickets in order
to attend the premiere concert
event by the dancehall reggae
artist.
Catch You On The Inside!
Dancehall icon Buju Banton.
Inside Life
By Vinette K. Pryce
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