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: "Mi love mi car mi love mi house mi 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 Woman" 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 was also the year in which the controversy over Buju's homophobic "Boom Bye Bye" exploded. The media in Great Britain picked up on Buju's less than admirable promotion of violence against homosexuals. Myrie, who had recently signed with Mercury records, refused to back down from his stance against homosexuals, claiming his religious beliefs prevented him from accepting homosexuality. Banton downplayed the violent content of his song, claiming that it was metaphorical. Gay Rights groups campaigned against Buju as well as Shabba Ranks who, when asked about the controversy on the British show The Word, stated, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Shabba later apologized, but Buju refused to back down which drew the ire of various homosexual advocacy groups who continue to campaign against him.
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. The conscious spin of this disc did little to stop the attacks of gay rights groups who felt that his continued performance of "Boom Bye Bye" was a slap in their faces. 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.
Til 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 turned Rasta and his new album reflected his new beliefs. Til Shiloh is one of the greatest dancehall albums of all time and 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.
Banton's 2006 album Too Bad got him nominated for a second Grammy but despite the album's brilliance and artistic excellence "Too Bad" did not garner the award. "Too Bad" brings us back to the Buju of the nineties with his rough phenomenal voice backed by hypnotic beats and conscious lyrics that seem to stay on repeat in your head. "Too Bad" is a complete listen from start to finish and is an extra success because the Gargamel executive produced the album on his own label.
On April 21, 2009, Buju released the often delayed album Rasta Got Soul. This is Banton's ninth album and features the hit single Magic City. This release sees Buju returning to roots and culture reggae. The album received a Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category.
As of December 2009, Buju allegedly attempted to buy cocaine from an undercover officer in Miami and faces up to life in prison if convicted. The trial of Banton began on September 20, 2010 in Tampa, Florida.
54 \ 46
Buju Banton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Accused of crime
Placed in the bottomless pit pit to do my time
It was the grace
Of the most high, savior divine
Yeah, I'm free of bondage
It's the every day life if the under privilege
Taken into custombadly treated
Dem claim dem a lock fi rudie
Dem spread me out pon a zinc fence
Bok off mi cap
Before me say who dat
Mi end up in a jeep back
All dressed in monkey suit fire arm cock
One ask mi weh mi wok
An him say no back chat
Bwoy weh yu live
An mi nuh answer back
Him say yu never know seh
Yu fi respect di knotch
This is a campaign to clean up all spot
Fling di boot a in mi stomach
Mi hear mi ribs crack
Black and blue my eye dem
Claim me love chat
Wait yuno know seh yu fi respect the law
Wait deh little bit deh bwoy a knife you a draw
Gi mi little deh mek a just
Buju Banton's song 54 \ 46 is a powerful commentary on systemic injustice in Jamaica. The song opens with Buju describing himself as an incarcerated person who has been accused of a crime and placed in a "bottomless pit" to do his time. He credits his release to "the grace of the most high, savior divine" and expresses gratitude for his newfound freedom from bondage.
The rest of the song details the daily struggles of life for the underprivileged in Jamaica, particularly those living in the inner city. Buju describes being taken into custody and badly treated, subjected to curfews and harassment by police officers who claim to be "locking up rude boys." He paints a vivid picture of his experience, describing being spread out on a zinc fence, his cap being knocked off, and being forced into a police jeep at gunpoint. He also details physical abuse, such as having boots thrown at his stomach and his ribs cracking.
Throughout the song, Buju emphasizes the importance of respecting the law but also exposes the hypocrisy of police officers for abusing their power and mistreating the very people they are meant to protect. He ends the song with a call to action, urging listeners to give him "a little deh" ("a little time") to speak his truth.
Overall, Buju Banton's 54 \ 46 is a powerful statement on social and political injustice in Jamaica, calling attention to issues such as poverty, systemic racism, and police brutality. It highlights the importance of standing up for one's rights and speaking out against injustice, while also acknowledging the role of faith and spirituality in finding freedom and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been incarcerated
I have been imprisoned and taken into custody
Accused of crime
I have been charged with committing a crime
Placed in the bottomless pit pit to do my time
I was put into jail without any hope of getting out anytime soon
It was the grace
It was only by divine intervention that I was able to escape my unfortunate circumstances
Of the most high, savior divine
I am grateful to a higher power for rescuing me from my predicament
Yeah, I'm free of bondage
I am no longer a prisoner or captive
It's the every day life if the under privilege
Living underprivileged is a daily reality for many people
Taken into custombadly treated
When I was taken into custody, I was treated harshly and unfairly
Curfew inner city ever nook and ever cranny
There is a curfew in place all over the inner city and every small area
Dem claim dem a lock fi rudie
The authorities are claiming that they are cracking down on rude behavior
Dem spread me out pon a zinc fence
They spread me out on a makeshift fence made of zinc sheets
Bok off mi cap
They knocked off my hat
Before me say who dat
Before I could even ask who was there
Mi end up in a jeep back
I ended up in the back of a jeep
All dressed in monkey suit fire arm cock
I was dressed in a prison uniform, and the guards had their guns ready
One ask mi weh mi wok
One of them asked me where I live
An him say no back chat
And he warned me not to talk back
Bwoy weh yu live
Boy, where do you live?
An mi nuh answer back
And I didn't answer him back
Him say yu never know seh
He said that I should have known better
Yu fi respect di knotch
I should have shown more respect for the authority
This is a campaign to clean up all spot
This was part of a wider effort to clean up the area of crime
Fling di boot a in mi stomach
One of the guards kicked me in the stomach
Mi hear mi ribs crack
I could hear my ribs cracking
Black and blue my eye dem
My eyes were bruised and blackened
Claim me love chat
They accused me of being too talkative or disrespectful
Wait yuno know seh yu fi respect the law
You should know that you must show respect for the law
Wait deh little bit deh bwoy a knife you a draw
Hold on a minute, son, are you trying to pull a knife out?
Gi mi little deh mek a just
Give me a break, just let me go
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yuran Ricardo
on Fake Smile
with your cynical green
you leave no action
If there’s a choking problem she a reach with everyone
why acting dumb. second verse:
with your cynical green
you leave no action
If you have a choking problems she a reach with everyone
why acting dumb
Kern Rodney
on Fake Smile
If there's ah joke in progress share it with everyone, why acting dumb?