Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and regg… Read Full Bio ↴Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He was born in a slum near Kingston, Jamaica called Salt Lane. "Buju" is a nickname which is of Breadfruit. The name is ironic in light of Mark Myrie's slim frame and large head, 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: "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.
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.
Let Him Go
Buju Banton Lyrics
Go down, Moses (yeah)
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh to (set the people free)
Let my people go
The whole world is in bondage
Let my people go
Tell these tyrants to let go
Let my people go
What remains they will not be able to salvage
Let my people go
They shall be riot, and rooting, and raving, and ravaged
Let my people go
They control the whole world
There's no one to stop dem
They fiddle while the world burns
Creating stress and problems, yeah
Chaos on a global scale
Were created only by a few
Nothing to do with I and I
But involve I-man and you, oh
Tribal war created for money
Let my people go
Lord, this blood march you create ain't funny
Let my people go (yeah)
What I'ma say it is so real
Let my people go
You might see my face but you never feel what I feel, nah
Let my people go (what?)
We're all in this ting together
We're all that we have, let's stay together
My people, we're all in this ting together
And we're all that we have, so let's stay together
Politicians have dem on a limb, ay-yeah
Let my people go
The foreign exchange how it came in, whoa-yeah
Let my people go
Then how much dem bring come and how much you bring?
Let my people go
To you I might not saying much
But they know I'm saying some real ting
Let my people go (whoa)
Only unity can make we open up we eyes
We have to galvanize, yes, we haffi organize
Stop swallow di narrative, di one bag a noise
Dem think seh we nuh recognize when dem a try devise
Dem always scandalize
Tell lot a lies pon we
They don't want us energized
Controlling us with lies, yeah
In the words of Marcus Mosiah
Let my people go (ooh, yeah)
Mind lightning catch the world on fire
Let my people go
If you're not ready we're gonna take it much higher
Let my people go (whoa)
Burn all weak out, burn all vampire
Let my people go
They control the whole world
There's no one to stop them
They fiddle while the world burn
Creating problems and problems, ooh, yeah
Chaos on a global scale
Were created by few, yeah
Nothing to do with I and I
But it involves I and you, eh
Tribal war created for money
Let my people go (ooh, yeah)
This blood march you create ain't funny
Let my people go (oh)
Oh, mama, oh, mommy
Let my people go
Lord, where can we feed these hungry babies?
Let my people go
Way down in Egypt's land
Tell old Pharaoh to (set the people free)
Let my people go
The whole world is in bondage
Let my people go
Tell these tyrants to let go
Let my people go
What remains they will not be able to salvage
They shall be riot, and rooting, and raving, and ravaged
Let my people go
They control the whole world
There's no one to stop dem
They fiddle while the world burns
Creating stress and problems, yeah
Chaos on a global scale
Were created only by a few
Nothing to do with I and I
But involve I-man and you, oh
Tribal war created for money
Let my people go
Lord, this blood march you create ain't funny
Let my people go (yeah)
What I'ma say it is so real
Let my people go
You might see my face but you never feel what I feel, nah
Let my people go (what?)
We're all in this ting together
We're all that we have, let's stay together
My people, we're all in this ting together
And we're all that we have, so let's stay together
Politicians have dem on a limb, ay-yeah
Let my people go
The foreign exchange how it came in, whoa-yeah
Let my people go
Then how much dem bring come and how much you bring?
Let my people go
To you I might not saying much
But they know I'm saying some real ting
Let my people go (whoa)
Only unity can make we open up we eyes
We have to galvanize, yes, we haffi organize
Stop swallow di narrative, di one bag a noise
Dem think seh we nuh recognize when dem a try devise
Dem always scandalize
Tell lot a lies pon we
They don't want us energized
Controlling us with lies, yeah
In the words of Marcus Mosiah
Let my people go (ooh, yeah)
Mind lightning catch the world on fire
Let my people go
If you're not ready we're gonna take it much higher
Let my people go (whoa)
Burn all weak out, burn all vampire
Let my people go
They control the whole world
There's no one to stop them
They fiddle while the world burn
Creating problems and problems, ooh, yeah
Chaos on a global scale
Were created by few, yeah
Nothing to do with I and I
But it involves I and you, eh
Tribal war created for money
Let my people go (ooh, yeah)
This blood march you create ain't funny
Let my people go (oh)
Oh, mama, oh, mommy
Let my people go
Lord, where can we feed these hungry babies?
Let my people go
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dean Mundy, Mark Myrie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Lenary Tours & Travels
Oh, na, na, scibbie dooba deng (sing in intro)
Gal if yuh fed up a yuh boyfriend, let him go
And yuh boyfriend a nanga nanga, let him go
'Cause every night him come in nighy nighy inna yuh ears
And yuh know seh a gaze him a gaze
Gal if yuh man nah do it right let him go
'Cause every night him a come in nighy nighy in a yuh ears
And yuh know seh gaze him a gaze
Stop and look pon di woman weh yuh got
Take out yuh woman de yuh damn idiot
Yuh soon si shi itch up inna di juvenile lap
And then yuh sid dung and a relax
Hear seh Miss. Rowe caah go nuh weh a stage show
Hear sey di man have har 'round a benbow
Scrape up har knee and scrape up har toe
Caah shi a ben down low
Gal if yuh fed up a yuh boyfriend, let him go
And yuh boyfriend a nanga nanga, let him go
'Cause every night him come in nighy nighy inna yuh ears
And yuh know seh a gaze him a gaze
Gal if yuh man nah do it right let him go
'Cause every night him a come in nighy nighy in a yuh ears
And yuh know seh gaze him a gaze
Well man a better if yuh cool and stop talk
It nuh right fi a wuk a woman and shi a laugh
Man yuh better straighten up yuh crank shaft
Gal haffi sweat and haffi cough 'cause
Woman want a man wid more sexual healing
Gal want a man wid more sexual feeling
Come on, come on mek yuh reach to the ceiling
So gal come fi di dealing
After she say that she needed some romance
More rocks, more tocks, more feeling close to me
A want to get close to she
So I give you more roses,
More romance a little candle light and little slow dance
And that night out with me maybe we can try again
Try and try and maybe we can try a bye bye
Gal if yuh fed up a yuh boyfriend, let him go
And yuh boyfriend a nanga nanga, let him go
'Cause every night him come in nighy nighy inna yuh ears
And yuh know seh a gaze him a gaze
Gal if yuh man nah do it right let him go
'Cause every night him a come in nighy nighy in a yuh ears
And yuh know seh gaze him a gaze
Cira Dallas
This song will never gets old🔥🔥🔥
Mr. C
2020 and still bring back some great memories
6ixx Zesser
Quarantine got us nostalgic
Ree Ree Tee Vee
YEP!!!!
promise💕💞
2023 still rocking👍💯🇯🇲🇱🇷
Makanga Mark
Real dancehall never dies 2023 still listening
Garfield Allen
This song never gets old!!!
Wanjiru Karago
Never ever
keshinee veerapen
Indeed
el
I love Beenie man cause he got moves..dance very well..lyrics..got a sense of fashion and very original!!! . 💯🇨🇦❤