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.
Memories
Buju Banton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You confess to me that you feel the same way too girl
John, come forth and rock the world, chuh
I guess I am not over you like I thought I was
Guess I was fooling myself, 'cause I'm still in love
Still in love with you woman
I still have dreams of you and I
It's driving me crazy
Thoughts of you with another man
I'm losing my lady, so sad I am
I guess I'm not over you like I thought I was
I guess I was fooling myself 'cause I'm still in love
(Chuh)
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
Treasure yuh body but I cherish yuh mind
Even though it's complicated which is most of the time
A life without your love ain't working out fine
Perception and reality clearly define
I bet you never know di love me have inna mi heart
We mek simple mistakes tear us apart
Forgetting where we coming from and how it all start
Using harsh words, bitter arrows and sparks
We live inna di same house and we nah talk
We used to be on, now we're totally off
How I wish this was never our past
Oh, there is no love lost, know that
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
Over many moons since we part
But ah memories remain with the love inna mi heart
Care not how many friendships I start
The spot weh you touch still tender and soft
To be honest I do miss the fires and sparks
But I rather live on di rooftop or somewhere in a park
No when we did we mess up? Where lies the blame?
She left me a message explaining her pain
She said, "I tried even avoid"
Surrounding distractions and outside noise
But we both make mistakes and we both lied
Oh and now here we are
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Wasn't meant to be this way
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
But the memories
The lyrics to Buju Banton's "Memories" depict a man who is still in love with his ex-girlfriend despite their separation. He thought he was over her, but he can't help but have dreams of her and think about her with another man. He loves her mind and body, but their relationship is complicated, and they made mistakes that tore them apart. However, the memories of their love and the sparks they once had still remain with him. He can't forget the love they shared, even though they went their separate ways.
One could interpret this song as a reflection of the ups and downs of love, showing that even relationships that fail can leave lasting memories and feelings. It may also highlight the importance of communication and avoiding misunderstandings that can lead to the deterioration of a relationship. Ultimately, the lyrics show that love is not a game to be played and that even when two people go their separate ways, the memories will always remain.
Line by Line Meaning
Now what shall I do
I don't know what to do now that you've told me you have feelings for me too
You confess to me that you feel the same way too girl
You've told me that you're also in love with me
John, come forth and rock the world, chuh
An expression of enthusiasm and excitement at the prospect of winning you over
I guess I am not over you like I thought I was
I realize that I'm not as over you as I thought I was
Guess I was fooling myself, 'cause I'm still in love
I now understand that I was lying to myself when I thought I was no longer in love with you
Still in love with you woman
I'm still deeply in love with you
I still have dreams of you and I
I still dream about our past relationship
Can't get over you woman no matter how I try
I've tried to move on, but I can't stop loving you
It's driving me crazy
The constant thoughts of you with another man are causing me to go insane
Thoughts of you with another man
I can't stop thinking about you being with someone else
I'm losing my lady, so sad I am
I'm losing you, the woman I love, and it's making me very sad
Even when I try tell myself the things I say
Despite my efforts to convince myself otherwise
Wasn't meant to be this way
Our relationship wasn't supposed to end like this
Love is not a game to play, yes we went our separate ways
Love is not something to be taken lightly, and though we are no longer together
But the memories
The memories of our time together still remain
Treasure yuh body but I cherish yuh mind
I value both your physical and mental attributes equally
Even though it's complicated which is most of the time
Our relationship was often difficult and complex
A life without your love ain't working out fine
My life without your love is not going well
Perception and reality clearly define
It's important to differentiate between perception and reality
I bet you never know di love me have inna mi heart
You probably don't realize how much I love you
We mek simple mistakes tear us apart
Our relationship ended because of small mistakes we made
Forgetting where we coming from and how it all start
We forgot our roots and how our relationship began
Using harsh words, bitter arrows and sparks
We used hurtful words and actions that destroyed our relationship
We live inna di same house and we nah talk
We live together, but we don't communicate
We used to be on, now we're totally off
Our relationship used to be great, but now it's completely over
How I wish this was never our past
I wish our relationship had never ended
Oh, there is no love lost, know that
I want you to know that even though we're no longer together, I still love you
Over many moons since we part
It's been a long time since we broke up
But ah memories remain with the love inna mi heart
Despite the time that has passed, memories of our love remain in my heart
Care not how many friendships I start
I don't care about starting new friendships because my heart still belongs to you
The spot weh you touch still tender and soft
The place where you used to touch me is still sensitive and soft
To be honest I do miss the fires and sparks
I miss the passion and excitement of our relationship
But I rather live on di rooftop or somewhere in a park
I'd rather live alone on a rooftop or in a park than be with anyone else
No when we did we mess up? Where lies the blame?
Where did we go wrong in our relationship? Whose fault was it?
She left me a message explaining her pain
You left me a message telling me how much you hurt
She said, 'I tried even avoid'/Surrounding distractions and outside noise
You tried to avoid the negative distractions and noises around us
But we both make mistakes and we both lied
We both made mistakes and lied to each other
Oh and now here we are
And now we find ourselves in this situation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donovan Germain, John Stephens, Mark Myrie, Steven Marsden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vayoha02
Listening to this makes you forget the world is crazy right now.
@abimbolaofficial1739
https://youtu.be/9ROzGDpwQns
@abimbolaofficial1739
https://youtu.be/9ROzGDpwQns
@farrgone
Definitely 💯
@koya24ify
Yasssss a WHOLE VIBE!!!
@barackochieng452
@@abimbolaofficial1739 I
@KnL9713
Buju Banton on fire ! John Legend singing reggae that's beautiful.
@atta-klapz1281
@Mr Lex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxsYp5jmAC8
@mich204vj4
This is John legend and Buju second collab!.. they have another reggae song together.. #talentedguys
@chalisman8847
...Also cant be my lover track by the two Artist ..its fire