Buju Banton

At 50 years old, Buju Banton physical status not available right now. We will update Buju Banton's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Buju Banton (born Mark Anthony Myrie, 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae performer.

He is widely regarded as one of Jamaica's most popular and well-known musicians.

Banton has collaborated with many international artists, including those from Hip Hop, Latin, and punk rock, as well as Bob Marley's sons, but it came to fame in 1992 with two albums, Stamina Daddy and Mr. Mention, the latter of which became Jamaica's best-selling album right from its debut.

He also set the record for #1 singles in Jamaica, which previously hadn't been held by Bob Marley.

In 1993, he signed with Mercury Records and became the voice of Jamaica.

Banton's music became more influenced by his Rastafari faith by the mid-1990s, as heard on the seminal albums 'Til Shiloh and Inna Heights.' He was arrested in 2009 on drug-related charges in the United States, and his first trial resulted in a hung jury.

At the 53rd annual Grammy Awards, his 2010 album Before the Dawn was named Best Reggae Album.

He was convicted on the same criminal charge in 2011 and was jailed in the United States until December 2018, when he was deported home to Jamaica.

Source

Early career

Buju used to attend outdoor shows and local dancehalls in Denham Town as a youth. He picked up the microphone for himself and began toasting under the moniker of Gargamel, who was employed with the Sweet Love and Rambo Mango sound systems at the age of 12. He was introduced by fellow deejay Clement Irie in 1986, and his first album, "The Ruler," was released not long afterward in 1987. This resulted in recording sessions with producers such as Patrick Roberts, Bunny Lee, Winston Riley, and Digital B.

Buju joined Donovan Germain's Penthouse Records label in 1991 and began a fruitful association with producer Dave Kelly, who later launched his own Madhouse Records label. Buju is one of Jamaica's most well-known entertainers, with "Bogle" and "Love Me Browning" being big hits in Jamaica in 1992. "Love Me Browning," a Banton's penchant for lighter-skinned black women, sparked controversy. Mi love my bike mi adore mi browning." Some accused Banton of shaming the beauty of darker-skinned black women. "Love Black Woman," a love for black-skinned beauties, was released in reaction: "Mi nuh Stop cries, fi all black women, please respect all the girls dem with dark skin." Buju's 1992 was an interesting year for the first number of top singles in a year. Bob Marley's record for the most top singles in a year was beaten by him. For the year, Buju's gruesome voice dominated Jamaican airwaves. Mr. Roger Banton's debut album, Mr. Mention features several of his best hits from the year, including "Bonafide Love" starring Wayne Wonder, the singer who first brought Buju out as a guest star on the annual Jamaican stage show Sting.

"Boom Bye Bye," a tumultuous song that appeared several years ago when the artist was 15 years old, saw the artist's re-release of "Boom Bye Bye," a controversial song that threatened to end his career. Banton was dropped from the WOMAD festival's lineup several years ago as a result of numerous other scheduled performances. Banton later released a public apology.

Banton's Hard-hitting Voice of Jamaica debuted in 1993 and is now on the major Mercury/PolyGram label. Several conscious tracks were included in the album. "Deportees," a song that criticizes those Jamaicans who went abroad but never sent money home; "Tribal War" a team with Tony Rebel, Brian & Gold; and Terry Ganzie, which promotes safe sex and the use of condoms, among other things; and "Willy, Don't Be Silly," a song that interpolates Little Roy's classic reggae song of the same name; and "Willy, Banton was invited to speak with Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and received several awards at the Caribbean Music Awards and the Canadian Music Awards this year.

Banton's songs included violent subjects, which he explained as representing the images that young Jamaicans were exposed to by the news media. In 1993, Kingston's brutality was brought home by the assassination of three of his acquaintances and colleagues, as well as deejays Pan Head and Dirtsman and singer Mickey Simpson. His reaction was the single "Murderer" who condemned gun violence, defying the flow of the prevailing lyrical content in dancehall. Many clubs have been encouraged to avoid performing songs with the overly violent subject matter. Buju was also affected by Garnett Silk's death in 1994. Buju's journey continued as he adopted the Rastafari movement and started to grow dreadlocks. His performances and musical debuts took on a more reflective tone. Banton toured Europe and Japan, selling out shows.

'Til Shiloh (1995) was a highly popular record, featuring live instrumentation as well as digital beats, and featuring the sounds of roots reggae and the harder-edged dancehall sounds that first made Banton popular. The artist was embracing his Rastafari faith, and his latest album reflected this. Til Shiloh's success blended conscious lyrics with a hard-hitting dancehall vibe. "Murderer" was among the album's older singles as well as "Wanna Be Loved" and "Untold Stories." Buju's album "Wanna Be Loved" (Desea ser Amado) was released in 1996 along with Los Pericos on the Red Hot Organization's album Silencio / Latin for the Red Hot Benefit Series, which was distributed in 1996. This collection helps raise AIDS awareness.

Buju Banton took over his company by establishing his own Gargamel Music label in Jamaica and overseas, with the famous single "Love Sponge" on vinyl in Jamaica and abroad. Gargamel's future will grow into a Buju's own brand in years to come.

As Buju expanded his singing skills and released a number of roots-tinged songs, including "Destiny" and "Hills and Valleys," Inna Heights (1997) greatly raised Banton's foreign audience. Beres Hammond and the legendary Toots Hibbert were among the album's collaborations. Fans were raving over Buju's soaring vocals, and commentators lauded the album. The album has aged well and is still regarded as a highly regarded work 20 years after its debut. Buju first encountered the punk band Rancid in 1998 and released three songs with them: "No More Misty Days," "Hooligans," and "Life Won't Wait." The latter became Rancid's 1998 release Life Won't Wait's title track.

In 2000, Buju signed with Anti-Records, a division of Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph Records, and released Unchained Spirit. The album featured musical styles as well as featured guest appearances by Luciano, Morgan Heritage, Stephen Marley, and Rancid. It had no of the roots felt on Til Shiloh and virtually no of the hardcore dancehall sound that had brought him to national prominence early in his career.

Several singles followed in the start of the new decade, which was seen as more mellow and introspective than the dancehall approach of his early career. Friends for Life, Banton's latest collection of politically oriented songs, including "Mr. Nine," an anti-gun song that was a hit in Jamaica's dancehalls as well as internationally, was released in March 2003. The album concentrated on political remarks regarding the African diaspora, including excerpts from Marcus Garvey's address. The album's "Paid Not Played" continued to be a trend in dancehall. With the inclusion of rapper Fat Joe, the album also had some hip hop influence.

The Too Bad (2006), an album that was more dancehall-oriented in style, was released in 2006. "Driver A" (one of the album's slower tracks), went on to become a big success, while still reviving Sly and Robbie's "Taxi" riddim. Banton performed at the 2007 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony with Third World and Beres Hammond. In 2009, Rasta Got Soul was released. Rasta Got Soul was a 100% roots reggae album produced by Banton, with contributions from longtime collaborators Donovan Germain, Stephen Marsden, and Wyclef Jean. Banton received his fourth Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2010.

Buju Banton's Before the Dawn album was named the winner of Best Reggae Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, just one day before his second court trial in Tampa, Florida.

After being released from jail in the United States in December 2018, Banton began The Long Walk To Freedom tour and performed his first concert at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2019. During his tour, he continued releasing new music and new singles, including Bagga Mouth, False Pretense, and Country for Sale.

Country For Sale by Banton in May 2019: The song debuted on iTunes Reggae Chart within minutes after the announcement of its availability. The song was recorded at the Gargamel Music Studio, Donovan Germain's own recording studio in the Corporate Area. He unveiled his first official music video, "trust," on November 12th of the same year. The video was shot on the first anniversary of Banton's release from jail and was produced in partnership with Dave Kelly and directed by Kieran Khan. On the Billboard Reggae Digital Song Sales chart, the track ranked first.

Banton revealed his collaboration with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in November of that year, making him the second Jamaican reggae artist to be represented by the agency, which coincided with the debut of his music video Steppa. He also revealed that Island Records will be the publisher of the collaboration's new music.

Buju appeared on the Bad Boys for Life (soundtrack) in January 2020, which was produced by DJ Khaled. His song, "Murda She Wrote," was a nod to a 1992 dancehall hit by Jamaican reggae pair Chaka Demus & Pliers' "Murder She Wrote."

Buju released the Steppaz Riddim under this own Gargamel Music brand on February 29, 2020. The riddim, which was released as part of Roc Nation, featured 11 tracks and featured Vershon, Delly Ranx, Agent Sasco, Bling Dawg, and General B.

On June 26, 2020, Banton unveiled his 13th studio album and first in a decade, Upside Down 2020. John Legend, Pharrell, Stefflon Don, and Stephen Marley appear on the album, among other things. Buju appeared on Kanye West's "Believe What I Say" from his 2021 album Donda, appearing on his album Donda.

Source