“Mr Nine” Nine-years Plus Is At An End

Written by: Shamar Blunt

What in your opinion constitutes a legacy here in the Caribbean when it comes to contributions to the Reggae and Dancehall genres?

Sure, we can think of a few popular artists such as the timeless Bob Marley, Sizzla, Damian Marley and even the late great Gregory Isaacs.

However, in the last three decades, one name often comes to mind when we think of the greats, and that is of course, Buju Banton.

Born Mark Anthony Myrie on July 15, 1973 in Kingston Jamaica; the visionary artist began his career with employing a fusion of live instrumentation and social conscious vibes into his reggae music. During the periods 1986 – 1991, his flavor of music seasoned with his rough growl of a voice, made him extremely popular in his homeland but not yet beyond the shores.

It was only with his 1993 album release of ‘Voice of Jamaica’ that the world would finally get a taste of what Banton had to offer it. The huge hit of ‘Willy (Don’t Be Silly)’ was a powerful safe-sex proclamation piece that channeled the conscious lyrics he was aiming for at the time.

Since that time, he has been nominated for Best Reggae Album Grammy three times; finally winning in 2011 with ‘Before the Dawn’. Ironically, he was not there to collect his Grammy at the time because of his incarceration.

It’s been over nine years since Jamaica-born recording artist was arrested at his home in Florida and eventually convicted on drug-related charges.

Ever since his incarceration, Buju’s fans in the Caribbean and beyond have been waiting with bated breath for his release and return to the entertainment scene. In the last several months, rumors have circulated about where and what his comeback tour will be. In September this year, Buju Banton’s team created a buzz in social media and in many Caribbean entertainment online-magazines, when they released a promo announcing that Buju will be embarking on “The Long Walk To Freedom Tour” in the summer of 2019. As of the publication of this article, there is no indication of where this tour will start or end and of the series of shows.

As far as we at Ceh can ascertain, Buju is schedule to perform in Trinidad and Tobago on April 22nd, 2019.

In Barbados, local promoters attached to the ‘Barbados Reggae Festival’ have openly stated their intent of having Buju headlining one of their main events next year. Also, it has been alleged that the bajan song girl herself Rihanna, has written a new single with the assistance of Buju. The song ‘Phatty’ was written by the Bad Gal herself, with Anthony Myrie A.K.A. reggae artist Buju Banton being credited.

“It’s not an easy road,” for Buju “many see the glamour and the glitter, and think it’s a bed of rose who feels it knows,” but the lord has helped him to “sustain these blows.”

#Buju, #BujuBanton, #BujuBantoRelease, #TheLongWalkToFreedomTour

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