Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall and ragga singer. He was born in a slum near Kingston called Salt Lane . "Buju" is a common nickname for chubby children; it means "breadfruit". "Banton" is a Jamaican word referring to someone with a superior attitude, but was also the name of a local artist (Burro Banton) that Buju watched as a child.

He is one of the most popular musicians in Jamaican history, having hit the charts there suddenly in 1992, with "Bogle" and "Love Me Browning/Love Black Woman", both massive hits in Jamaica and less so abroad. Soon afterwards, Banton released "Boom Boom Bye Bye ", a controversial song that advocated violence and murder towards Jamaican homosexuals (called "batty boys"). Banton, who had just signed to Mercury Records, was forced by his label to issue a statement; he refused to apologize and cited his religion (Rastafarianism) as the basis for his beliefs.

Since this time, Banton has become more socially conscious, leaving behind his old style of singing songs of violence and promiscuity. He began supporting AIDS education and released a song called "Willy (Don't Be Silly)" (1993; The Voice of Jamaica ), promoting the use of condoms.

Till Shiloh (1995) was an influential album, using a studio band instead of synthesized music, and marked a shift away from dancehall towards roots reggae for Banton. It also 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. Inna Heights (1997) substantially increased Banton's international audience.

In March of 2003 he released Friends for Life , which featured more sharply political songs.

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Buju Banton concert axed in Manchester

OutRage! News Service, 22 September 2004

Police express community safety concerns

Manchester police have intervened to secure the cancellation of reggae superstar Buju Banton's Manchester concert, which was scheduled for this Thursday 23 September.

Expressing concern about possible public disorder and threats to local lesbians and gays by Mr Banton's fans, the police have ensured that the Bierkeller in central Manchester pulled the plug on Mr Banton's concert.

Mr Banton's promoters then tried to secure a replacement venue, The Big Western, in Moss Side, but the police had that venue cancelled too.

Banton, whose lyrics advocate shooting queers in the head, and who faces arrest on charges of participating in a queer-bashing attack, is now confronted with the collapse of his UK tour.

"We thank Manchester councillors and police for taking a stand against Mr Banton and his murder-music," said Peter Tatchell, of the gay human rights group OutRage!, which campaigned to have the concert axed.

"The Bierkeller and The Big Western should never have agreed to host him in the first place.

"They would not sign a performer who advocated gassing Jews or lynching black people. Incitements to murder gays and lesbians are not acceptable either. They should not be rewarded with concert contracts.

"Banton's big hit song, Boom Bye Bye, incites the execution-style killing of gay and lesbian people. He urges listeners to shoot queers in the head, pour acid over them, set them alight, and burn them like car tyres.

"We are appalled the Home Office granted Mr Banton a visa. He should not have been allowed in the country, given that he has incited the murder of gay people and that Jamaican police have issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of causing 'grievous bodily harm' in a gay-bashing attack in Kingston, Jamaica, on 24 June 2004," said Mr Tatchell

This can be confirmed by contacting DCI Clive Driscoll of the Metropolitan police on 07730 050 908.

Excerpts from Banton's murderous lyrics follow below.

"Jamaican gay rights group J-Flag (001 876 978 8988) confirm that Buju Banton is wanted by the Jamaican police over an armed attack on a group of gay men in their home, which resulted in the hospitalisation of two victims.

"The allegations of Banton's involvement in this violent homophobic assault are corroborated by Amnesty International in a letter to Mr Banton dated 19 August 2004 (see excerpts from the Amnesty letter below).

"The existence of a warrant for Mr Banton's arrest has been confirmed by Supt Thompson of the Jamaican police at Constant Spring police station. In addition, one of the victims of the attack on 24 June was given the same confirmation from Constable Linton, also at Jamaica's Constant Spring police station (001 876 924 1421/22)," added Mr Tatchell.

"Boom Bye Bye is probably the most murderous incitement recorded by any singer anywhere in the world," said Mr Tatchell.

"Banton still performs Boom Bye Bye, most recently on Sunday 8 August 2004 at the Smirnoff Festival in Negril, Jamaica.

"The record remains on sale. He re-released it on his recent Greatest Hits album.

"Banton is still making money from his incitement to kill gay people.

"Buju Banton's PR agents are falsely claiming he has apologised for these murderous lyrics. It is true that his record company put out an 'apology' a decade ago, but Banton immediately denied apologising and even attacked his own record company for doing so. If he is sorry, why is Banton still performing Boom Bye Bye, re-releasing it, and making money out of it?" said Tatchell.

"Free speech does not include the right to commit the criminal offence of incitement to murder," added OutRage! co-organiser Brett Lock.

"It was very important we stopped this concert in order to show that 'murder music' does not pay.

"If Mr Banton's brand of violent homophobia ever became a popular musical genre, it would almost certainly be followed by a rise in anti-gay assaults", said Mr Lock.

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Amnesty International letter to Buju Banton, 19 August 2004, issued by Susan Lee, Programme Director - Americas, International Secretariat, AI London:

"We can confirm that Amnesty International has received information from reputable national and international human rights organisations concerning reports that Buju Banton was involved in a homophobic attack. These reports take the form of statements that allege that on June 24 2004, six men were driven from their home and beaten by a group of armed men, and that the alleged assailants included Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie). The reports further allege that this attack was apparently motivated by hatred of gay men: the victims reported that both before and during the attack the assailants had called the men "battymen" (homosexuals). Amnesty International is further aware that several of the alleged victims were interviewed by a Human Rights Watch researcher who was in Jamaica at the time. Amnesty International has also received reports that several of the alleged victims made official reports to the Constant Spring police station on 25 June 2004."

Note:

For more background info on the "Stop Murder Music" campaign, see:

 http://www.stopmurdermusic.org