Reggae/dancehall star Buju Banton will perform his first concert following his release from prison on March 16, 2019 at the National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica. Banton and his 10-piece Shiloh Band will perform a 90-minute set at the Long Walk to Freedom concert, presented by Miami-based Best of the Best Productions and Kingston’s Solid Agency. Joseph “Joey Budafuco” Louis of Rockers Island Entertainment, the promoters of Miami’s annual reggae concert extravaganza Best of the Best, and XO Management shared the details exclusively with Billboard in a recent phone conversation from Jamaica.
Long Walk To Freedom Pdf Free
The Jamaica concert will be the first performance for Banton, 45, who spent nearly eight years at the McRae Correctional Institution in Georgia, since headlining the Buju Banton and Friends Before The Dawn event at Miami’s Bayfront Park Amphitheater on Jan. 16, 2011. Banton’s Miami concert, presented by Rockers Island Entertainment, notably took place while Banton was out on bail after spending 11 months behind bars. The event attracted over 10,000 patrons with an additional 360,000 watching the live stream, according to Dianne Bissoon, former vp of TV and Entertainment LIME TV, the concert’s streaming partner. In Dec. 2009, Buju, born Mark Anthony Myrie, was arrested at his Tamarac, Florida home for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine; he posted bail with the help of his friend Stephen Marley who put up his Miami home as collateral. Stephen and younger brother Damian Marley were a part of the Miami concert’s stellar reggae lineup, which also included dancehall superstars Sean Paul and Shaggy, singers Tarrus Riley and Michael Rose, longstanding Buju collaborators Wayne Wonder and Marcia Griffiths, with a brief appearance by DJ Khaled.
On Feb. 13, 2011, Banton’s Before The Dawn (released on his Gargamel Music label) won the best reggae album Grammy. Banton was unable to attend the ceremony: his trial began the following day in Tampa, FL. On Feb. 22, Banton was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense. Four months later Banton was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
The embattled artist was returned home to Jamaica to great fanfare on the evening of Dec. 7, 2018. Short video clips of a bespectacled, slightly heavier, smiling Banton, walking through the corridors of Kingston’s Norman Manley Airport surrounded by well-wishers, were shared across social media.
“The energy and support Buju has received from fans and other artists in Jamaica has been amazing, people are happy he’s home and he’s excited to return to performing,” comments Joey Budafuco who is also a part of Banton’s management team. “We are still planning The Long Walk to Freedom (named after Nelson Mandela’s autobiography) concert in Kingston, which will only have three or four opening acts because we want Buju to have ample time for his set.” Banton has also established a nonprofit, the Lend A Hand Foundation, which will assist the needs of at-risk children. “A portion of the proceeds from Buju’s Kingston show will go to his foundation and on his (upcoming) Caribbean dates, we will align with nonprofits in each island, with part proceeds going to those (respective) organizations and Lend A Hand,” Budafuco added.
Raised in extremely humble circumstances Buju rose to prominence in the early '90s as a brash, teenage dancehall sensation known for his ferocious, raspy vocal tone. His debut album Mr. Mention (Penthouse Records) broke sales records in Jamaica. Mercury Records A&R Lisa Cortes signed Banton after watching his performance at Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash 1992. That same year, Jamaica’s Prime Minister at the time, PJ Patterson, had missed Banton’s Thursday night performance at Sunsplash. When the Patterson entourage arrived on Friday night, a request was sent to singer Beres Hammond, who was on stage at the time, to interrupt his set and let Banton perform. The singer obliged and Banton delivered a few songs including his hit duet with Hammond “Who Say.” The Prime Minister was pleased, the audience ecstatic and Banton became Jamaica’s most talked about artist.
Buju’s renown grew internationally with the release of his Mercury Records debut Voice of Jamaica, which, reflective of its title, touched on personal, social, and cultural themes and reached the lower rungs of the Billboard 200, as did Banton’s 1995 masterpiece ‘Til Shiloh. A missive of his newfound Rastafarian way ‘Til Shiloh (for Cortes’ Loose Canon Imprint) brilliantly united dancehall’s energy with roots reggae’s spiritual sensibilities.
Amidst the critical acclaim Banton received in the U.S., controversy ensued. The dense patois rhymes of a song Banton recorded when he was 15 and never intended for release, “Boom Bye Bye,” had been decoded as virulently homophobic. Banton explained that the song was written about a specific situation in Jamaica -- a pedophile’s abuse of a young boy. Nonetheless the firestorm has followed Banton throughout his career with gay rights groups’ protests resulting in numerous show and tour cancellations.
Following an absence of eight years from the industry, Buju Banton's 2019 homecoming concert marks a new chapter in his nearly 30-year career, and perhaps will include some new music written in his time away. “Buju is back and that means a lot for reggae,” Buju’s keyboardist and musical director Stephen “Lenky” Marsden, who began working with Banton in 1995, told Billboard. In preparation for the Long Walk to Freedom concert in Kingston (and subsequent tour dates) the Shiloh Band has begun their rehearsals with just one directive from Banton. “Buju told me, Lenky, make sure you know all my songs. He told us to rehearse all of his albums, so we are working out the arrangements for every song he ever recorded. I know his sound from way back, so it’s really up to me to make sure the sound is right, mainly, that the grooves that the (new) drummer is playing are up to par,” he continued. “All of us are listening to Buju’s albums and concerts from way back so that we get it right and from there we will put a set list together. It will be a great show by a great artist who people have been waiting for a very long time to see again.”
Buju Banton has announced his post-prison “Long Walk To Freedom” tour.
Buju Banton will be embarking on a major world tour in the summer of next year. The reggae legend’s team confirmed with Urban Islandz that he would embark on a major tour in the summer of 2019 called “Long Walk To Freedom” tour. The poster for the tour was posted on his social media account on Monday. “The anticipation continues to build, looking forward to seeing you all soon. Stay Tuned!” Buju said.
We’re told that the dates will be announced in the coming weeks and there will be special guests performing with the singer. Beres Hammond and Agent Sasco are among the names being floated to join Buju Banton on stage during the tour.
The “Long Walk To Freedom” tour will be Buju Banton’s first major trek after his release from prison on December 8. He has a show already booked for Trinidad and Tobago in the spring of next year, and there are rumors that his first show will be in Jamaica, but so far there is no confirmation. There is also a show set for March 30th at the Nassau National Stadium in the Bahamas.
Buju Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for drug trafficking. He will return to Jamaica after his release on December 8th.
Banton is one of the most successful reggae/dancehall artists in history. The singer has sold millions of records worldwide and won a Grammy award in 2011 for his album Before the Dawn. He was previously nominated in the Best Reggae Album category in 2004, and 2010 for his albums Friends for Life and Rasta Got Soul.
Buju Banton last show before going to prison was a sold out show in Miami that his team put together while he was out on bail to help raise funds for his legal fees. Reggae fans globally are looking forward to his grand return to the big stage.
Stefflon Don is thanking Buju Banton for allowing her to perform with his last weekend.
There were a lot of overseas-based artists at Buju Banton show at the National Stadium last Saturday night. Jamaican rapper Stefflon Don was among them, and she graced the stage with the Gargamel. Steff says she has always been a huge fan of the Grammy-winning reggae superstar who concluded his decade prison sentence in December and returned to Jamaica.
“From a kid, all my dad would play around the house was reggae and dancehall music,” Stefflon Don wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram I grew up in Holland from the age 4 to 14 And there where hardly any Jamaicans there.”
She reflects on her childhood growing up in Holland from age 4 to 14. She explains how she felt out of place given that not much Jamaicans were living there and reggae/dancehall music was her outlet. She also revealed that Buju Banton called her and invited her on his show to perform with him.
“So all I had to identify my self with was my mother, my father, my brothers, sister and Dancehall and reggae music,” Steff continues. “I am a huge fan of Buju Banton and this man called me, YES called me, on my phone and told me that he is very proud of me and that I am representing Jamaica very well and he likes what I am doing and because of this I would like to introduce you on to my stage and let the people know you are JAMAICAN and killing it and it’s not a joke ting!”
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Stefflon Don is currently one of the hottest female rappers on the scene, and she is huge in the UK. In 2018, she was included in XXL’s annual Freshman Class. Watch the video below and read her full statement on Buju Banton.
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Buju Banton - Long Walk To Freedom Tour Dates 2019
06/18/2019 by Reggaeville
On March 16, 2019 Buju Banton will return to the stage. His first concert takes place in Kingston, Jamaica at the National Stadium.
Several other shows across the Caribbean are confirmed now and also famous SummerJam Festival in Germany confirmed Buju Banton performance. See below a list of all confirmed shows, which will be updated when new dates are added:
MARCH 16 - KINGSTON, JAMAICA @ NATIONAL STADIUM
with Chronixx, Cocoa Tea, Etana, Ghost, Romain Virgo, L.U.S.T, Agent Sasco, Delly Ranx & Jahaziel
CONCERT REPORT: PHOTOS & VIDEOS!
MARCH 30 - NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS @ THOMAS A. ROBINSON STADIUM
with Gramps Morgan, Glen Washington, Davido, Lil Duval, Kodak Black, Jah Hem, Willis & The Illest
TICKETS @ PARADISEPRODUCTIONSINC.com
APRIL 21 - PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO @ QUEEN'S PARK SAVANNAH
with Koffee, Luciano, Wayne Wonder, Singing Melody, Mr King, Ataklan, Isasha, Kes The Band, Ziggy Rankin & Jah Melody
Tickets @ IAMLEGENDCONCERT.com
APRIL 27 - BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS @ BARBADOS REGGAE FESTIVAL
with Spragga Benz, Wayne Wonder
Tickets @ TICKETLINKZ.com
MAY 4 - PARAMARIBO, SURINAME @ ANDRE KAMPERVEEN STADION
Tickets available at local pre sale shops!
MAY 11 - ST. GEORGE, GRENADA @ NATIONAL STADIUM
Tickets @ GO2FETE.com
MAY 25 - GEORGETOWN, GUYANA @ NATIONAL STADIUM
Tickets @ IAMLEGENDCONCERT.com
JUNE 15 - TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS @ FESTIVAL VILLAGE GROUNDS
with Capleton, Cocoa Tea, Koffee, Pressure, Sista Joyce, Revalation Da Royal, Shine I
Tickets@ LONGWALKTOFREEDOMVI.com
JUNE 29 - BASSETERRE @ ST. KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Tickets @ 869GO.com
JULY 6 - COLOGNE, GERMANY @ SUMMERJAM
Tickets @ SUMMERJAM.de
JULY 7 - AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS @ AFAS LIVE
with Protoje, Anthony B, Agent Sasco & Richie Spice
Tickets @ TIBBAA.com
JULY 20 - MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA @ REGGAE SUMFEST
Tickets @ REGGAESUMFEST.com
JULY 31 - SACONNEX, SWITZERLAND @ GENEVA ARENA
with Richie Spice, Eek A Mouse, Major Mackerel
Tickets @ EVENTBRITE.com
AUGUST 1 - PORTUGAL @ AFRO NATION
Tickets @ AFRONATION.com
AUGUST 2 - VERTHEUIL, FRANCE @ REGGAE SUN SKA
withTiken Jah Fakoly, Calypso Rose and more..
Tickets @ DIGITICK.com
AUGUST 3 - GEEL, BELGIUM @ REGGAE GEEL
with Busy Signal, Bushman, Agent Sasco and many more..
Tickets @ REGGAEGEEL.com
AUGUST 10 - ANTIGUA
Early Bird Tickets - June 3 - 17, 2019
AUGUST 17 - DEVONSHIRE, BERMUDA @ UNITY FEST
Tickets @ PTIX.com
DECEMBER 11 @ WELCOME TO JAMROCK REGGAE CRUISE
Sold out!
2020
APRIL (EXACT DATE TBC) LOVE & HARMONY CRUISE
with Beres Hammond, Cocoa Tea, Wayne Wonder, Nadine Sutherland
The March 16 event in Kingston was more than a homecoming for the dancehall and reggae star.
Fans of Jamaican music have witnessed Buju Banton's dramatic transformation from a precociously talented early 1990s teenage dancehall sensation to an eminent -- if somewhat embattled -- global reggae ambassador. There have been significant controversies throughout his remarkable journey, including a 10-year prison sentence for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine that ended in December, but all of it contributed to making Banton's Long Walk to Freedom (LWTF) concert on March 16 one of the biggest and most anticipated events that Jamaica and the entire reggae diaspora has experienced.
Held at the National Stadium in Kingston and presented by Banton's Gargamel Music and Boom Energy Drink, in association with Kingston's Solid Agency and Miami's Rocker's Island Entertainment, LWTF was a resounding success due to the organizers' extensive planning, precise execution and the headliner's resilient, charismatic talents. Throughout the week before, full flights arrived at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport from the U.S. and other countries, many playing Banton's music over the PA systems as they touched down. The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported nearly 2,500 visitor arrivals in Kingston the day before the concert; hotel and Airbnb accommodations were sold out months in advance. Banton's fans and industry colleagues gathered at the stadium hours prior to the 8 p.m. showtime where, amidst much excitement, they shared their memories and projections surrounding the artist whose long-awaited return to the stage was now imminent.
'People want to know that Buju Banton is still that tremendous dancehall and roots reggae artist, in terms of his vocals, his recordings and delivering live performances,' Winford Williams, host of the popular Jamaican entertainment program Onstage, told Billboard before the concert. 'That's the measurement people are looking for. If he can show within the first 10 minutes of his performance that he is the artist we knew, the man who wrote/sang 'Destiny,' because any fan knows what that song is saying, then yes, the Buju Banton that we knew will really be back.'
Banton's haunting 'Destiny' from his 1997 album Inna Heights was written about the challenges faced in the unreserved pursuit of one's calling; 22 years on, the song's lyrics ring with a clairvoyance Banton could not have intended: 'You know not the destiny of a next man why hold him, set him free for too long .. my destination is homeward bound though forces try to hold I down.'
Ahead of Banton's set, LWTF opened with a stellar cast of supporting acts, including his son Jahziel Myrie, vocalists Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo, 2019 Grammy nominee Etana, veteran singer Ghost, vocal quartet L.U.S.T. and dancehall star Sasco, who released his very first single on Banton's Gargamel Music label. Chronixx elevated the 32,000-person audience's already jubilant mood with ethereal and fitting performances of his hits 'Never Give In' and 'Smile Jamaica.' Singer Cocoa Tea, in a brilliant, but too-brief performance, adjusted the lyrics of his 1995 anthem 'Holy Mount Zion' from a pilgrimage to the Rasta promised land to a warm greeting heralding Banton's return: 'Sweet sweet Jamaica, Jah Jah send Buju forward to we.'
Minutes after 11 o'clock, Banton emerged on the darkened stage wearing a crisp white suit, his dreadlocks now reaching his waist. Patrons excitedly waved red, green and gold Rastafarian flags, blared air horns and illuminated the stadium with the blue glow of thousands of cell phones held aloft as they sought to capture his historic return. Backed by his superb Shiloh band, led by keyboardist Steven 'Lenky' Marsden, Banton began his set by chanting a heartfelt prayer, 'Oh Lamb of God have mercy on me.' He then tore into the song that concisely described the rugged path he has traveled to reach this moment, 'Not an Easy Road.'
As Banton continued, intently focused yet exuberant, the audience was clearly enthralled by his matured looks, agile moves and especially, the deep, coarse, ferocious voice that had been missing live for nearly a decade. With politicians, former beauty queens, reggae superstars Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Tarrus Riley, the legendary Bunny Wailer and DJ Khaled (Banton is featured on DJ Khaled's upcoming Father of Asahd album) in attendance, by the time Banton delivered 'Destiny,' his fourth song of the night, he had confirmed what everyone had hoped: The same compelling performer everyone remembered from the 1990s and 2000s had indeed returned.
Boom, Jamaica's first locally-produced energy drink, a presenting sponsor of LWTF, also sponsored Banton's previous concert, held Jan. 16, 2011, at the Bayfront Amphitheater in Miami, which he performed while out on bail. William Mahfood, chairman of Boom's parent company Wisynco Group told Billboard that its LWTF support was the company's largest investment in an entertainment endeavor. 'As the biggest beverage company in Jamaica we couldn't let this concert pass without getting involved,' he said. 'Some brands and companies were afraid of [international] pushback, they said they wouldn't touch this event, but as a publicly listed Jamaican company, we aren't afraid to be associated with an artist who is among the most relevant of our time. The reality is we all make mistakes, Buju has made his, he realizes that, but he's served his time and he's moving forward.' Mahfood added that Wisynco will continue to invest in Banton's career beyond the LWTF concert.
Buju Banton was born Mark Myrie on July 15, 1973, in Kingston, the youngest of 15 children born to a street vendor mother. A descendant of the Maroons, the fierce freedom fighters who fended off attacks from the British colonial regiments, Banton battled his way out of abject poverty and, with his powerful patois, ascended to dancehall superstardom in the early 1990s. Story has it, he was signed to Mercury Records in 1992 as he exited the stage following a blistering set at Jamaica's now defunct Reggae Sunsplash music festival. He released Voice of Jamaica for the label the following year.
His 1994 single 'Murderer,' penned hours after the fatal shooting of his close friend, dancehall artist Panhead, helped temporarily redirect dancehall reggae away from gangsterism towards Rastafarian themed positive messages. Banton's 1995 album, the outstanding 'Til Shiloh, where he revealed sensitively sung vocals on such tracks as 'Untold Stories,' played a pivotal role in shaping the Rastafari and roots reggae movement of the mid-1990s and beyond. As Banton's international renown grew, the thick patois lyrics of a song he recorded when he was 16, 'Boom Bye Bye,' were decoded: Banton explained the song was written about an incident in Jamaica, a pedophile's abuse of a young boy but it was heard as advocating the killing of homosexuals. Banton apologized for the song and stopped performing it years ago, but gay rights groups' protests against 'Boom Bye Bye' continued to hamper his career, resulting in concert cancellations as late as October 2009, just two months before his arrest on cocaine-related charges.
Banton's first trial ended in a hung jury; he was released on bail when close friend Stephen Marley posted his home as bond and was free to plan and perform his Before The Dawn concert. Before The Dawn won the best reggae album Grammy on Feb. 13, 2011 and Banton's trial began the following day. Much of the case against him was based on video and audio recordings made by a U.S. government informant, Alexander Johnson, who was paid $50,000 -- according to Johnson's trial testimony -- to ensnare the artist. Most damning was a grainy videotape showing Banton tasting cocaine in a Sarasota, Florida, warehouse actually owned by the Sarasota Police Department and asking if there were additional quantities available for purchase. He was convicted less than three weeks after his Grammy win and held in the McRae Correctional Institution, in McRae, Georgia.
The provocative, headline-making turn of events surrounding Banton and his 10-year incarceration have provided an opportunity to reevaluate the pervasive impact of his artistry -- something that appeared to be taken for granted in the years immediately preceding his lock up. 'This might be sacrilegious to some, but I think Buju is Bob Marley for this generation, someone who has had such a profound effect on the reggae genre, ' Neil 'Diamond' Edwards, executive director of A&R, VP Records, who worked with Buju on his 2003 album, Friends for Life. 'But for people to see his talent as they are seeing it now, there had to be drama and that arrived with the protests, the Miami performance, his conviction and jail sentence.'
Edwards continued, 'Buju's LWTF concert has changed the game, it sets the bar high because filling a stadium is not an easy task, but he did it. Young kids who didn't grow up knowing his songs are trying to get up to date with his music now because he is that reggae icon for this time.'
Buju Banton Official Website
Banton's performance on Saturday night featured many of his collaborators over the years, including Wayne Wonder, Marcia Griffiths, Gramps Morgan and his mentor, beloved veteran singer Beres Hammond. Hammond had not seen Banton since his release from jail on Dec. 7 and their onstage embrace was deeply felt by the audience, as were the renditions of their cheerful dancehall tribute 'Can You Play Some More.' When Banton and Hammond sang each other's verses on their 1992 hit 'Who Say?,' they caused an already frenzied crowd to squeal even louder.
Throughout Banton's 90-minute performance he didn't offer any words about his criminal convictions but did recount the exact length of his incarceration -- 8 years, 6 months, 27 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes and 26 seconds -- then squashed any rumors of illicit prison activity. Difference between mysticism and occultism. 'This is a disclaimer, no disrespect to no one, I am talking about me,' said Banton before launching into a tough freestyle: 'Me don't care what in the media, me no business 'bout the news, me do 10 years of prison but no sexual abuse.'
Perhaps Banton will address his conviction, imprisonment and other related issues during future shows, which include a round of Caribbean dates beginning on March 30 in the Bahamas. Meanwhile, he seems focused on readjusting to the rigors of being an in-demand entertainer while readapting to life on the outside.
Perhaps Banton will address his conviction, imprisonment and other related issues during future shows, which include a round of Caribbean dates beginning on March 30 in the Bahamas. Meanwhile, he seems focused on readjusting to the rigors of being an in-demand entertainer while readapting to life on the outside.
'Buju's performance was a success story for someone coming out of a penal system that doesn't really rehabilitate its inmates -- the ordeal doesn't define him, so there's much to look forward to as he reenters society and the music fraternity,' said Allison Hunte, director and shareholder of the Barbados Reggae Festival, which celebrates its 15th anniversary with a performance by Banton and the Shiloh Band on April 27.
'Once the euphoria of Buju's return wears off, his fans are going to be looking for consistency and sustainability from him,' Hunte continued. 'He should pay attention to making good quality albums, supporting that with merchandise and building out his business. He has a great opportunity for a global career and the access to do many collaborations with people from other genres. There is so much for him to explore, I know that he will be successful.'