Buju Banton  

October 1, 2009

Thursday 7:30pm

Detail: When he was 17, he penned and voiced "Boom Bye Bye"; two years later, thanks to that track, which advocates shooting gay men in the head, Buju Banton was the international poster boy for homophobia. No excuses, but "batty bwoy" lyrics are de rigueur for Jamaican MCs, yet today's Buju is the sole reggae artist to publicly acknowledge one's right to love whom one chooses.

Despite his grave juvenile error, Buju is the worthiest successor to the mantle of Bob Marley. "He's our sun," says the respected DJ (reggae rapper/producer) Tony Rebel. "Every other reggae artist revolves around him." Cleaving to Bob's implicit rule that yuh haffe sing rough for the sufferah and following the Gong's generous example of lyrical inclusiveness, Buju's coarse, resinous vocals are more compelling than just about anyone else's tones.