Buju Banton
37-year-old dancehall singer, Buju Banton, real name, Mark Anthony Myrie, was arrested in Miami, Florida, in December 2009, on cocaine possession charges. However, the initial case resulted in a mistrial in September 2010. Banton, had been remanded into custody and denied bail throughout the case, but was recently freed.
A few weeks ago, the U.S. government declared it is indicting Banton on the same charges again, adding two new counts to the case.
Many believe Banton was targeted, due to his anti-gay lyrics, on negative songs such as "Boom Bye Bye." Pro-gay groups have consistently hounded organizers into dropping him from concerts. While the Judiciary Report retains its Christian faith, adhering to the Bible view that homosexuality is a sin that God offers forgiveness for, if there is repentance, a theme others such as Joel Osteen have stated as well, Banton and entertainers who make similar music, should not record violent lyrics. Yes, they have the right to free speech, but it is unkind to incite violence through music or any other medium. This needs to stop.
Dancehall is an offshoot of reggae, which was not violent. When my godmother's husband, the late Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, created reggae music, it was positive and uplifting. The music spoke of love and discussed social struggles, such as inequality, racism and poverty, giving people hope.
Dodd signed Bob Marley to his first deal and the singer/musician went on to spread a message of love, through songs like, "One Love," "Could You Be Love," "Is This Love," "No Woman No Cry" and "Redemption Song" to name a few. Marley's music touched the masses and also grossed over $3 billion dollars and counting.
From reggae sprang dancehall and later rap, two genres that have become quite negative, departing from its early positive roots. Count Machuki, who started rap in Jamaica as apart of Coxsone's sound system, then DJ Kool Herc, who brought it to America, inspired positive music from artists such as the Sugarhill Gang.
Regrettably, others later misused the genres and turned them into something undesirable and full of negative sounds. In the 1990s, things took a turn for the worse, when dancehall spewed heinous "murder music" in Tivoli Gardens (Jamaica) and rap gave birth to a terrible offspring, known as "gangsta rap" in Compton (America). Things swiftly went downhill from there.
Banton did begin his career with uplifting tracks, such as the infectious and touching, "I Wanna Be Loved" - a song even Bob Marley would have loved. However, Banton later departed from that sound, which he should have retained, rather than going the other route. Banton would do well to return to positivity in his music and life.
The Judiciary Report prefers comedic dancehall music, such as the hilarious song "Clarks" as opposed to violent or lewd songs, which are debasing. Two years ago, the Jamaican government began an initiative to ban violent and explicit music from the nation's airwaves and it was the right thing to do.
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