Buju Banton has a career marked by timeless songs and controversial moments, particularly the release of the highly controversial song “Boom Bye Bye,” which led to international protests and backlash from major music stations like MTV and concert promoters around the world, Buju Banton is not among the highest streamed or highest selling reggae acts. However, he continues to be one of reggae’s standout cultural figures.
He has since removed “Boom Bye Bye” from his catalog but Donovan Germain, the man responsible for launching Banton to the world with some of his biggest albums included “Voice Of Jamaica,” “‘Til Shiloh” and “Inner Heights” told the Jamaica Observer in August this year that “Boom Bye Bye” did hurt Banton’s album sales worlwide. “It hurt it [the album] because everyone was focused on Boom Bye Bye. There was a backlash and that affected promotions. It never got the justice it deserved,” Germain said.
There was also his on camera evidence and subsequent conviction of cocaine charges in the U.S. which he ended up being sentenced to 10 years. These moments have certainly taken away some of the momentum Buju could have had, not just as a reggae figure but a top selling global artist. Still he continues to be one of reggae’s most notable voices, racking up modest streams on Spotify across his catalogue.
No. 12 : Rasta Got Soul – 418,608 streams
The Grammy nominated album ‘Rasta Got Soul’ was Buju’s ninth studio album and saw his return conscious reggae in April 2009 after his raggamuffin “Too Bad” release in 2006. It was the album he was touring when he met a confidential informant on a plane on his way back to the U.S. from Spain which led to his cocaine charge and conviction in 2011.
No. 11: Before The Dawn – 661,429 streams
Before the Dawn was released independently by Buju’s Gargamel Music. It was his first and only Grammy for Best Reggae Album after four previous nominations. Banton won the award at the 53rd annual Grammys which was held on February 13, 2011, in Los Angeles, the night before his trial was to begin in Tampa Florida and was unable to attend the ceremony. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae album chart and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. It has sold 8000 units in the US according to data supplied to WMV by Luminate and ranks at No. 35 on the the list of 39 Grammy winning reggae albums.
He only received the Grammy trophy after he was deported to Jamaica in 2019.
No. 10: Friends For Life – 1,277,300 streams
“Friends for Life,” Buju Banton’s seventh studio album released on March 11, 2003, through VP Music Group with exclusive distribution via Atlantic Records, showcased Banton’s evolution as an artist and featured a diverse range of collaborations and themes.
With production from Donovan Germain, Cool & Dre, Jammy “Jamz” James, Sheldon Stewart, Sly Dunbar, Steely & Clevie, and Steven “Lenky” Marsden, the album was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 46th annual Grammy awards.
Guest appearances on the 19 track reggae project include Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Fat Joe, Nadine Sutherland, the Sons & Daughters Choir, and Wayne Wonder. While it may not be considered his best work by some critics, the album’s lead track and music video “Paid Not Played” was a BET staple when it was released.
The track “Up Ye Mighty Race” with a speech excerpt from Marcus Garvey exemplifies Buju Banton’s commitment to spreading messages of empowerment and unity.
“Friends for Life” peaked at number 198 on the US Billboard 200 album chart as well as No. 3 on the US Reggae Albums chart.
No. 9 : Unchained Spirit – 1,475,719 streams
The prophetic Unchained Spirit released August 22, 2000, 10 years before his aforementioned US trial and on track 11 Buju sings, “Monday morning, I got to face the judge, they don’t know me but I hope they have some some love of lord, knowing its my first offense, i’m sure they got no evidence and so I trod with my conscience.” It was a Monday morning that the trial had begun and it was his first cocaine offense in the US.
Unchained Spirit was released on Epitath’s “Anti” record label, his first and only on the American label and peaked at 128 on the Billboard 200 as well as the top album sales chart. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae albums chart the week of September 9, 2000, held off the top spot by Beenie Man’s “Art and Life”. It went on to spend 30 weeks the reggae chart.
No. 8 : Stamina Daddy – 2,310,780 streams
Stamina Daddy released in 1992 by Technique Records is still one of Buju’s most streamed albums on Spotify landing at No. 8 with more than 2 million streams. The title track was a dancehall hit to be played on every sound with dub plate altered versions but the original boast a young Buju as the ultimate mate “Me a di stamina daddy fi al the gyal pickiney.” Moreover Banton’s strategy of calling out a phone number became popular in the 90s and women especially would follow his instructions, “9277039 if you wah find the Banton call anytime”. A strategy that could be used now to market his new projects for a fee in collaboration with telecoms companies perhaps? The album was later released at “Quick ” with a rearranged track-list by CineVu/Newmedia.
No. 9: Born for Greatness- 2,501,941
“Born For Greatness” is Buju’s latest studio album that sold 2600 units in the US according to data supplied to WMV by sales tracker Luminate. The sales for the album released September 8 were not enough for Buju to make the weekly Billboard chart. It is the first time in the last 30 years that an album by Banton has not entered the chart in-spite being released by Island/DefJam Records/Roc Nation. The lead single “Coconut Water(Sip)” has sold 5000 units including 200 downloads and 684,000 streams. The title track “Born For Greatness” has sold 2000 units in the U.S. with 100 being pure sales and 264,000 on-demand streams in its first week.
No. 6: Voice Of Jamaica – 4,672,570
Donovan Germain calls “Voice Of Jamaica” released in 1993 is Buju’s debut album as far as he is concerned although both “Stamina Daddy” and “Mr. Mention” preceded it. The album turned 30 this year with 4.6 million streams and was released via Mercury/Polygram Records on August 3, 1993.
It was the album that introduced Buju to a world outside the corners of Jamaica with tracks like “Operation Ardent”, “Deportees (Things Change”, and “Make My Day” Produced by Dave Kelly peaked at No. 74 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart. Steelie and Clevie, Sly Dunbar, Mikey Bennet and Busta Rhymes were the other producers on ‘Voice Of Jamaica’ and it peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Reggae albums chart.
No.5: Too Bad – 6,198,520 streams
After several show cancellations in Europe and Los Angeles in 2005 and 2006, Buju returned to Jamaica and reconnected with his hardcore dancehall roots with “Too Bad” released independently on September 12 on his Gargamel music label. The album stayed clear of homophobic rhetoric and that same year Buju performed for two full hours as the headline act at Sting, reeling off singles from the album like Don and Dupes with Pinches and “Me and Ounu’ plus over a decade of hits.
The album was led by the track ‘Drive A” on Sly and Robbie’s Taxi Riddim which got much airplay in Jamaican and diaspora settlements like New York City. By this time however, Banton’s mainstream career was being affected by his attitude towards gay people, many of whom were closely connected in the music industry. From then on, concert promoters Live Nation and AEG cancelled his shows way into 2009 when he was arrested for cocaine.
Subsequently ‘Too Bad’ only managed to peak at No. 6 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart the week of September 30, 2006 below ‘Youth’ by Matisyahu at No. 5, ‘Ghetto Story’ by Cham, ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ by Damian Marley, ‘Undisputed’ by Beenie Man, and The Trinity by Sean Paul at No. 1. The album spent a total of 30 weeks on the chart.
No. 4: Mr. Mention- 22,613,700 streams
The entire 12 tracks on “Mr. Mention”, Banton’s sophomore album released in 1992 have stood the test of time being dancehall staples on and off the dance floor for more than 30 years. “Mr. Mention” produced by Penthouse Records laid the foundation for Buju’s career. Batty Rider, Love How The Gal Dem Flex, Love Black Woman, Look How You Sweet, Woman No Fret, Have To Get You Tonight, Dickie, Love Me Brownin’, Buju Movin’, Who Say, How The World A Run and Bonafide Love (Movie Star) could be played in the same sequence they are on the album and keep a party going for 55 minutes and 40 seconds without a skip. The album never made any of the charts in the world but the tracks are iconic.
No. 3: Upside Down 2020- 45,209,251
Upside Down 2020 was Banton’s comeback album after serving seven of the ten year sentence in a Federal prison. The album has so far sold 53,000 album equivalent units in streams and sales according to data provided to WMV by Luminate. Of that amount 11,000 units were pure album sales equalling 62 million total on-demand streams (audio + video). The concept of the album Buju claimed was that upon his return he observed that everything was upside down in Jamaica and elsewhere.
Upside Down 2020 peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and the last track Unity was featured on FIFA 2021 Soundtrack.
No. 2: Inna Heights – 50,797,671 streams
Inna Heights released November 18, 1997 has surpassed 50 million streams on Spotify. Upon its release, it entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at No. 5 the week of December 13, 1997. It then climbed to its peak at No. 1 where it stayed for eight consecutive weeks.
No. 1: ‘Til Shiloh – 100,000,000 streams
Buju Banton’s Magnum Opus album is ‘Til Shiloh, his fourth studio album, released in 1995 by Loose Cannon Records, a subsidiary of Island Records.
On the intro of the album, Banton chants, “’Til Shiloh, we chant Rastafari’s name,” signifying a shift from his previous dancehall persona to a more spiritual and conscious artist.
Banton had converted to the Rastafari region by 1995 and the murder of his friend Pan Head’s which he said he found out while on tour in Japan led to the creation of the song “Murderer.”
The masterpiece also marked a cultural shift in reggae music, marshaling the rise of neo-roots artists like Sizzla who came two years later, who incorporated elements of this album’s style into their own work.
The album spent 104 weeks on the Billboard Reggae albums chart and peaked at No. 2, peaked at No. 148 on the US Billboard 200, No. 27 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
In 2019, it achieved Gold certification from the RIAA for selling 500,000 units, his only Gold certification in the US. Songs like “Til I’m Laid to Rest” and “Untold Stories.” “Champion” was certified Gold in Canada on Thursday July 27, 2023 for selling 40,000 units.
The album was remastered in 2002 and again re-released on its 25th anniversary in 2020 with additional tracks.
