Each
generation has a voice that convincingly conveys past tribulations, contemporary
triumphs and future aspirations; throughout the 1990's, the voice of Jamaica has
been Mark Anthony Myrie, better known to Reggae fans as Buju Banton. Buju has
dominated Jamaican music with a rough gravel yet keenly melodic deejay (the
Jamaican equivalent of a rapper) delivery, transcending the parameters of
dancehall Reggae and serving as a globally embraced artistic paradigm for the
21st century. The wide ranging musical styles and sophisticated lyrical concerns
Buju embraces throughout Unchained Spirit (his debut release for
Epitaph subsidiary Anti Inc.) will certainly
resonate with fans regardless of racial, cultural and socio economic
backgrounds.
"My efforts here are not to crossover but to go through boundaries and
borders freely and be heard by all people who are citizens of the free loving
earth," reasons Mr. Banton. "Like the title, I'm an unchained spirit,
a free spirit and my intention is to make sure this one goes out across the
world to satisfy the musical and spiritual hunger of the nation, to bring us
closer today than yesterday to our freedom and our need to come together to
solidify the human race."
Buju Banton (born July 15, 1973) is the youngest of 15 children born to a 'higgler',
street vendor mother in Kingston, Jamaica. A descendant of the Maroons, (the
fierce freedom fighters who fended off attacks from the British colonial
regiments) he was nicknamed Buju (the Maroon name for breadfruit, a starchy
round vegetable) as a child; Banton is a designation bestowed upon a commander
of lyrical distinction as well of the name of the Deejay who had the greatest
impact on Buju's coarse vocal style, Burro Banton. Buju, entered Jamaica's
musical fraternity at age 12 as the 'Lambada Man', captivated by deejay's
lyrical skills as they chat over records played by sound system selectors in the
dancehall. "Being in dancehall at such a young age, seeing people with
microphones, hearing the music was the most mystical feeling I ever
encountered," he recalls. "The first time I got the chance to make a
song my head swell so big, I knew right there there was no turning back."
In 1991 Banton met (producer) Dave Kelly then an engineer at producer Donovan
Germain's Penthouse studios in Kingston; soon the teenage Deejay's career
accelerated into high gear on the strength of several Penthouse single,
particularly 'Love Me Browning' an ode to light skinned women which caused great
controversy in color conscious Jamaica. Buju's debut album Mr. Mention
(Penthouse) followed in 1992, breaking all sales records on the island and
earning the young artist more number one singles than any other Reggae artist,
including Bob Marley.
At just 21 years old, Buju's 1993-release Voice of Jamaica
(Mercury) featuring track such as 'Operation Ardent', 'Deportee' and the safe
sex anthem 'Willy Don't Be Silly', was lauded for the unprecedented social
commentary it brought to the dancehall. Buju Banton, now a superstar in Jamaica,
also established himself as a musical force in urban America as the first dance
hall deejay to sellout New York City's 5600 seat
Paramount Theater. Banton continued to innovate, implementing the spiritual
principals Banton had previously collaborated with Rancid on the title song from
their 1999 album Life Won't Wait and together they wrote 'Misty
Days' after the groups sojourn in Jamaica.
Since the early 1990's to the threshold of a new millennium, Buju Banton has
metamorphosed from a brash teenage phenomenon into a self assured deejay and
singer, visionary producer and successful entrepreneur who runs his own Aksum
Recording Studio and Gargamel Productions. The wide-ranging social and stylistic
approach offered on Unchained Spirit reflects the changes, challenges,
circumstances and criticisms, which Buju has surmounted artistically and
personally. "We always want challenges to prove ourselves worthy of the
life we living and the air we breathing," he explains. "Unchained
Spirit is me expressing myself with the art form I've been blessed to work in
because making music, that is my joy. We try to bring forth all kinds of
renditions in the blend to make the music sound exciting so each particular
track can take your ear."
