Buju Banton Lyrics Causing Concert Controversy...Miami

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Buju Banton Lyrics Causing Concert Controversy...Miami

Let me tell you about politics. it is a tool. Not everybody have to use every tool. even if you are ion proximity to the tool you don't have to let it use you. neither should you let it's proximity influence your behavior.

i have been involved with many politicians, and none have been able to manipulate me. since i chose what offers to accept and never accept offers that contribute to my personal wealth.


Let always make sure that you don't owe them any favour. never do any act with a politician that you wouldn't want to be made public.
The Sort of personality that becomes a politician tend to be manipulative. so never allow yourself to become dependent on your association with them.
If you can follow those rules, you will function around the most corrupt of politician and never get smeared.
Anyway, you are much more capable than to become corrupted by others you associate with.
It is easier for them to be influenced by you. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Xavier</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dr Dudd thanks for the great advice. I was actively involved with a few board (Jamaican and non Jamaican) as president a few times. I am doer and &quot;system builder&quot; so when politics I try to stay far away. Some say play the game...I can for a little bit but not when it gets in the way of progress. Like you said these things seem to find me...Thanks again...

Good question...we really do some silly things as teenagers. Seem like you could help them right the defense for Buju as he clearly need some assist to frame the discussion. </div></div>

[Xavier]

Majestic cancels Buju Banton Wednesday show in Detroit

Thanks Dr Dudd...strong words especially the part about tool...

Pepper seems there was a show canceled for this Wednesday in Detroit but not the Miami one...

<span style="font-weight: bold">Majestic cancels Buju Banton show</span>
Local organizations say reggae artist's lyrics promote violence against gays

Source: Free Press
Writer: Brian McCollum

Several gay advocacy groups will try to offset the Majestic Theatre's losses after pressuring the venue to cancel a controversial concert.

Majestic officials have called off Wednesday's scheduled show by reggae musician Buju Banton after protests by metro Detroit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations.

Banton, a Jamaican artist whose tours have included stops in Detroit and Ann Arbor, has come under fire for his music, including lyrics that critics say promote violence against gays. National music companies Live Nation and AEG also have canceled several of his planned U.S. dates.

To help defray the Majestic's costs, local activists plan to stage a Wednesday benefit concert at the adjacent Magic Stick. Tickets are $10 for the 8 p.m. show, which will feature local LGBT performers.

Majestic director Dave Zainea said the venue stands to lose about $10,000 for canceling its Banton contract.

Zainea, a self-described progressive who has worked with the LGBT community, said he was unaware of the controversy when he booked the show in August.

&quot;We certainly don't endorse his lyrics or advocate violence,&quot; said Zainea.

Protestors have cited lyrics from Banton songs such as &quot;Boom Bye Bye,&quot; which describes gay encounters and includes such lines as, &quot;Burn him up bad like an old tire wheel.&quot;

The Triangle Foundation is among the groups arranging Wednesday's benefit show.

&quot;The Majestic has usually supported the community over the years,&quot; said spokesperson Alicia Skillman. &quot;We want this to be a win-win.&quot;

[Xavier]

Re: Majestic cancels Buju Banton Wednesday show in Detroit

Another interesting story story on this. Below is the part of the story that show the evolution I mentioned earlier.

<span style="font-style: italic">Banton’s manager, Tracii McGregor, said Wednesday that Banton does not perform the song anymore. However, Thayer disputed that claim, saying clips posted on YouTube show otherwise.

McGregor said the clips online are not actual performances of the entire song but freestyle fragments. </span>

[Bizzy]

Re: Majestic cancels Buju Banton Wednesday show in Detroit

Mi still waan know why dem neva put up dis big fuss when him did perform up yah last year?? dem nussi nuh have nutten fi do dis year except box food outa ppl mout

[evanovitch]

Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul tour triumphs

Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul tour triumphs


By Basil Walters Observer staff reporter

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Mark Myrie, aka Buju Banton, is no ordinary entertainer; his songs say it all. <span style="font-weight: bold">Despite the ongoing campaign against him by members of the gay community, promoters are already calling his tour the biggest-selling reggae tour of the year.</span>
The answer to all of this is the magic in his music. Through his music, the Gargamel as he states in the title of his 2003 album makes Friends For Life with his fans, as <span style="font-weight: bold">a result of which the negative publicity from the gay community back fired in Columbus, Ohio. It was there, that due to popular demand he performed on two highly successful shows last weekend</span>.


&quot;During the show, Banton's gruff, soulful voice captured the passion behind the hyperkinetic Murderer and Willy (Don't Be Silly). His band (including a drummer who sounded as though he had eight hands) was ridiculously tight, their arrangements elegant and dynamic without losing their frenetic feel. From the Wipeout-based rhythm-backed rap of 'Me &amp; Oonu' through to the soulful I Rise to cribbing Michael Jackson's universal plea, Heal the World,' Banton proved he could make things right within his music,&quot; reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After being initially plagued with cancellations that cast a dark cloud over its progress, the Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul US tour, seems to have overcome the obstactles from the gay community.

&quot;Gargamel Music, Inc is pleased to report that over 15,000 fans have already witnessed the magic of Jamaican music icon, Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul US Tour, which kicked off last month at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. The buzzworthy Roots Reggae revue has since blazed through a string of successful shows in Maryland , Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio, and has been receiving rave reviews from day one,&quot; a press release from his publicist stated.

Last week, the Rasta Got Soul US Tour rolled into Colorado for two shows and then over to California, where the four-time Grammy-nominated artiste, along with opening acts Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage, Nikki Burt and Angel Shalome, were scheduled to play seven dates, before moving on to New Mexico, Texas, Georgia and Florida.

The Unchained Spirit of the widely respected artiste who is unfazed by his detractors, remained intact. In confronting the issue he offers the following statement:

&quot;Throughout my travels as an artiste, I have witnessed first- hand the senseless atrocities being suffered by innocent people around the world, and my heart goes out to them. I do not condone violence against anyone, including gays, and I have spent my career rallying against violence and injustice through music. At this point, I can only hope that my body of work speaks for itself and that anyone still offended by the lyrics of my youth will take the time to explore my catalog or come to one of my shows before reducing my character and entire musical repertoire to a single song,&quot; says Banton.

[Xavier]

Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

Source: SF Weekly
Writer: Eric Arnold in Clubs, Music



In what may be a groundbreaking and possibly historical event, controversial reggae star Buju Banton met with representatives from the LGBT community this afternoon. Banton has been a frequent target of gay rights protesters for his 1992 song &quot;Boom Bye Bye,&quot; which activists say glorifies murder and violence directed at gays.

Before the dialogue, Banton's show at the Rock It Room scheduled for tonight (October 12) appeared in jeopardy of cancellation due to protest. Yet after the face-to-face exchange, the LGBT activists not only agreed to let the show continue as planned, but expressed optimism about the possibility of further dialogue and action, toward a human rights agenda inclusive of both LBGT concerns and the reggae community.


The meeting, which took place at the Courtyard Hotel in Larskpur, included Banton and his manager Tracii McGregor, San Francisco supervisors Bevan Dufty and Eric Mar, LGBT Center executive director Rebecca Rolfe, queer blogger Michael Petrelis and lesbian activist Andrea Shorter. The LGBT acvists, led by Petrelis and Shorter, voiced their concerns over homophobic lyrics and anti-gay violence in Jamaica directly to Banton, and suggested various things he could do to promote human rights, such as a town hall meeting in Jamaica. Banton, in turn, pointed to additional context, such as colonialism and the Jamaican government's homophobic laws. He denied he is a hate speech or murder music artist, as his critics have insisted. &quot;Let's face the reality,&quot; Banton said. &quot;Whatever is said in a positive light can't get out.&quot; On the topic of the controversial tune, he added, &quot;I don't perform the song anymore. The reality is, I've gone past that.&quot;

&quot;You have a bad PR problem,&quot; Shorter told the three-time Grammy nominee, adding, &quot;I'm not gonna get a medal for talking to you.&quot; She added, however, she was willing to try to forge ahead to figure out &quot;what we can do together to fight against hate and violence in a way that is meaningful.&quot; After some testy questions by Shorter about Banton's commitment to gay-rights issues, Mar said he knows of many within the African American and reggae community who &quot;see you as one of the most positive artists out there&quot; - in stark contrast to the way Banton has been presented in the LBGT activist scene and queer blogosphere. &quot;I've been actively doing some of the stuff you mention,&quot; the singer said, referring to Operation Willy, a pro-safe sex anti-AIDS organization Banton founded in 1994. &quot;I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that,&quot; he added.

The tete-a-tete appeared to soothe tensions on both sides. At the end of the meeting, all assembled posed for snapshots, as Dufty remarked, &quot;No city is gayer than S.F. You have met with some of the toughest queer activists around.&quot; Banton said nothing, while Shorter said, &quot;I'm more hopeful walking out of here than walking in here.&quot;

Read More Here

[Bizzy]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

Oh gawd!!! I guess dat mean mi can go ahead an purchase mi buju tix

[neutral]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

<span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that,&quot; he added.</span>

Try telling that to the rest of the wanabee rastas out there.

I think this meeting is a positive step by the I,.....but it can also be interpreted as a bit cynical by someone who is a standard bearer for gay bashing in Jamaica,.......suddenly when he is desperate to sell concert ticket and rescue his tour him a tun him mout oneside.

If the I is genuine then his new non violenct self awareness should start in jamaica,....have a face to face with the gay community there and encourage the other gay bashing DJ's to do the same.

[Stormmey]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: neutral</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that,&quot; he added.</span>

Try telling that to the rest of the wanabee rastas out there.

I think this meeting is a positive step by the I,.....but it can also be interpreted as a bit cynical by someone who is a standard bearer for gay bashing in Jamaica,.......suddenly when he is desperate to sell concert ticket and rescue his tour <span style="font-weight: bold">him a tun him mout oneside</span>.

If the I is genuine then his new non violenct self awareness should start in jamaica,....have a face to face with the gay community there and encourage the other gay bashing DJ's to do the same. </div></div>

The above in bolded just cracks me up

[MsExced]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

Hard Rock cancel him in Orlando but him still performing on International Drive Nov 1st.

[Xavier]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

It is very interesting how the Jamaican Observer titles this meeting between Buju and the LGBT Activists: <span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;Buju breaks under pressure?&quot; </span>

It is almost like they are saying he is sold out. The title should sell more papers...

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

Those who control the means decide the perspective. That is the perspective of the controllers of Observer.
I, on the other hand think it is the gays that cave.
They had that opportunity all along, and did nothing about it

They even took the position that they won't talk.
Today they are talking.
Did the Observer made a report about the pepper spray that was sprayed in the middle of the crowd diring the concert??
That is an example of how the gays feel.
They realize that their strategy is not working and is at a cross roads as to the next move
This is a part of it.
They Have simply taken on much more than they can chew. when they chose Jamaica.

They have to change the attitude of the majority of Jamaican population, but underestimate they level of sophistication, and intelligence.<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Xavier</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It is very interesting how the Jamaican Observer titles this meeting between Buju and the LGBT Activists: <span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;Buju breaks under pressure?&quot; </span>

It is almost like they are saying he is sold out. The title should sell more papers... </div></div>

[LusciousJohnson]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

same in Dallas...House of Blues canceled him but one of the hott reggae spots picked it up for the same date 10/20

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

That's why the gays decide to talk. They realize that they can't stop him with their present strategy. So they decide to be civilize.
Of Course they have to save face too, or all would have been lost. as far as their case goes.<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ms Exced</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hard Rock cancel him in Orlando but him still performing on International Drive Nov 1st. :day: </div></div>

[Xavier]

Buju Banton - Censorship the wrong way to fight hatred

In many recent cases (extreme liberal ones)I don't agree with the ACLU but this statement by them seems pretty fair as it relates to freedom of speech..

Source: Miami Herald

<span style="font-weight: bold">
BUJU BANTON - Censorship the wrong way to fight hatred</span>

It is disheartening that some of our colleagues in the gay and lesbian equality movement have embraced censorship as a tactic to combat hate speech. In his Oct. 6 Other Views article, Songs of hate, George Byars calls on public officials to ban the Miami concert by Buju Banton and Beenie Man.

This is terribly short-sighted: Giving government the power to censor messages it thinks are dangerous never advances the cause of equality and freedom.

In Florida, we don't need to speculate about the dangers of letting government decide when to ban supposedly inflammatory messages. Only last year, a high school principal banned rainbow stickers and other expressions of support for gay rights because he thought that they caused students to think about sex rather than schoolwork. (He was stopped as a result of an ACLU lawsuit.)

The ACLU opposes censorship in all its forms. More than a decade ago, we went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend Luther Campbell and 2 Live Crew against obscenity charges threatened by then-Broward County Sheriff Nick Navarro.

We are now before that court challenging censorship of library books by the Miami-Dade County School Board.

Last year we successfully sued two school districts for banning Gay Straight Alliance Clubs that promote tolerance of diversity. We oppose censorship even when those advocating censorship are our friends.

The Buju Banton song in question is vile and offensive. But despite its hateful message, it is protected speech under the Constitution.

Its violent imagery isn't new: From hardcore punk to rap, images of violence have been a central part of pop music. The hardcore punk band MDC (Millions of Dead Cops) has played concerts across the country and Europe for 30 years. One of its standards, Let's Kill All the Cops, begins: ``Let's kill all the cops and throw 'em in bags / Set it on fire on a pile of rags.''

Since the early days of rap music, hip-hop stars have used vile and violent lyrics about killing cops, killing women, killing ``whitey,'' killing each other and, occasionally, killing gay men and lesbians.

Song lyrics are constitutionally protected free speech unless the words constitute a true threat or incitement to imminent violence.

Rhetorical hyperbole is not a true threat -- even if, as the Supreme Court has ruled, it specifically names the president as its target. The Buju Banton lyrics in question do not name anybody.

As to the claim that the song lyrics are incitement, Banton has sung his song many times, including during a previous appearance in Miami, with no ensuing violence. There is no basis to make the leap from a hateful and offensive pop song to incitement to riot.

A song sung before an audience of fans is not a true threat, an incitement to riot or anything else that the Constitution permits the government to censor. It's just a song that, inexplicably, some people find entertaining.

Combating hateful speech by suppressing it is a mistaken strategy. Fighting prejudice and hate requires more speech, ``not enforced silence,'' as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis observed decades ago.

The First Amendment permits everyone to demonstrate against Buju Banton and Beenie Man, to condemn their message, to boycott the sponsors and, in hundreds of other ways, to engage in counter speech. But it does not permit anyone to harness the machinery of government to silence their ugly voices.

HOWARD SIMON, executive director

ROBERT ROSENWALD, director, LGBT Advocacy Project, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Miami