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ch33v3rs
ch33v3rs
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Homophbia

Posted over 3 years ago
I was planning to attend a show by the Reggae artist Buju Banton last night... It was cancelled.The club owners decided that based upon their position in the SF club scene that is was not in their best interests to have an act that had an openly homophobic song in his caltaog (the song in question was written 14 years ago when Buju was 15 years old). Well that and possible protests. Here is the song in question:Boom Bye ByeWorld is in troubleAnytime Buju Banton comeBatty bwoy get up an runAt gunshot me head backHear I tell him now crew(Its like) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no nasty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no nasty manDem haffi dead(Two man) Hitch up on an rub up onAn lay down inna bedHug up on anotherAnna feel up legSend fi di matic anDi Uzi insteadShoot dem no come if we shot dem--Don't want JackieGive dem Paul insteadDem don't want di sweetnessBetween di legGal bend down backwayAn accept di pegAn if it really hotYou know she still naw gon fledA some manStill don't want diPanty raidPure batty business dem love(Me say) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote the nasty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no nasty manDem haffi dead(Woman is di) Greatest thingGod ever put pon di landBuju lovin dem from headDown to foot bottomBut some man a turn aroundWhere dem get that fromPeter is not for JanetPeter is for JohnSuzette is not for PaulSuzette is for AnnWhere the boboclothDem get dat fromHere come the DJName Buju Banton(Come fi) ((Straighten yuh talk?))(Boom boom boom) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote the nasty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty manDem haffi dead(Caw me say) Dis is not an bargain (Me say)Dis is not a dealGuy come near weThen his skin must peelBurn him up bad like an old tire wheelgwaan buju banton yuh tough(Me say) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote the batty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty man(Hear what now!)(Two man) A hug up on an kiss up onAn lay down inna bedHug up on anotherAnna rub dung legSend fi di matic anDi Uzi insteadShoot di batty boy come if we shot dem--Dem don't want JackieGive dem Paul insteadDon't want di poom poomBetween Patsy legAll dem wantIs the body from FredBut dis is Buju BantonMe say(Me say) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no nasty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no nasty manDem haffi deadCaw woman is the prettiest thingGod ever put pon di landPut pon di land (Pu-pu-put pon di land)But some man a turn aroundWhere dem get dat fromPeter is not for JanetPeter is for JohnSuzette is not for PaulSuzette is for AnnHere come di DJ name Buju Banton (Come fi)Give di massiveSatisfactionHappy how yuh lovin (Ju fi)(So just) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty manDem haffi deadAll a di New York crewDem no promote Batty manJump an danceUnno push up unno handAll di Brooklyn girlDem no promote batty manJump an bogleAnna wine yuh bottomCanadian gals dem no like batty manIf yuh are not oneYuh haffi push up(Me say) Boom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty manDem haffi deadBoom bye byeInna batty bwoy headRude bwoy no promote no batty manDem haffi deadHow am I supposed to feel about this? On one side, I am digusted that this type of this happens. Meaning that people write songs that are hurtfull and that others can't let go of words that were writen by a child. Words are so powerfull that people are afraid of them. Words are used to convey meaning and can be just as destructive as a gun. Words heal and bring light to an otherwise dark place. WANNA BE LOVEDChorusWanna be lovedNot for who you think I amNor what you want me to beCould you love me for me?Real love, with no strings attachedI wanna give you me heartDon't want to take it backThis is my chat-choBeen searching for a long long timeFor that oh-so-true loveTo comfort this heart of mineNo pretense stop wasting my timeA virtuous woman is really hard to findI'm telling you ladyI'm only human, not looking for impossibilityJust a genuine woman with sinceritySomeone who is always near to hold meShow me you care, up front and boldlyDon't shun my feelings, all the positive meaningsLove me morning, noon all seasonsChorusWell every hoe have it's stick in a bushWhat happen to me...she must be somewhere out thereNow where could she be?Caught up passionately in a love rhapsodyI'm like waiting on some honeyBut there ain't no queen beeEverybody's laughingSome say I'm sillyNo infatuation, no love fantasyWoman you lead my life on a stringI can't tale the on and off thingI'm oh so lonely inside so I singChorusI would spend my nights at homeBut if it means contentionI'd rather be aloneTell the service man cut the phonesLock all communicationIf there's no light within my dayI'd rather stay in isolationFor that special someone a lifetime I'll waitI know that I'll be okayCross my heart, every day I live I prayAnd I know she'll come my wayNight and day for this woman I prayHow can an artist say such different things? How do I reconcile these feelings of confusion? Use your words to comment on a song that is full of love and this situation.ONE LOVE > kiaran
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Comments (17)

  1. KebStarr
    KebStarr says They cancelled the show just for that one song? Wow...
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  2. Viva La Britt
    Viva La Britt says Were the owners not privy to his lrical notoriety before last night?! I don't even know much about the reggae scene, but I know this guy has been criticized for his lyrics for years. Bummer that those who arrived for the show were inconvenienced for others' lack of foresight.
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  3. ivylander
    ivylander says Did I dream this, or did he have some sort of religious conversion, renounce his previous lyrical irresponsibility, and turn "conscious"? Or was that just to get folks off his back?
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  4. Neill
    Neill says The have always been demonstrations in the UK whenever someone has tried to book. He get's banned in other parts of Europe as well. Banton has never apologised for Boom Bye Bye. His record company did apologise many years ago, but he then repudiated the apology and reiterated his homophobic incitements to murder. Banton has since regularly performed Boom Bye Bye. He has also re-released it on compilation albums. These are not the actions of a man who feels regret or remorse. Banton narrowly escaped conviction earlier this year for a violent assault on gay men in their home in Kingston, Jamaica. These gay men are adamant that Banton was one of gang who homophobically abused and beat them.
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  5. ivylander
    ivylander says What a charmer.
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  6. ch33v3rs
    ch33v3rs says Thanks for the update Niell... That is not good to hear. I really have trouble with this. I can't support an artist that acts this way and I love his music.
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  7. ch33v3rs
    ch33v3rs says to answer the others they must have not known or cared until protests were suggested and this now that i know better has nothing to do with one song but a history that is not that understanding musicians sing and we give them a lot of credit because we dance on a rose colored floor, drinking rose colored drinks, listening through rose colored speakers to a rose colored voice this world is full of people that do not like everybody else, even if they say they do to sell records or stay in office, look at his country, we harbor hate towards the rest of the world and don't understand why
    Permalink posted 10/01/2006
  8. boozelegs
    boozelegs says Crazy. I first got into Buju via Rancid and the amazing track Life Won't Wait. It was my understanding that once he became a Rastafarian that he mellowed considerably and his music took a real spiritual turn. This news is disturbing. I just read similar accounts on Wikipedia.
    I'm not sure how to react to this. Of course I have problems with homphobia. But I also have problems with censorship. This will take me awhile to sort out. Need to do more research about the acquittal...I'm a believer in innocent 'til proven guilty, so since he wasn't found guilty, I'd like to know why.
    I think there's also a level of inherent hyposcrisim here...how many acts can truly say there are without sin. Take gangsta rap. I love it. Does that mean I'm gonna go to Annacostia tonight (DC) and start shooting people. Of course not. Same with lots of Roots music from Jamaica. It's not all peace and harmony...there's a lot of violence and passion in the music as well. Society, espcecially sub-cultures, want to get as close to the flame as possible, but then there's the risk of getting burned.
    I have to admit, I don't think I'll ever stop liking some Buju songs, especially Hills and Valleys. That one just speaks to my soul. To me, music is much more about what happens in the listerner's head/heart/soul than the original words/melodies/harmonies written by the performer.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  9. extraordinarypoems
    extraordinarypoems says What does the writer have to say about the lyrics he wrote when he was younger? Has he addressed this in public? Was he given the opportunity to do so at the concert? I would think that last idea would be extremely important.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  10. ch33v3rs
    ch33v3rs says As far as I know he has never made any appologies for the comments, which I have learned are not so isolated in his music as in just one song. As mentioned above, he was acquited but he was present when a gaybashing crime was commited and he known as the "Voice of Jamaica"... This country would not convict a football player of murder, how can Jamaica be expected to convict the voice of the people? Below is the Press Release from the Angel Magik who was responsible for booking Buju: Greetings to all people who have contacted me with, or have been contacted with concern about Buju Banton. Many people understandably want the Buju Banton show cancelled. I can understand it, b/c when I read the hate mails, and the articles on the internet, I can see how assumptions can be contrived from the evidence presented. But just as ignorance existed when a 15 yr old Buju Banton wrote the song Boom bye bye, growing up in Jamaica, (which should be noted only became independent from Colonial rule in the 60's, and colonial laws still exist today, making it illegal for anyone in Jamaica to partake in homosexual relationships, and Christianity manifests itself in all forms of the society's culture, on top of which Jamaica is ranked #3 in the highest murder rates by the UN out of all nations,) one can clearly see how a 15 yr boy growing up in a poverty stricken neighborhood harbored by violence can create a song such as Boom Bye Bye. Does this make it right? No! Its does not. Violence or the connotations of violence or hate crimes of any kind is unacceptable regardless of culture. And this is where the ignorance arises, Boom Bye Bye was released in 1992 over 14 years ago. Since then Buju Banton converted from his Rude Boy ways as such and became a devout Rasta within the Rastafarian religion and community. It should be noted he was the first artist in Jamaica to create a program to stop the spread of HIV in Jamaica by setting up operation Willy which gave condoms away and educated poor rural and underprivileged communities in Jamaica. It should be noted that in Jamaica there was a fear and ignorance of Condom use just as Africa has experienced. But Buju Banton changed the negative stigma via education and his music. Buju Banton today within the reggae community is noted as being the Voice of Jamaica; His music is that of socio-politically conscious music and make love music. Is he singing hate music? NO! Has he built a career of hate music. No! His entire career and I say entire, is built out of music that promotes love, spirituality and is inspirational. This is undeniable. This is why I feel as though ignorance exists on both sides, people read the hate mails and assume the worse, without any foreknowledge of Buju and what he represents. Boom Bye Bye is but .1% of the music that Buju has produced. Why is it that artists such as Gun and Roses, Ice Cube and the list could go on and on, are not condemned? They have the power of American PR. Buju is an inspirational role model to people from the Caribbean and within the reggae community. This is undeniable. Read his lyrics I have attached below. Go down load his lyrics from any website, you will see. I guarantee you that Buju Banton is about the upliftment of humanity from a Rastafarian perspective. Banning a show, based on lack of knowledge or contrived notions are wrong. The solution is to never create friction or backlash...We need to create GROWTH, EVOLUTION and POSITIVE CHANGE..... We need to educate, and enjoy all cultures. I am willing to have a sit down with anyone in the LGBT community and have a positive discussion of how we can move forward and create an event that promotes diversity and unification of all creeds, races and sexual preferences. The premise of my company Angel Magik, is to create events where people of all kinds, can be exposed to Caribbean culture, it should be noted that I grew up in Trinidad in the Caribbean, I am Chinese, Moroccan, French, African, and Israeli, and I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2003. So I myself come from a very diverse back ground, and my goal has always been to bring people together. That is honestly my enjoyment. Seeing communities unhappy with an event I'm producing hurts me both spiritually and yes financially. I would rather foster growth through education, if anyone has any ideas or opinions how we can create positivity vs. raw back lash, please feel free to contact me...I attached a press release at the bottom of this email as well, and please read Buju's lyrics, and know that this was over 14 years ago when he was a kid, many of you have not heard his music or his lyrics. THE PROOF IS IN THE WRITING>>>>READ HIS LYRICS>>>>YOU CAN NOT DENY HIS MUSIC>>>AN HIS POSITIVITY.....LETS CREATE A POSITIVE UNION WITHIN ALL COMMUNITIES. I do not know if he adressed the situation at the concert, but I saw him last year at ROTR, which would have been around the time of the trial and he did not comment on it. So, I am still at a loss on this one. much love > KIARAN
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  11. SWozniak
    SWozniak says I did not know about this. I'm gonna have to read further. Homophobia sucks.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  12. ch33v3rs
    ch33v3rs says I love your honesty SWozniak! I hate homophobia too.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  13. El Monko and Son
    El Monko and Son says And a big hells yeah to ya. This PR thing is, in my opinion, a total joke. One could look at the speeches of many genocidal types and find great positive stuff, especially when the drive for genocide comes from a religious agenda. Then words like "love," "justice" and, in the case of governments, "freedom" are used liberally to grease the wheels for an agenda of hate, division, and death. I'm not telling anyone who to listen to or not, but anyone who incites to prejudicial violence is a part of the problem in the world, and I don't care if everone within a mile of this guy has an orgasm any time he makes a sound, I have no interest in any ideas from a source that advocates hate crime. And, for the record, Axl Rose, a working-class tough-guy type icon in the nineties, had the guts at the peak of his fame to admit he had anger issues related to his homophobia as a result of being sodomized as a child. Anyone who cops to issues of that magnitude and sensitivity and is attempting to work them out is entitled to a little lattitude in doing so, in my opinion.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  14. ch33v3rs
    ch33v3rs says That's real talk... Thank you El Monko and Son! In this world I find it so hard to distinguish between the bullshit and the truth. In college I took the best class ever... LOGIC. The press release, the Boom Bye Bye song, and his behavior are all forms of arguments/phallacies that can be proven valid (only on paper and in the realm of propositional calculas) because they appeal to us on a level that is inherant in all humans. I feel like this is a modern day "Allegory of the Cave" and things are only true in the empirical sense. If any of you know what I am talking about, please... Name that PHALLACY. deep concentration > KIARAN
    Permalink posted 10/02/2006
  15. boozelegs
    boozelegs says Wow...I vaguely remember Logic from college. Isn't the Allegory of the Cave about the error of beliveing what we perceive versus what is reality? So, if I'm following your thinking, the press release is the ultimate misdirection...casting a glowing "shadow" without refering to the actual event. El Monko hits the nail on the head when he says PR is a total joke. Anybody or any topic can be made glowing in a press release. :) Still, the nugget of truth I got out of that press release was the fact that Buju's later music is a departure from the early stuff. Does that excuse the earlier homophobia? Of course not. But I do believe people can change. Lord knows I did some stupid stuff in my earlier years that I'm not proud of. I would hope people who've known me for the long haul wouldn't discount my later acts of good because of mistakes I made in the past. (Of course, I've apologized for past mistakes, so I guess that's the big difference.) By the way, I googled "phallacy" but that didn't help much. But I did discover on urbandictionary.com that phallacy refers to a lie regarding one's penis size. LOL. Could that be the root of Buju's problem?! :)
    Permalink posted 10/03/2006
  16. Takeshi Kovacs
    Takeshi Kovacs says The real issue here is the ignorance of the club owners and their perception of their position in the SF club scene. Bottom line - they are worried about finances and whether or not allowing this act to perform in this venue will stigmatize the club towards a downward spiral of bankruptcy. I'm not a club owner, but if I were, I'd listen to the customers and communities that frequent my establishments, checkin' the pulse, if you will. If the cowardice of these owners prevent an amazing talent as Buju Banton, then someone is "barking up the wrong market". Two solutions - 1. Buju play somewhere else and lick his wounds. OR 2. Someone educate the club owners. Then stage an anti-homophiliac regae awareness day with guest speaker - Buju. (change the market, as it were) PS (Throw in a conjoined twin and we have a South Park episode on our hands!) :)
    Permalink posted 10/04/2006
  17. consumerx
    consumerx says Damn. Lots 'o comments here. And most pretty darn thoughtful. Props to Ch33vr33s for starting this chain and everyone else for giving it some mental energy. I too had thought that Buju had gone "rootsy" you know "one world one love" and all that, but that report about the incident in Kingston is pretty ugly. I do love some of his music, mostly the later chill stuff, but I'm not so sad about him not playing. I think Takeshi gets it right. The club is a business and as a business they need to respond to their customers and their community and in this case they did, albeit a little late.
    Permalink posted 10/11/2006

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