Buju Banton

He was convicted of drug abuse in December 2009 by Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami. He was found to have over five kilos of cocaine and was consequently imprisoned. After repeated convictions and several trials, he is currently serving a 10-year jail sentence which will end in January 2019.

Born into poverty in a Jamaican neighborhood, Banton was named Mark Anthony Myrie. His mother called him ‘Buju’ lovingly and was plump and chubby as a child.

As a youngster, he was very fond of watching his favorite artists at the local dance halls and began deejaying (DJ) at the age of 12.

In 1986 one of his fellow deejays introduced him to producer Robert Ffrench who helped him release his first single ‘The Rule’ in 1987.

In 1988, his first recorded song ‘Boom Bye Bye’ was released and in 1991 he signed up with Penthouse Records labels in collaboration with producer Dave Kelly. Later, Dave started his own label Madhouse Records.

Success came flooding to him as he broke reggae legend, Bob Marley’s record for the highest number of number one singles in one year. But the same year he also faced immense controversy owing to "Love Me Browning” in which he expressed his fondness for light-skinned women.

He released “Love Black Woman” the same year in an attempt to appease his fans. However, after the unofficial re-release of the “Boom Bye Bye” his career was on the verge of collapsing.

He was severely criticized in the US and UK, for which he had to issue a public apology. In 1993, he released his next album ‘Voice of Jamaica’ which won him several awards and great appreciation from the public.

In 1995 he released 'Til Shiloh' an album with enjoyed a cult status as it was a shift from the popular dancehall music and focused on reggae and propounded Rastafarianism.

His ‘Rasta Got Soul’ released on 21st April 2009 was also a big hit and won a Grammy nomination.

‘Before the Dawn’ released on September 28, 2010 was a Grammy Award winning album.