IT IS said that good things come to those who wait. Respected dancehall deejay Buju Banton is promising both a great and diverse album when his sixth effort Friends For Life hits the streets in March.
Buju Banton is one of Jamaica's most talented deejays. His ability to 'ride di rhythm' and his well constructed lyrics have earned him the respect of many both inside and outside the dance hall. His first popular song, Browning, caused a controversy in the music but despite that it established Buju as a permanent fixture in Jamaican music.
The Gleaner caught up with the deejay at Penthouse Studios earlier this week and he spoke about his upcoming album and the reason it has taken so long for it to be released.
"I normally take a period of two years to release and put together a record. After I release a record I normally take a period of almost a year promoting that record and touring on that record. A next year is dedicated to putting in place that other record," he said.
He continued "With this record being so late it was due in part to some tragedies that occurred in my life in the last year or so. You know that incident in West Palm Beach where I dislocated my knee and that took six months of my life in recovery. There wasn't any time to work on the music so the music suffer as a result of meeting timetable and deadline. Nevertheless, good things comes to those who wait and its better to be late than never."
PROJECTS
Buju Banton's first album came in the early 1990s when Mr. Mention was released. It was followed by Voice of Jamaica and the very popular Til Shiloh. Inner Heights and Unchained Spirit were the other main projects from the deejay.
He points out that Unchained Spirits, which was distributed by Epitaph, did well but it was nothing to write home about. Epitaph is a United States-based label that largely deals with punk rock music. The label is breaking into the European market and is trying to understand reggae music.
While Mr. Mention and Voice of Jamaica were viewed as hardcore dancehall projects, Til Shiloh departed from the norm and was seen as a more spiritual effort. For Friends For Life, Buju points out that the album will be more diverse.
"That's the perfect way to put it. When saying so it possesses dancehall, R&B, ska, and reggae roots with message. I wouldn't compare it with any of my previous works as every work to me is a step above my previous one. This is how I measure my growth," he said, adding that he has always made his works diverse due to his dislike for monotony.
Friends For Life is comprised of 18 tracks. There will be different bonus tracks for different territories. Buju points out that Japan will have a different bonus track as opposed to Europe or America.
In addition, the effort comprises combinations with acts such as songbird Nadine Sutherland and Beres Hammond as well as United States-based rapper Fat Joe.
"This album is called Friends For Life. One of the reasons being is because of the association which I have grown to acquire through the years in this music business with great people with great skill and great talent. As a result of that there will be great ones on the album like Beres Hammond."
Friends For Life will be handled by reggae label VP Records. Buju points out that a part of the reason for going with VP was due to the capability of the label in handling music. "I have tested VP on my previous album and we have done tremendously well. Instead of opting to go to a major label I prefer to work with my people where I have more creative freedom and we can truly correspond for the betterment of the music."
Buju points out that although some of his previous works had a roots reggae slant, he had never left the dancehall. He adds that his adoption of Rastafarianism as a religion will not affect him negatively when it comes to the international market.
"Now whosoever wants to listen to the message they are free to and whoever wants to dance and enjoy themselves they are free to because I'm quite approachable and I'm very sociable when it comes to this music because this is all I've got. So I have to take it to the people and hope seh dem understand what I'm coming with. So being a Rasta or not, I've always been this kind of person where I live for the music," he said.
To mark the release of his album, Buju Banton will be embarking on a United States tour beginning on March 13.
