Buju Banton Announces First US Show In 13 Years

Reggae and Dancehall star Buju Banton is returning to a US stage for the first time in 13 years with a concert titled “Long Walk To Freedom New York.”

The Jamaican singer, 50, announced on Sunday that the show will be held on Saturday, July 13, at the UBS Arena in Queens, New York. The guest list has not yet been revealed, but Dahved Levy will host the event, which will feature music by Bobby Konders and Jabba. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

The UBS Arena, an indoor venue that opened in 2021, seats up to 19,000 people for concerts.

Earlier this month, Banton revealed he had been granted a visa to return to the United States, making his upcoming concert possible. 

This will mark his first US performance since January 2011, when he held his ‘Before The Dawn’ concert at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater In Miami, Florida.  The concert attracted approximately 10,000 fans, according to World A Reggae.  The ‘Before The Dawn’ album itself, released in September 2010, went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in February of that year. 

Banton had spent most of 2010 on remand following his arrest in 2009 after a DEA informant provided evidence of the Champion singer brokering a cocaine deal in Florida.  He was released on bail in October 2010.

His first trial resulted in a hung jury, but he was subsequently convicted in February 2011 for illegal possession of a firearm and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. A judge later threw out the gun charge and reduced his prison sentence to seven years.  

He was released and deported to Jamaica in December 2018.

Over his 30-year career, Buju, whose real name is Mark Myrie, has released 12 studio albums, most of them featuring recurring topics such as consciousness, justice, freedom, and love.

The seven-time Grammy Award nominee’s first album was Stamina Daddy, which he recorded in 1992 under Techniques Records. He then released Mr. Mention under Penthouse Records that same year and Voice of Jamaica under Mercury Records in 1993.

Then came the highly acclaimed 1995 release Til Shiloh, which is regarded as Buju’s best album yet. Released under Island Records and Loose Canon, it was produced by some of Jamaica’s biggest names in Reggae and Dancehall production, among them Penthouse’s Donovan Germain, who was Executive Producer, Dave Kelly, Bobby ‘Digital-B’ Dixon, Sylvester Gordon, and Steely and Clevie.

‘Til Shiloh spent 104 weeks on the Billboard Reggae Album chart and peaked at No. 2 in October 1995. On its 25th anniversary, July 18, 2020, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Gold.

Inna Heights was released in 1997, his second album under Penthouse Records, followed by Unchained Spirit under Epitahph Records in 2000, and Friends For Life under VP Records and Atlantic Records in 2003. 

Too Bad (2006), Rasta Got Soul (2009), and the Grammy Award-winning Before The Dawn (2010) were all released under Gargamel Music, while his last album Upside Down 2020 was released by Gargamel Music in partnership with Roc Nation.

Born For Greatness, his last album, was released in September 2023 under Gargamel Music/Roc Nation. 

His highest charting songs in the US and UK include Make My Day (1993), Champion (1995), Paid Not Played (2003), Driver A (2007), Holy Mountain with DJ Khaled, Sizzla and Mavado (2019), and Memories with John Legend (2020).