Buju Banton has set the record straight fifteen years after his release from prison for drug trafficking conviction.
The dancehall legend is gearing up for his Intimate 2025 concert on January 4, 2025. The “Untold Story” singer will be sharing the stage with some other legends in Jamaican music, like Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffiths, Romain Virgo, and Wayne Wonder. At the concert’s launch event in Kingston on Thursday (November 7), Buju Banton opened up about the criticisms he faced following his release from prison in 2018.
The Jamaican legend was deported to Jamaica following his release from prison on December 7, 2018. While he was welcomed home with open arms, the singer still faced criticism from some fans and peers in the music industry for the conviction. In setting the record straight, Buju Banton emphatically stated that he had never sold drugs in his life.
“After being cast into prison for eight and a half years, I was disdained by a lot of people,” the singer said. “Let me set the record straight. I smoke the world of marijuana but I never sell a ounce of drugs in my life.”
Buju Banton recently performed at a sold-out show in Toronto, Canada, and two sold-out shows in New York over the summer. The events solidified the singer as one of the most prolific and in-demand performers in Jamaican music’s history.
The “Destiny” singer spoke with Winford Williams of OnStage following his recent concert about why he needs to remain grounded amid criticisms.
“On the 17th of November this year our Adventure concludes at the Barclays Center,” he stated. “When we started out, some negative folks tried to say I bit off more than what I can chew. Those are the people who have held back the music. Those are the people who strive to throw us pokes in our wheel. But I supersede all that because my energy is positive.”
“We haven’t been here and this platform and this stage in a thousand moons,” Buju added while urging young artists to take note. “It’s something that every single solitary Jamaican should be proud of. Every single young artist should look and see what we’re doing. If you can’t take a page, take the whole damn book. I don’t mind because I’ll soon close my chapter and yours soon will begin. So check it out. You’re going to close your chapter? Absolutely. You think I’m going to be a 70-year-old man singing?”
