Shaggy Talks Buju Banton's 10-Year Prison Stint, "He's An Icon & They'll Never Take That Away From Him"

As Buju Banton begins his lengthy 10 year sentence in a Florida federal prison, several reggae celebrities continues to weigh in on his conviction and what it means for reggae music.

In a recent interview with Sohh, reggae star Shaggy said though the news was upsetting, he believes his Banton would return to music as an icon.

“I’ll put it this way. I actually played the concert in Miami. I was actually the first person put on board to play the concert for Buju Banton to raise money for his defense,” Shaggy told SOHH. “I’ve known him for years and years and it’s a sad situation that he’s in. I was really hoping for the best for him so that he could get off. But the truth wasn’t in his corner and they were all lined up for him. He’s an icon. They’ll never take that away from him. He’s an icon in this business. He’s got a tracklist of recordings that have touched people’s lives. You know? You just hope that he learns from this, comes out and hopefully can regain some attraction.”

Buju Banton was sentence last month to 10 years behind bars on drug conviction in Florida.