Buju Banton |
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Wed. July 06.2005 12:00 AM EDT |
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Buju Banton: Five Favorite AlbumsThe masterful reggae MC speaks about Marley, Trane, and Spear. by C. Bottomley |
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Buju Banton, savior of Jamaican dancehall, laughs when asked what he misses about Kingston when he's abroad. "I've never seen no place on earth like it," he says. "I think Jerusalem and all those places are fake. I think Jamaica is Jerusalem. God
The gruff-voiced MC's hometown is the subject of his upbeat new single, "Magic City." It's a taster for the upcoming disc Rasta Got Soul, and a reminder that Banton is one of the most impressive vocal performers on the planet. It wasn't always so. After making his name with the homophobic "Boom Bye Bye," Banton recanted with 1995's Til Shiloh, a masterpiece of one love philosophy which introduced dancehall to roots instruments and conscious lyrics. When he stopped into the VH1 offices to talk to us about his five favorite albums, it was no surprise to find Shiloh among them. But Tracy Chapman was a surprise. Read on. Bob Marley -- Exodus (1977, Island) Yes, the movement of Jah people. It's the movement to educate and uplift and eradicate negativism. Tuff Gong [Bob Marley] is the greatest thing that ever happened to us. Through his revolutionary outlook, reggae continues. That is why we speak with such a deep conviction. At the end of the day, our music lets more people know about our country than anything else. But there are some people who want the world to believe that there's only one writer from Jamaica, only one person who can perform from Jamaica, and only one person which makes reggae, and that it's Bob Marley. I'm not about the same belief. I believe if man cannot do what other men have done to survive, then we might as well die now. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1964, Impulse!) The music of John Coltrane is interesting and soothing. The Coltrane experience is something that everyone should know. Once you have the experience, you never go back to anything less, because you wanna go further. You wanna know what comes after Coltrane. I've got his box set, and I just revel in it. In Jamaica we've got a famous saying - "Let my ears eat grass." The term "Let my ears eat grass" is simply saying "I don't want to hear sh*t. Nothing at all, no noises, no one talking, just music." [Laughs] That's where Coltrane comes in. Buju Banton - 'Til Shiloh (1995, Loose Cannon) It's an album that turned heads in my direction in a time when heads were turning away. I'm not one of the most loved kids from Jamaica, but I say what I feel, and I say what the music needs to hear. Shiloh caught everyone on surprise because I was just a rough kid coming from the bad side. They thought, "Here's a dumb Jamaican again, going down the avenue." They thought I was incapable of thinking up these lines. Its still a typical view as it concerns artists here in the Americas - we're seen as illiterate. But the man who is sweeping the downstairs lobby has got something to teach the boss who passes him. 'Cause, if he didn't put the sign up that said "Caution: The floor is wet" the boss is gonna slip and break his ass! Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988, Elektra) My number four album of all time is the [first] album made by Tracy Chapman. In "Fast Car" and songs like "Sorry," she talks about the political landscape of the time, the economic climate of the times. You never hear no American ever sing [about] these issues again. There hasn't been anyone who has been so soulful and tried to find what makes the human clock tick. There hasn't been anyone who looked and said "Let's give the world a piece of my heart from the depths of my soul." That's one of my all time favorite albums. Burning Spear - Calling Rastafari (1999, Heartbeat) Calling Rastafari. That about sums it up for me. Burning Spear has been a phenomenon in my life. His voice is angelic yet evolutionary. I must say I'm so happy to be involved with reggae music and all its great personalities. I am among some of the most talented artists in the world. Maybe we do not agree in many aspects with the world, but we are not gonna sell out what we believe in. We use music to teach our people. In the States, I see all these rappers making millions, but what are they doing for the people? What are they doing for the kids who are hooked on drugs up in Harlem? You know. Instead, they're driving fancy cars and showing off for the people who gave their hard-earned money. They're puppets for bigger clowns. There's work to be done in uplifting and educating and inspiring those who are around us. |
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