Buju debuts at #2; Easy all Stars still on top

Saturday, November 21, 2009 12:35 AM

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Billboard Reggae Charts

By Steven Jackson

Friday, May 08, 2009

Deejay Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul debuted on Billboard Reggae charts at number 2 knocking Jah Cure out of that spot but reggae band Easy Star All-Stars remains at number 1.

Buju

It is Banton's second highest charting album to date, after Inna Heights which peaked at number 1 in 1997 according to Billboard's chart history. Banton had two other albums which peaked at number 2: Unchained Spirit in 2000 and 'Til Shiloh 1995.

Rasta Got Soul is also number 38 on the Top Heatseekers Charts, a subset of Billboards. But Banton will find resistance from Easy Star All-Star's third release Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band which not only tops the reggae charts but is at number 20 on the Top Heatseekers charts.

Banton's album success comes without the reach of a major reggae label which currently dominantes 50 per cent of the Billboard Reggae charts.

He released the album via Gargamel Music Inc, his own label, having parted ways with major reggae labels whom he called "culture vultures".

Banton at his CD launch averted one controversy by encouraging everyone to embrace the album including the gay lobby which had tried to restrict his performances overseas. He started another controversy in arguing that Bob Marley is not the greatest musician" and that this fixation on the reggae icon has hurt the growth of the music. "You know they say that the greatest musician in Jamaica is Bob Marley. I don't believe that, because we have greater musicians to come. Bob was the most promoted. And well promoted and we have to appreciate that because its our culture but don't kill our culture with one living one. Enough is enough." he had said at the launch. "I want Jamaican music to be seen not through the pretext of some man that died 20 years ago, but as a pretext of a living being, working earnestly. If man cannot do what others have done in these times we might as well die."

The comments caused a split amongst music industry players and Banton eventually tried to clarify his comments arguing that he was taken out of context.

This week's Billboard Reggae Album Charts:
Easy Star All-Stars - Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band at 1;
Buju Banton - Rasta Got Soul at 2;
UB40 - Greatest hits at 3;
Sizzla - Ghetto Youth-Ology at 4;
Mavado - Mr Brooks at 5;
Jah Cure - The Universal Cure at 6;
Mishka - Above the Bones at 7;
Various artistes - Reggae Gold 2008 at 8;
Various artistes - Strictly the Best 2009 at 9; and
Various artistes - Ragga Ragga Ragga 2009 at 10.

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