THE surprise and disbelief that greeted the guilty verdict in the case against Mark Myrie, better known to all of us as Buju Banton, is understandable and is derived primarily from the high regard in which Buju is held.

It also derives from the fact that the jury, having been unable to arrive at a unanimous verdict at the first trial last September, gave rise in the minds of some to the strong possibility of Buju being found not guilty at the second trial. Now that the jury has found otherwise, the seriousness of the charges — conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, knowingly and intentionally possessing a firearm in furtherance of and during the course of a drug-trafficking offence, and aiding and abetting others in using a communication facility in the commission of a felony — and the consequences thereof have finally dawned on many persons.

Buju’s rise to the top

Buju showed the promise to be a national and international music star from a very early age. Born in 1973 and raised in the tough environment of Denham Town, Buju, by way of hard work and his lyrical musical ability, confronted many obstacles on his way to becoming a dominant player in the music industry.

By the age of 13, Buju began his deejay apprenticeship on small sound systems. In the early stages of his musical career many questioned his lyrics, some of which were not wholesome and in keeping with the cherished values of our people. At that time he was in his early teen years and exposed to all the vagaries of the society — vagaries which have and continue to influence some of our youth in a negative manner.

His growth and maturity in the music industry became quite obvious when in his later teen years into his early 20s he began ridding himself of unwholesome lyrics and started embracing more uplifting songs with hits such as Love Mi Browning, Love Black Woman, Woman Nuh Fret, Bogle Dance, and Big It Up.

By 1993, his lyrics had become more incisive and biting and he began attacking the moral ills of society in hits such as Operation Ardent and Murderer. It was then that non-hardcore dancehall members of the public began to really take note of his skills, his ability to be creative with his words, his gravelly voice with its distinctive ring, his physical manoeuvrings on stage and the empathy which he had for the broad masses of our people, particularly those who, like him, were drawn from inner-city communities. Perhaps his most potent cultural exposition then was the song How Massa God Worl A Run, where he lashed the political and socio-economic system as he saw it:

“Though the poor can’t afford the knowledge, dem no get none

The rich man ‘ave the dollars an no want give we some

Bragadocious and boasty talk him a fling down

Pure 190-E Benz ‘im bring down

Sell the mos’ crack, cocaine, heroin, an’ opium

Dem no want see ghetto youth elevate out a di slum

So dem give we all type a things, try tun we down.”

Ironically, in that song Buju also hit out against the distribution of hard drugs, including cocaine.

His Til Shiloh’s album moved him from within the sphere of those who only knew of him in his earlier years to persons drawn from all social classes, irrespective of gender, religion, or political persuasion. That album, with tracks such as Till I’m Laid To Rest and Untold Stories catapulted him to the forefront of reggae exponents with some commentators and supporters provocatively suggesting that he will be the next Bob Marley.

Such acclamation and rock solid endorsement contributed to Buju developing a large following of supporters locally, regionally, and internationally, thus becoming an iconic figure and an institutionalised musical ambassador for Jamaica and Jamaicans.

Lessons to be drawn

Buju’s standing in the society and the regard people had for him ruled out in their minds him ever being personally involved with cocaine or guns. Even when he did his mega hit Driver and people speculated what he could be talking about, cocaine and guns were never in anyone’s contemplation. It was always something else.

It is precisely because he has been found guilty of cocaine and gun charges why his supporters are still reeling from shock and horror. We must try and learn as many lessons as we can from this unfortunate development:

1. Jamaica is a name brand internationally and anything done by our well-known personalities will be closely and scrupulously followed, particularly in today’s globalised environment.

2. That the charges are extremely serious and in such a situation a person has to deal with the consequences of his or her action.

3. Those persons who are in the public’s eye must conduct themselves in such a manner that they are not exposed to the possibility of entrapment.

4. That persons who are ‘ambassadors’ of Jamaica must always be aware of the fact that risky personal excursions, if and when found out, will have a serious consequence not only for the perpetrator but the entire country.

5. That persons who are in the public eye and who are looked upon with respect, if found guilty of a crime, will further contribute to the deepening of the distrust that now exists between leaders and followers.

This guilty verdict will have a significant impact on Buju’s career. However, his career may not be over. He may be able to rise again, especially if his appeal is successful. However, until the outcome of the appeal, there are certain realities with which he and those around him must contend, some of which are;

1. The possibility of him being locked away for an indefinitely long period of time.

2. That while incarcerated he will not be able to record any new songs or perform anywhere. Unlike Jah Cure who was able to rise to musical prominence while in prison here in Jamaica, the authorities in the US prisons are not so lenient.

3. That he will be deported after serving time and will not, thereafter, be able to travel to the USA and possibly to other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom.

4. That his outstanding career as a musical icon will be severely tarnished in the eyes of many who hitherto had looked up to him as a bright spark in the reggae industry.

5. That his income-earning capacity will be severely handicapped, thus preventing him from being able to develop and fulfil his entrepreneurial ambition as manifested in the significant amount of work he had invested in creating his Gargamel Music Studio.

6. That his voice will be missing from the reggae and local Jamaican music industry which has for years been crying out for balanced and level-headed entertainers who can lift the profile of the industry from what it has become.

7. That the pressure which he has endured before and during the trials and which will continue during his period of incarceration will require him to be mentally tough in order to cope with prison life. His lawyer has given a hint that in this regard Buju is showing the resolve required when he revealed that, “the only person who seems to be OK is Buju. We saw him in the lock-up and he has told us that he was happy and that he fought, knowing that he was innocent”.

Reggae industry

The imprisonment of Buju Banton is a cruel blow to his musical career and the music industry. This is so ironic, coming only a few days after he won the 2010 Reggae Grammy Award for his album, Before The Dawn. His success at the Grammys resulted in a lifeline being thrown at the ailing musical industry. Regrettably, his imprisonment a few days later has resulted in a withdrawal of that lifeline, thus leaving the musical industry in somewhat of a quandary, battered and bruised and gasping for air.

This is not to say that there are not singers and performers of worth who are holding their own and, by extension, struggling to hold the reggae industry together. The likes of Beresford Hammond, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Luciano, Tarrus Riley, Nadine Sutherland, and the veterans Jimmy Cliff, Marcia Griffiths, Ken Booth, John Holt, Burning Spear, just to name a few, continue to fly the flag high.

Among the deejays, however, despite what one may say of today’s crop, none are in the class of Buju Banton. As it appears now, subject to the outcome of his appeal, Buju will most likely be away from the musical scene for many years, much to the detriment of a reggae industry which is badly in need of help.

— Delano Franklyn is an attorney-at-law

delanofranklyn@gmail.com