Public enemy
Richard Burnett
rburnett@hour.ca
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Banton: Rasta got soul?
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Three years ago Time Magazine called the sun-splashed island nation of Jamaica the "most homophobic place on Earth."That is until this month, when Uganda's parliament tabled its new Anti-Homosexual Bill which, if passed, will authorize the execution of all gay people, and imprison for seven years all heterosexuals who don't report their homo neighbours to authorities.
"This intended anti-homosexual statute has the taste of fascism," outraged former United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis told reporters last week.
After countries like Britain and Canada debated removing Uganda from the Commonwealth at the Commonwealth conference in Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 29 (in the end they didn't), one of Jamaica's most notorious anti-gay dancehall dons, Beenie Man, headlined an anti-gay concert on Dec. 5 at Kampala's Kyadondo Rugby Club.
There Beenie Man sang his most infamous song, Mi Nah Wallah, which includes a call to cut the throats of gay people.
After activists discovered that PepsiCo had sponsored the concert, the crap hit the proverbial fan. PepsiCo - a long-time supporter of gay and lesbian civil rights - stated, "We are appalled by the performer's lyrics and find them repugnant. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer's views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge... Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands."
But PepsiCo
isn't the only American brand in trouble for embracing anti-gay dancehall performers: Last week activists called on the Grammy Awards to rescind the 2010 nomination of Buju Banton's Rasta Got Soul in the Best Reggae Album category.Let me remind you that Buju's song Boom Bye Bye calls for the gunning down of gay people with Uzi machineguns.
When I challenged Banton over these lyrics back in 1996, Buju mockingly replied, "Boom Bye Bye means judgment, do you understand? Nothing don't change because my feelings about family don't change. Besides, the song has a good message."
Since that July day I've been assiduously tracking anti-gay dancehall performers in this column - somebody had to do it - and along the way I've been vilified in the pages of Jamaica's national newspaper, The Gleaner.
Even dancehall superstar Sizzla - after my 2004 Hour cover story interview with him made national newscasts and international headlines - hated me and British gay activist Peter Tatchell so much that he wrote the 2005 chart-topping hit song Nah Apologize in which he repeats over and over in the chorus, "Rastaman nah apologize to no batty bwoy!"
One Montreal radio DJ friend dubbed the scandal "Batty-gate."
Then Britain's 2004 MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin) rescinded the nominations of Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, and activists demanded the 2004 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards that year rescind the "Dancehall-Reggae Artist of the Year" nominations of Elephant Man, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel, T.O.K. and Beenie Man (they didn't). Then Beenie Man was booted from the 2004 MTV Awards.
Since 2005, I have publicly warned the Grammys would be targeted next. And so it happened last week.
And their official response is, "The Recording Academy and the Grammy Awards have a long history of supporting freedom of speech and creative expression, and of supporting artists and the music they create. Artists of a variety of political or cultural perspectives have been nominated or featured on the telecast, despite protests and backlash... It takes tolerance to teach tolerance, and it is through dialogue and debate that social discovery may occur."
What did you expect from the organization that awarded Best Reggae Album to Beenie Man in 2001?
So I called up my old friend Roger Steffens, the world's foremost reggae historian, celebrated author and chair of the Grammys reggae committee who was nicknamed "Ras Rojah" by his old friend, the late Bob Marley.
"I'm wondering if Buju Banton made a record saying Jews should be murdered because they don't believe in Jesus or Rastafari, if he would be allowed as nominee in these prestigious awards?" Roger asks rhetorically. "We choose what we want to defend implicitly by allowing certain nominations to go forward. These so-called 'murder music' artists are helping destroy reggae music and it's necessary for gay groups to keep up the pressure against those who preach violence and hatred."
Steffens adds, "If you look at the history of the Grammys, there have been thieves, murderers and rapists nominated over the years. It's the oldest conundrum in the arts: Do we judge the art by the character of the artists or the work?"
In Buju's case, the choice may have already been made: Banton was arrested in Sarasota, Florida, on Dec. 10 for trying to buy five kilos of cocaine with intent to distribute - a crime which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
"Bob [Marley] is rolling over in his grave," says Steffens. "Had he remained alive he would have exerted a strong force for love and forgiveness and above all for tolerance."
But I have no forgiveness left for folks like Beenie Man. And as far as I'm concerned, if Buju Banton is found guilty, I hope he becomes some other prisoner's bitch.
is this Nonna Yo Biniz for real??? Dude keep your nose out of politics because you are just making a fool out of your self.
These dancehall performers don't amount to anything. When will people wake up and see that gays arent the monsters people portray them to be. I have a question to Nonna Yo Biniz.
What do you think of all the straigh men who rape and kill innocent woman? How about all the straight men who beat their wives and their kids? The ones who go on shooting innocent people because they have a screw loose? Why concentrate on gays as sexual predetors? What about all the straigh mentaly distrubed people out there?? Funny how hate songs arent written about them. Funny how we arent boycotting them, their religion, their political views and their enviroment???
If i were to writte a song promoting rapes and the killing of innocent people, my song would certainly not be up for any awards and it would be a scandal.
Richard, in my opinion people don't seem to realise what these people are saying in their songs because lets be honest does anyone understand unless ur from Jamaica!?! shouldnt someone look into that also???
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Nick Soccio
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I don't understand why there is so much complacency in the face of homophobia in music. The arts - cinema and music especially - have a long and storied gay/gender-bending history (ie. GLAM!). And yet when it comes to Dancehall and Reggae, it's not simply a matter of homophobic-tinged music but rather the advocacy of outright gay hate-crime. How the Academy can turn a blind eye to this defies both reason especially in view of recent strides other such organizations have made. Still, karma's a bitch and you simply have to love the poetic justice inherent in the final line of Richard Burnett's column - never were truer words spoken!
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Mark St Pierre
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Well, Bugs, can't thank you enough for shining a light on the entrenched homphobia inherent in a lot of popular reggae and dancehall music. Scariest thing about many of these performers is that they not only advocate gay-hate but homicide as well. In the face of this, I'm truly aghast that the Grammys have turned what is tantamount to a blind eye to all of this taking what they would argue is the higher artistic road. Hey, I'm all one for the freedom of artistic expression but for myself and most others, that freedom ends when hate crimes begin!
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David St Pierre
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When Buju first sang that song, he was a 15 year old child. The song was in response to an incident in Jamaica, where an adult gay male raped a preteenage boy. Think about it, most people would agree that the penalty for pedophilia is death. Now, think of yourself as child hearing about an incident like that in your neighbourhood, where you could have been the victim. What would your thoughts be? Because Buju had a voice on the microphone since he was 12 years old, he saw it necessary to vocalize his views about that incident.
Moreover, homosexuality and sodomy was illegal in Jamaica during those times. So, Buju singing that song was well accepted. His song was inline with the laws and is still protected by freedom of speech. More importantly, Buju was advocating the Bible's views. Read Romans 1:26-27, and they are many other scriptures supporting Buju's views.
Therefore, please redirect your protest to deserving sources. The Nazis and the KKK have not only been preaching about killing Blacks and Jews--they have been doing so for years, but I don't see you writing or protesting about this.
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Nonna Yo Biniz
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| Thank for your effort to keep pressure on these "kill gays" reggae dancehall performers |
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This Grammy nomination is Buju Banton's fourth nomination.
I really do appreciate your work in keeping an eye on these virulently homophobic reggae dancehall performers and for writing about them online.
I got involved in this over the past few months and your 2004 article about Sizzla was a real eye-opener for me. Everyone should read it:
http://hour.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=3876
If you or your readers want to see the U.S. federal case, so far, against Buju Banton, read the Buju Banton Affidavit at http://tinyurl.com/ydarjgs
You often hear that Buju wrote "Boom Bye Bye" years ago and has "moved on." The song is still in circulation via downloads and CDs.
Buju has a new anti gay routine which you can see at http://tinyurl.com/y8967pa "Buju Banton Live @ Ritz Theater RoadBlock Radio & Hot 97" This video was made in New Jersey, USA 10/27/08. Buju did not perform the routine, which is a modification of his song "Massa God World," in the U.S. during his 2009 tour.
This routine has the line: "There is no end to the war between me and faggots," but there is more anti gay stuff in the routine. Listen for his comments about SpongeBob and Beavis and Butthead (They are "batty man dem." And Buju is serious about this.)
There is a better quality version of his new anti gay routine on the commercially available DVD Camp Fire 2007 Part 1.
I'm convinced that Buju Banton is as intensely homophobic now as he was in 1992 when "Boom Bye Bye" was released.
Of course, he probably won't be touring for some time.
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Sam Kestu
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