ORIGINAL POST ontop magazine
Are the anti-Buju tours protest fuelling more interest in the Murder music DJ?
Amid boisterous protests from gay rights groups, tour dates in Columbus, Cincinnati, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among other cities, were canceled, shutting out Banton from Ohio entirely.Banton's 1992 hit Boom Bye Bye advocates for the murder of gay men by shooting them in the head with a submachine gun and pouring acid on them to “burn him up bad like an old tire wheel.” Banton has dismissed the controversy, saying he penned the lyrics when he was “a child” of 15. But the thirty-six-year-old reggae artist has never repudiated the lyrics and continues to perform the song.
The victory for gay rights groups was short lived as Banton's record label, the New York-based Gargamel Music, announced a slew of new tour dates in both states.
In Ohio, Banton will appear Thursday, October 1 at Club Elements in Cincinnati and the following day at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus.
And Banton's scheduled appearances in California have also increased. Six venues in the Sunshine State will host the artist in October.
Banton is scheduled to appear at the Shattuck Down Low in Berkley on October 10, the Nocturnum in Eureka on October 11, the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose on October 13, the Casbar in Santa Rosa on October 14, the Club Cabana in Los Angeles on October 15 and the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on October 17, Gargamel records announced.
Gay rights groups in Florida have also loudly protested Banton concerts. Two venues, the Hard Rock Live in Orlando and The RITZ Ybor in Tampa, canceled appearances.
“I couldn't be more proud that Tampa will be added to the list of cites where Buju Banton is not welcome,” R. Zeke Fread, director of the gay rights group Pride Tampa Bay, told supporters in an email announcing the cancellation.
There are, however, signs that alternative venues for Florida are also being pursued by the record label.
The previously canceled November 1 appearance in Orlando by promoter Mr. CC Productions at the Hard Rock Live will now take place at Club Destiny.
UPDATE OCTOBER 6, 2009: EUEREKA DATE HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Cancel Buju Banton "Rasta Got Hate" Tour 2009
The Nocturnum concert in Eureka has been canceled.
ReplyDeleteBuju's staff at Gargamel Music, Buju Banton founder and CEO, claim that "Boom Bye Bye" has never been part of his live performances. I do believe that he performed it live as recently as 2004. He has performed parts of that since then, in 2006, in Miami, and in 2007, in Guyana.
Buju Banton has never really distanced himself from the hateful calls for "killing gays" and shooting gays in the head, shooting gays with an Uzi, throwing acid in gay's faces and burning gays like an old tire that are in "Boom Bye Bye."
Buju Banton, Gargamel, did once make an apology, but he soon retracted the apology. Just as he signed and then denied that he signed the Reggae Compassionate Act. You can see his signed RCA form at Buju Banton Reggae Compassionate Act
For videos that show Buju Banton reiterating the anti gay statements in "Boom Bye Bye," see videos BUJU BANTON FIRE BURN BATTY and Elephant Man Buju Banton Shabba Ranks In the latter video he refers to the churches and asks "What have I done wrong when I say that homosexuality is wrong?"
Buju Banton is not alone among dancehall artistes in his "kill LGBT people" statements. See Dancehall Dossier
In Jamaica, there is tremendous violence and hatred directed at LGBT people. Buju Banton and some of his dancehall artiste friends must bear some responsibility for this. There are online reports by groups like Amnesty International and many other reports of this extreme violence in Jamaica. One very good account is in this Time Magazine article: The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? Britain has given asylum to a number of Jamaican gay men because of the extreme homophobia and violence in Jamaica.
There is more information at Cancel Buju Banton "Rasta Got Hate" Tour 2009