Buju Banton, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(chuckles) Respect. Thanks for having me on your program.
Um, it truly is an honor to have you on,
because, I mean, you are a legend.
And, I mean, this is not a term that people use lightly,
especially in the same genre
as people like Bob Marley or Peter Tosh.
You know, they say Buju Banton is a legend of reggae,
and you-you... you're back with an new album.
You're back with an album that has been so highly anticipated
that, you know, when you performed in Jamaica
at the National Stadium, not only were you the first artist
to sell it out since Bob Marley,
but people flew from all over the world to see you.
People want to hear your music. People want to...
want to feel, you know, what... what you... what you create.
What does it feel like for you
to... to be in that position again,
to be making music again, to be... to be back?
It's a lovely feeling.
But I do not see myself as a legend of reggae.
I see myself as a servant of reggae.
Reggae music is a music
that comes from the people of Jamaica.
Now, upon being able to create music and make music once more
is a tremendous feeling, because when you're separated
from those that you love and the things that you love,
and, you know, you deal from your heart.
You deal it from a sacred place inside of you,
and it's ripped apart from you and you are separated from it,
and a narrative is purported
that you cannot really identify with.
It... brings out great joy
to be able to reconnect
with what you truly love.
So coming home and seeing my people
at the National Stadium to celebrate that moment
with people from all over the world,
it was like Noah-- not Trevor--
being in a... being in an ark.
(both laugh)
Right. What-What's powerful, as well, is-is the journey
that so many of your fans were on with you.
You know, and-and you sing about this.
You know, you sing about it, and you talked about it.
You know, your tour is called the Long Walk to Freedom tour.
You know, you-you sing about being freed from the chains,
and you talk about what it was like being incarcerated
and-and how that, you know,
constricted you as a human being.
When you use your music to communicate,
what do you hope people understand
about what it's like to not have your freedom as a human being?
First and foremost,
music is more than just something
to have you gyrating and dancing.
It possess those qualities,
but it's also the ability for you to think,
the ability to learn something from the music.
I always want to make music to uplift, educate,
stimulate the minds of the people.
Yes? And you will not see some doing that
because that gives us a tremendous joy, yes?
When we can communicate to the people
and bring that music to the people.
So we always try to make sure
that whenever people hear Buju Banton
or see Buju Banton,
positivity is a necessary ingredient
that you're gonna get.
You're gonna get music to gyrate,
but you're going to get something positive.
You know, what-what's interesting about...
You-you say that music informs, but I would push back on you,
and I would say not all music informs.
Reggae has a rich history of being conscious, you know?
Like, reggae... reggae has always been, like,
like, a music form where it seems laid-back and relaxed,
it seems irie, it seems like...
You know, that's the vibe that people get.
But when you listen to what's happening in reggae,
it's talking about the world. It's talking about society.
It's talking about the problems that we're dealing with.
-And you... -It speaks about the people
-who are trying to rise up and take the man... -Right.
...their neck.
It speak about the people who, after they rise up,
they're still being hampered
by the measures that are already in place
to keep them in place.
So, this music... A lot of people relate to it
right across Europe,
right across Africa, right across the Americas,
and it emanate here in Jamaica, and it must never, ever cease
from being a conversation starter.
Hmm. The album is called Upside Down 2020,
and what I found most fascinating
is you named it before 2020,
and now we are truly living in an upside down 2020.
Did you have a feeling that 2020 would be upside down,
or-or should we blame you
for basically putting us in this situation
with your... with your prediction?
Man is always looking for someone to blame.
-I mean... -(laughs)
But when we start looking within,
we can find profound changes, you know?
That needs to be made,
-and we can rectify them, you know? -Right.
Upside down... All music, especially my music,
has always been something that I see
as a gift from the great I am,
from a higher source, you know, the great God almighty himself.
So whenever I get an inspiration,
I cannot hide the inspiration
from the people who the message were meant for.
As a servant, I must serve the people.
So, when we say God for the people
over hills and over valleys,
don't look for someone who walk with a kid at his side
and the knees of 2,000 ago. 2,000 years ago.
-Hmm. -It's the term just...
And the awakening and the realization of mankind,
that we are brothers and sisters and live in harmony.
So, when it comes to 2020, it's nothing less.
It's the same inspirational spirit
that flows through man, inspires man to make music.
Our music has been relegated to a third world music
on every list, like you saw.
And the impact is far-reaching.
-Right. -So, I cannot... I cannot take credit
as to whether it was a prophetic move on my part.
I would say it was a great inspiration
from the great inspirator.
(both laugh)
Oh, man. I... Yeah, I-I will say,
one thing I-I appreciated,
one of the many things I think I appreciated
about-about hearing this music,
is-is how vulnerable it felt, you know?
You-you have ten tracks on the album
dedicated to the ten years of your life that you lost.
You have ten tracks on the album
that are dedicated to the future.
We know what we're living through.
We know what we're gonna be talking about.
But what do you hope the future will bring
not just to yourself but to humanity?
Peace.
Yes, peace and love.
Yes. No one is calling for peace and love.
Everyone is calling for all kind of things.
Peace and love is what Rastafari...
That's what the music is about.
Well, you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I don't really love them kind of songs, neither.
You know what I mean?
'Cause I now dream.
I want some peace and peace and love
for my people and our people.
Well, you know what, sir, I-I hope that you're right.
I hope that the same way your album title was prophetic,
maybe those words will also come to be
a prophecy that becomes fulfilled.
Because we have the power of the spoken word.
Know how to use it. Let us speak things into existence, sir.
I appreciate that. Buju Banton, thank you so much
for joining us on the The Daily Show.