Iconic reggae Buju Banton was released from jail after serving seven years of a 10-year prison sentence. While his music is loved by the many, Banton gained a reputation for having homophobic lyrics throughout his catalog. Addressing this in at least one instance, Banton decided to ban one of his songs. It’s being reported by UrbanIslandz.com that his 1992 dancehall hit, “Boom Bye Bye,” will be excluded from his discography. The song has been removed from streaming services such as Tidal, Apple Music and Spotify.
While Banton hasn’t performed the song since 2007, the anti-LGBT themes and sentiment song has proved to be controversial because of the language. On the track, he raps “boom bye, bye inna batty bwoy head,” which translates to putting a bullet through a gay man’s head. The song has been criticized for its apparent advocacy of targeting a specific group.
“In recent days there has been a great deal of press coverage about the song ‘Boom Bye Bye’ from my past which I long ago stopped performing and removed from any platform that I control or have influence over,” Banton told the Caribbean-focused news outlet.
“I recognize that the song has caused much pain to listeners, as well as to my fans, my family and myself. After all the adversity we’ve been through I am determined to put this song in the past and continue moving forward as an artist and as a man,” he continued. “I affirm once and for all that everyone has the right to live as they so choose. In the words of the great Dennis Brown, ‘Love and hate can never be friends.’ I welcome everyone to my shows in a spirit of peace and love. Please come join me in that same spirit.”
The song was written when Banton was a teen about a pedophile who had molested a young boy.
