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Buju slides from mango tree into dancehall
Published: Sunday | April 26, 2009
Buju Banton Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
Today, the Story of the song isn't about a single song, but how Buju Banton got into a series of songs. He spoke about his early career at length during the launch of his album, Rasta Got Soul, at the Undercroft, University [COLOR=orange ! important][COLOR=orange ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]of the West Indies, Mona campus, last Wednesday night to a large, enthralled audience.
When Professor Carolyn Cooper, who hosted the launch, introduced Buju Banton, she said, "Is a long time we a wait, so come tell we wha yu haffi tell we."
And he had a lot to tell, observing "normally when I pass through university it is to sing some music. Tonight it is with a difference".
So, he became an engaging storyteller without a rhythm composed by musicians this time, taking the microphone from the stand and leaning against the lectern initially as he spoke. He communicated with his body as well, dramatising various parts of his story and eventually sitting as it went on.
"When I come into the music, initially it was like one morning my stepmother send me go shop," he said, noting that he loved the music before then and was writing lyrics. "I see a mango in a tree, black mango tree. I was about seven buildings from the tree. It was in a car park."
Naturally, "I climb the tree", deciding that when his friends (who called him 'Buck') came out he would stay up there and surprise his friends. While he was up there, "a car stop a grung" and "the left door open".
Voice change
A man came out, looked up, saw him and asked (Buju changes his voice), "Juvenile, yu know Clement Irie (a deejay)?"
There was a gust of laughter, as Buju described how quickly he slid out of the mango tree, not even noticing at the time that he got bruised, and the audience cheered when he said, "The voice was the voice of Shabba! Call I out of the tree!"
"Me run go call Clement, tell him 'a de Rankin' out deh!"
After directing Shabba where to park, Buju hung around. "Him go inna him car get a bottle a honey, oil him spliff," Buju said. When he asked why, Shabba replied (and Buju adjusts his voice again), "Keep de voice cool." The deejays were going to a concert at Penwood High off Olympic Way and Shabba said, "Bring de juvenile. We no kill champion, we raise dem."
Buju mimed putting on a shoe with his lanky leg as he described running home and putting on his only pair. "Me fin' meself inna de back a de cyar, me cyaa believe!" he said.
When he asked Shabba why he wore a chain on his foot, the Ranks said it is an African thing. "Me can deal wid dat," Buju said.
Spectator
Of course, he was a spectator that night and he was also a spectator at many dances, saying that one night he watched Lt Stitchie "kill (lyrically) de whole a Redman (sound system) crew one night. Then him go Spanish Town go tackle Papa San pon Creation (sound system).
"In those days you had to defend your sound, defen' it from the sound system turn on till it turn off. And that's the business[COLOR=orange ! important][COLOR=orange ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]I wanted to go into," Buju said.
Among the people he admired were Burru Banton (the audience chuckled as Buju described Burru's diamond socks) and the youngsters could often hear the Silverhawk sound system crew riding past on their bikes ("Hear Steelie deh, hear Fatta deh", they would comment to each other). At school, as they would hit desks and deejay, his friends would encourage him.
Buju said his first song (which he put together for a performance) was about the strata committee where he lived and, at a particular event, was supposed to deejay on Flourgon's sound, but something went wrong with it that night. So he went to the Rambo International base, where the owner had a few rules. "Don't come too early, don't stay too late, don't cuss no bad wud, bring yu own food," Buju said. Then Flourgon rebuilt his Sweet Love sound system and Buju had two sound systems to deejay on.
Still, he did not tell his family about wanting to be a deejay, although one day his father asked him what he wanted to do. Buju only said, "Daddy, me see you work hard all your life an cyaa drive a cyar."
There was more laughter when Buju said one night Peter Metro came to deejay on Rambo International and the sound system had a cordless microphone. "Dat alone mek Metro win the clash," Buju said, describing how Metro would go on the roof and the people said, "De mic no have no cord!".
Shared the spoils
He was at the dance with Clement Irie and, "We fin' $40 inna de dance." Then, Buju was 13 or 14 years old and they shared the spoils. Clement got two Guinness, plus they bought two peanuts and a soda. Buju went around with Rambo International, but realised that "the deejay (on sound system) business was becoming a dinosaur. Recording was where it was at". By then, he had moved from New Day All-Age to Denham Town Secondary and, walking past Kingston Public Hospital one day he saw deejay Penny Irie, who told him he had been shot at a dance. This made Buju think about making a change even more.
Buju eventually found himself at 2B Grove Road, where Homer Harris (who he terms as a mentor) told him all about a studio before he went there. "Me know is not a romping shop, is a serious place," Buju said.
The first time he actually got into a studio was at Bell Road, though he did not get to record. "Thriller U sing, Captain Barkey, Wickerman Me jus' humble, cause me never ready."
His first actual studio experience was at Penthouse, then on Slipe Road. Singer/producer Robert Ffrench was running an eight-hour session and Buju said when French stated "mek me hear him now, me heart inna me shoes". People like Little Kirk and Little Lenny were there and Buju was nervous.
Buju was told "when yu see de red light you start. When yu see we hol' up we han', yu stop".
"When I see dat red light and I lock my eye, I no open me eye till me no hear no more riddim!" Buju said, as the audience exploded in laughter. "When me open my eye a pure grin, happy like oonu!"
He went back to Penthouse another day and Stumpy introduced him to Dave and Tony Kelly, then he met Capleton. At that stage, money was still not a factor, as "me no make no name yet".
Buju was yet to meet the boss, Donovan Germaine. But once he did, Germaine promptly declared, "Me no want dem song release pon my label". That was when Buju was doing Man Fi Dead, and he explained to the audience at the Undercroft that that was how he was feeling in those days, "suffering and hungry". When the boss cooled down, he said, "But you have talent."
Buju's development
It was the start of a new stage in Buju's development ("Him say you have a manager, me sey wha name so?"), where he went on to voice up to four songs a day. And he saw some money as well ("Him give me $500"). Buju had now reached the stage where he had not only made a name, but was in a position of trust at Penthouse, having his own key and responsible for auditioning prospective entertainers. One day, while waiting for Sanchez to voice on the 'General' rhythm (on which Buju has How Maasa God Worl' a Run), a man named Cecil Campbell came to the studio. That name simply would not do, so "we come up with a name call Terror Fabulous".
The audience cheered. The song Terror did that day on the General rhythm was Order Yu Coffin.
So Buju's first album came out, with songs done from 1990 to 1991 when "everybody together", people like Wayne Wonder and Frankie Sly. Still, when Buju came into the music business it was said that a deejay doesn't last more than three years. "Me a fret. Me no know wha me ago do after three year," he said.
He would find the answer in Europe and come back to Jamaica to do Til Shiloh.
Published: Sunday | April 26, 2009
Buju Banton Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
Today, the Story of the song isn't about a single song, but how Buju Banton got into a series of songs. He spoke about his early career at length during the launch of his album, Rasta Got Soul, at the Undercroft, University [COLOR=orange ! important][COLOR=orange ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]of the West Indies, Mona campus, last Wednesday night to a large, enthralled audience.
When Professor Carolyn Cooper, who hosted the launch, introduced Buju Banton, she said, "Is a long time we a wait, so come tell we wha yu haffi tell we."
And he had a lot to tell, observing "normally when I pass through university it is to sing some music. Tonight it is with a difference".
So, he became an engaging storyteller without a rhythm composed by musicians this time, taking the microphone from the stand and leaning against the lectern initially as he spoke. He communicated with his body as well, dramatising various parts of his story and eventually sitting as it went on.
"When I come into the music, initially it was like one morning my stepmother send me go shop," he said, noting that he loved the music before then and was writing lyrics. "I see a mango in a tree, black mango tree. I was about seven buildings from the tree. It was in a car park."
Naturally, "I climb the tree", deciding that when his friends (who called him 'Buck') came out he would stay up there and surprise his friends. While he was up there, "a car stop a grung" and "the left door open".
Voice change
A man came out, looked up, saw him and asked (Buju changes his voice), "Juvenile, yu know Clement Irie (a deejay)?"
There was a gust of laughter, as Buju described how quickly he slid out of the mango tree, not even noticing at the time that he got bruised, and the audience cheered when he said, "The voice was the voice of Shabba! Call I out of the tree!"
"Me run go call Clement, tell him 'a de Rankin' out deh!"
After directing Shabba where to park, Buju hung around. "Him go inna him car get a bottle a honey, oil him spliff," Buju said. When he asked why, Shabba replied (and Buju adjusts his voice again), "Keep de voice cool." The deejays were going to a concert at Penwood High off Olympic Way and Shabba said, "Bring de juvenile. We no kill champion, we raise dem."
Buju mimed putting on a shoe with his lanky leg as he described running home and putting on his only pair. "Me fin' meself inna de back a de cyar, me cyaa believe!" he said.
When he asked Shabba why he wore a chain on his foot, the Ranks said it is an African thing. "Me can deal wid dat," Buju said.
Spectator
Of course, he was a spectator that night and he was also a spectator at many dances, saying that one night he watched Lt Stitchie "kill (lyrically) de whole a Redman (sound system) crew one night. Then him go Spanish Town go tackle Papa San pon Creation (sound system).
"In those days you had to defend your sound, defen' it from the sound system turn on till it turn off. And that's the business[COLOR=orange ! important][COLOR=orange ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]I wanted to go into," Buju said.
Among the people he admired were Burru Banton (the audience chuckled as Buju described Burru's diamond socks) and the youngsters could often hear the Silverhawk sound system crew riding past on their bikes ("Hear Steelie deh, hear Fatta deh", they would comment to each other). At school, as they would hit desks and deejay, his friends would encourage him.
Buju said his first song (which he put together for a performance) was about the strata committee where he lived and, at a particular event, was supposed to deejay on Flourgon's sound, but something went wrong with it that night. So he went to the Rambo International base, where the owner had a few rules. "Don't come too early, don't stay too late, don't cuss no bad wud, bring yu own food," Buju said. Then Flourgon rebuilt his Sweet Love sound system and Buju had two sound systems to deejay on.
Still, he did not tell his family about wanting to be a deejay, although one day his father asked him what he wanted to do. Buju only said, "Daddy, me see you work hard all your life an cyaa drive a cyar."
There was more laughter when Buju said one night Peter Metro came to deejay on Rambo International and the sound system had a cordless microphone. "Dat alone mek Metro win the clash," Buju said, describing how Metro would go on the roof and the people said, "De mic no have no cord!".
Shared the spoils
He was at the dance with Clement Irie and, "We fin' $40 inna de dance." Then, Buju was 13 or 14 years old and they shared the spoils. Clement got two Guinness, plus they bought two peanuts and a soda. Buju went around with Rambo International, but realised that "the deejay (on sound system) business was becoming a dinosaur. Recording was where it was at". By then, he had moved from New Day All-Age to Denham Town Secondary and, walking past Kingston Public Hospital one day he saw deejay Penny Irie, who told him he had been shot at a dance. This made Buju think about making a change even more.
Buju eventually found himself at 2B Grove Road, where Homer Harris (who he terms as a mentor) told him all about a studio before he went there. "Me know is not a romping shop, is a serious place," Buju said.
The first time he actually got into a studio was at Bell Road, though he did not get to record. "Thriller U sing, Captain Barkey, Wickerman Me jus' humble, cause me never ready."
His first actual studio experience was at Penthouse, then on Slipe Road. Singer/producer Robert Ffrench was running an eight-hour session and Buju said when French stated "mek me hear him now, me heart inna me shoes". People like Little Kirk and Little Lenny were there and Buju was nervous.
Buju was told "when yu see de red light you start. When yu see we hol' up we han', yu stop".
"When I see dat red light and I lock my eye, I no open me eye till me no hear no more riddim!" Buju said, as the audience exploded in laughter. "When me open my eye a pure grin, happy like oonu!"
He went back to Penthouse another day and Stumpy introduced him to Dave and Tony Kelly, then he met Capleton. At that stage, money was still not a factor, as "me no make no name yet".
Buju was yet to meet the boss, Donovan Germaine. But once he did, Germaine promptly declared, "Me no want dem song release pon my label". That was when Buju was doing Man Fi Dead, and he explained to the audience at the Undercroft that that was how he was feeling in those days, "suffering and hungry". When the boss cooled down, he said, "But you have talent."
Buju's development
It was the start of a new stage in Buju's development ("Him say you have a manager, me sey wha name so?"), where he went on to voice up to four songs a day. And he saw some money as well ("Him give me $500"). Buju had now reached the stage where he had not only made a name, but was in a position of trust at Penthouse, having his own key and responsible for auditioning prospective entertainers. One day, while waiting for Sanchez to voice on the 'General' rhythm (on which Buju has How Maasa God Worl' a Run), a man named Cecil Campbell came to the studio. That name simply would not do, so "we come up with a name call Terror Fabulous".
The audience cheered. The song Terror did that day on the General rhythm was Order Yu Coffin.
So Buju's first album came out, with songs done from 1990 to 1991 when "everybody together", people like Wayne Wonder and Frankie Sly. Still, when Buju came into the music business it was said that a deejay doesn't last more than three years. "Me a fret. Me no know wha me ago do after three year," he said.
He would find the answer in Europe and come back to Jamaica to do Til Shiloh.