Ziggy Marley Responds To The Buju Controversy

[bestjamaica]

Ziggy Marley Responds To The Buju Controversy? ?We Don?t Put Down Our Heroes?

May 10th, 2009 by robk007.
Bob?s firstborn son speaks out in defense of his father (from VIBE.com) (http://www.vibe.com/news/music/2009/05/boomshots_ziggy_marley_responds_to_buju_banton/)
http://boomshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ziggy_marley_img_0-199x300.jpg (http://boomshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ziggy_marley_img_0.jpg)http://boomshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bujucrop-300x262.jpg (http://boomshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bujucrop.jpg)
On April 22, the veteran reggae star Buju Banton launched his new album, Rasta Got Soul (Gargamel Music), with a big event at the University of The West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The Banton spoke at length about the earliest days of his distinguished career, divulged Shabba?s penchant for honey-coated spliffs, and proclaimed his wish that even gay and lesbian listeners embrace his latest release. But it was another of his off-the-cuff remarks that resonated the loudest, sending shockwaves around the world.
?You know they say that the greatest musician in Jamaica is Bob Marley,? Buju told the rapt audience. ?I don?t believe that because we have greater musicians to come. Bob was the most promoted, and well promoted, and we have to appreciate that because it?s our culture. But don?t kill our culture? Enough is enough.?
Although the crowd at UWI reportedly applauded his remarks, Buju?s words were not as well received outside the lecture hall. Jamaican media and websites around the world have been flooded with outraged remarks from music critics and Bob Marley?s millions of fans.
During a recent visit to VIBE?s Manhattan offices, Ziggy Marley shared his thoughts on the matter. The Grammy Award-winning recording artist?whose latest releases include his own Family Time and a collection of his father?s classic songs remixed for children, entitled B is For Bob ?laughed for a long time when Buju?s remarks were read back to him. Then Bob?s firstborn son spoke his mind.
?Me love my father, you know? And me love all of my elders and my heroes. And I would never say anything to put down any of them. From Bob to Toots to Peter to Bunny?I wouldn?t say anything to put down any of those guys. You understand? I lift up them. Those are our heroes. We lift them up. We don?t put them down.?
After a momentary pause, Ziggy added the following: ?My father wasn?t a person who brag about himself. It?s what he has done that has made people speak of him how they speak of him. He just does his music and that?s it? You got people who think differently but my father and a lot of these artists, you can?t even talk about them in just the sense of Jamaica. It?s the world we haffi talk bout. So that?s all me have to say, we lift up our heroes we don?t put them down.?
But according to Tracii McGregor, President and General Manager of Buju Banton?s label Gargamel Music Inc., the whole thing has been blown out of proportion: ?Buju didn?t say anything to slight the great Bob Marley?not at all,? she said via telephone. ?Buju is not the first person or lover of reggae music to say this. This is the reality. We can?t have an industry revolve around one person.?
McGregor blamed the news media for fanning the flames of controversy. ?This man spoke for almost an hour and a half, and for them to take one line and take it out of context and out of perspective, I was so hurt. He also talked about Bob?s sons and the affect on their music. They are not allowed to create and develop in their own way. People always compare them to their father?I know it?s frustrating for them. And other artists have suffered because they don?t come from that lineage. The industry has kept it like that. Still to this day major record labels don?t know how to market this music.?

[Blaise90]

Buju needs to shut his mouth. Hate monger!

[Julian]

Buju needs to shut his mouth. Hate monger!

I don't think so...

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090510/focus/focus6.html

[marco]

Buju? Who is Buju?

[Fay Hell]

"The best is always to come" ,that's what Buju was thinking about but he badly express himself i believe ! a storm in glass of water !
Even Ziggy told once that the success of his father shoud not eclipse the new reggae artists generation !

[django]

I think I understand what Buju is getting at, but to credit all Bob's success and popularity to just the fact he has been better promoted than other artists from JA is just plain wrong.

His talent and charisma are the reasons he was promoted in the first place, leading to such international acclaim. I really respect Ziggy's words that artists should be promoted rather than put down; I've always had a view that Bob was not over-rated, but that so many of his contempories were under-rated.

People like Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, Desmond Dekker, Justin Hinds, Cornel Campbell et al are extremely talent and classics artists in their own right, even if they don't have the international appeal Bob achieved.

Bob was special. That doesn't really need defending.

[philman]

I read the Gleaner article and I disagree with most of what Buju said. I am an avid reggae music fan and listen to everything from old to new. Rocksteady to dancehall to Roots etc.

Buju is simply not that good and is music is miles away from Bob Marley's. I've always listened to Buju's music from way back but come on. Whole heap of cursing vulgarity and digitalized backing tracks to plenty of his songs is not going to reach the peoples soul. And his more righteous songs are good but not classics.

Plenty of Jamaican singers get huge promotions around their music (Shaggy, Sean Paul, Bounty Killer, Damian Marley, Beenie Man, Baby Cham, Ini Kamoze, Elephant man, Diana King, Mr. Vegas) have all had big Billboard hits and international exposure. However out of all that list can you name one that sings a song that you will like to hear in 20 years (maybe Damian). None come close to The Wailers and is that supposed to be Bob's fault or his fans???


Generally speaking music no longer touches the heart the way it used to wether in Rock, rap, Pop, RnB. Too much materialisticism (wow what a word I made up...but you get the point). Heck we rarely get to hear music from real instruments insted of computerized MIDI crap.

Finally I wanna say that Buju's statement about him being considered a greater musician if he were to be brown is pure bull**** and a sorry excuse for his unsatisfacory achievments. Again James Brown, Puff Daddy, Biggie Small, Burning Spear, Micheal Jackson, T-Pain, Akon, Rik Ross and plenty plenty more are dark skinned and get plenty of love.

Bob was not brown he was half cast which in a way is a lot harder than being plain dark because you never truly fit in. That probably made Bob stronger because from that he knew he could only count on himself and charge into life like a bull because wickedness was coming at every angle (white and black).

Bob Marley is the greatest musician of the 20th century with the best band (Barretts). Better AND MORE CONSISTENT than Toots, Buju, Tosh, Elvis, Burning spear name them I don't care maybe Lennon comes close.

Bob is not Buju's or his sons problem the problem is that they simply do not make music that comes close. Again maybe Damian WILL do.

I like Buju but he needs to back off from Bob and concentrate on making better music.

[Blaise90]

I agree with you philman :D

[irieman]

come on now, Buju Banton is the BEST Musician in the entired world
and we need now to change the forum's name from bobmarleymagazine to
bujubanton superstar bestmusiciian and 'bestcomedian' ofthe entire world magazine.
yes he is the greatest in a parallax universe

what a laugh laugh buju you make my day:joint

[django]

I like some of Buju's stuff, but just find it hard to figure out some one who can talk about "Boom Bye Bye" in one track and then "Murderer" in another. A complete contradiction (not that tha is anything unique.)

[bestjamaica]

I agree with you philman :D


me too..;)

[marco]

I read the Gleaner article and I disagree with most of what Buju said. I am an avid reggae music fan and listen to everything from old to new. Rocksteady to dancehall to Roots etc.

Buju is simply not that good and is music is miles away from Bob Marley's. I've always listened to Buju's music from way back but come on. Whole heap of cursing vulgarity and digitalized backing tracks to plenty of his songs is not going to reach the peoples soul. And his more righteous songs are good but not classics.

Plenty of Jamaican singers get huge promotions around their music (Shaggy, Sean Paul, Bounty Killer, Damian Marley, Beenie Man, Baby Cham, Ini Kamoze, Elephant man, Diana King, Mr. Vegas) have all had big Billboard hits and international exposure. However out of all that list can you name one that sings a song that you will like to hear in 20 years (maybe Damian). None come close to The Wailers and is that supposed to be Bob's fault or his fans???


Generally speaking music no longer touches the heart the way it used to wether in Rock, rap, Pop, RnB. Too much materialisticism (wow what a word I made up...but you get the point). Heck we rarely get to hear music from real instruments insted of computerized MIDI crap.

Finally I wanna say that Buju's statement about him being considered a greater musician if he were to be brown is pure bull**** and a sorry excuse for his unsatisfacory achievments. Again James Brown, Puff Daddy, Biggie Small, Burning Spear, Micheal Jackson, T-Pain, Akon, Rik Ross and plenty plenty more are dark skinned and get plenty of love.

Bob was not brown he was half cast which in a way is a lot harder than being plain dark because you never truly fit in. That probably made Bob stronger because from that he knew he could only count on himself and charge into life like a bull because wickedness was coming at every angle (white and black).

Bob Marley is the greatest musician of the 20th century with the best band (Barretts). Better AND MORE CONSISTENT than Toots, Buju, Tosh, Elvis, Burning spear name them I don't care maybe Lennon comes close.

Bob is not Buju's or his sons problem the problem is that they simply do not make music that comes close. Again maybe Damian WILL do.

I like Buju but he needs to back off from Bob and concentrate on making better music.

I agree with you but this: ;)
Again James Brown, Puff Daddy, Biggie Small, Burning Spear, Micheal Jackson, T-Pain, Akon, Rik Ross and plenty plenty more are dark skinned and get plenty of love.

[irieman]

if i understand well, buju says that he have greatest songs than bob marley
and he wrote a song called ''Till Siloh'' that is a better song and a greater song than ''Redemption Song''

if Buju don't likes ''Redemption Song'' of Bob and he thinks he is a greater musician and person than Bob,
then what can i say :confused:

[bestjamaica]

if i understand well, buju says that he have greatest songs than bob marley
and he wrote a song called ''Till Siloh'' that is a better song and a greater song than ''Redemption Song''

if Buju don't likes ''Redemption Song'' of Bob and he thinks he is a greater musician and person than Bob,
then what can i say :confused:


..."who the cap fit, let them wear it"..........

[philman]

Hey Marco,

All jokes aside I meant the MJ of back in the days. Referring to the "Off the Wall" album days.