IANA Blog- August 2024 Part II

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Happy August,

Back with another blog this Month. I felt like this was something I needed to talk about after hearing about it. As I was coming back from the IANA 2024 Convention Weekend in New York City, I was watching a recent interview with legendary Reggae artist Buju Banton. He was being interviewed on the “Drink Champs” podcast hosted by hip hop artist N.O.R.E., and they were talking about 

Reggae and Dancehall music, which then would turn to Afrobeats music.

Link to Buju Banton’s full interview on “Drink Champs”:

Buju Banton On Rastafari, Bob Marley, Overcoming Jail, Iconic Dancehall Career & More | Drink Champs

Buju Banton speaking on Afrobeats music:

https://x.com/MusicConnoisseu/status/1822688618990694588

Buju had a huge critique on Afrobeats music and Afrobeats artists. He also brought up how when he went to Ghana in 1991, he was disappointed with the spiritual connection that Afropop/Afrobeats artists didn’t show with Jamaica. He also stated how Afrobeats music has no substance and how many of the mainstream Afrobeats artists choose not to make any music that uplifts or liberates Africa or has any conscious or sociopolitical lyrics/messages. Buju started criticizing Afrobeats when N.O.R.E thought he said that Afrobeats gives props to Dancehall and Reggae. He said, “They [Afrobeats artists] don’t give f**king props back to Dancehall and Reggae.” He also states that, “I went to Africa in 1991, and I spent three weeks constantly at the universities, educating people from Ghana and all over the continent, about reggae music and dancehall. I was happy when they [Africans] came to their senses to realize that music is the bridge that’s gonna connect us, but my disappointment was that they [Afrobeats artists] didn’t try to connect with Jamaica, The Roots. They connected with everyone else except us. But when you look at what they’re doing, their music is not freeing Africa. It’s f**kery.” 

Buju continues by saying, “I am all the way in Jamaica and my country and my people are fighting to free your continent, with words, sound and power and you have the ability [to do it] now and all you’re singing is f**kery. You don’t [want to] sing a song about freeing Africa, now? We desire more from them. You want the money, go get it, but what’s going to be said later on and your posterity? You didn’t make any impact. Reggae music still stands predominant, it is the king's music.”

“Tell me one Afrobeats song that can uplift us? Kenya is suffering, the young men of Kenya are revolting, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, you name it, but which one of these songs can I relate to for a piece of mind to tell me that ‘I'm in the struggle and we’re gonna be better in the struggle and even though the struggle is hard, we’re gonna overcome’? Tell me. Afrobeats is from Africa. I’m sure Afrobeats artists will tell you Afrobeats [music] has nothing to do with Jamaica and we’ll say to them, “Our music has everything to do with Africa.” We don’t dichotomize, we don’t separate ourselves from Africa. The drum in our music speaks to our soul. The drum in your music speaks to your soul, but what are you saying? It’s easy for you to have anybody to listen to you, but what do you have to say to them? That’s the hard part. It’s easy to have the masses listen to you, but what do you say to them? We’ve gone from singing about the freedom that we desire, singing about the hope of the nation rising to the apex, the hope of the people and realizing that this is a great nation and they need to take the bull by the horn, to someone whose people want to plunge us back 45-55 years to where it was peons. Now, we look in Sub-Saharan Africa, we see Africa rising up, the brain of Africa has become awakened. So, we cannot continue any trajectory like we don’t know who we are, and our music cannot continue to be uninspiring. Simple.”

While discussing Afrobeats, Buju also takes shots at Reggaeton music. He said, “Listen, [there are] a lot of culture vultures out there. We have sat and we have watched Reggaetón takeover our music, they f**k with our music so hard and steal our culture. I’m not knocking ‘nobody,’ but you [Reggaeton artists] give us no respect motherf**kers, but you expect us to act like we’ve taken something from you.  This is the king’s music. Your music shall come and it shall go, because it has nothing to do with [the] soul. It has nothing to do with building energy. [Reggae] is the king’s music. Everybody wanna take from Reggae, you wanna ostracize us, underpay us.” Keep in mind, the quotes are being paraphrased, because Buju is speaking in Jamaican patois.

Let me just say this. As a die-hard fan of Reggae music and someone who grew up listening to Dancehall and Afrobeats and for those who remember, I made a blog two years ago about the rise of Afrobeats music, I have to say that…Buju is definitely telling the truth. It was also something I was worrying about with Afrobeats getting more popular every year. A lot of the Afrobeats music being played on the radio today or in the clubs or parties are about cars, girls, money, dancing, partying and bulls**t. Me and my friend from Berkeley actually talked about the interview and she fully agreed. We compared it to how hip hop music has been going through the same situation for years. Hip hop music had a message, it was socially conscious, but now it’s all about sex, drugs, money and bulls**t. The conversation has been happening for years and we see it with Afrobeats music and the media will use Afrobeats to their advantage and these record companies are going to take advantage and make money off of the genre. Burna Boy even criticized Afrobeats himself and said how the genre is lacking substance and how many artists sound the same. Don’t get me wrong, the music is still great…but is that all you’re going to talk about in your lyrics? 

Buju also wasn’t lying about how Reggae artists from Jamaica have made music that speaks on the struggles, the plight and the fight for liberation and upliftment of Africa. I spoke about it in the February blog about how Bob Marley and the Wailers literally had a legendary 1979 album Survival, which was very militant but also focused on Pan-African unity within the motherland. Not just that album, but Marley and the Wailers have made multiple songs that focus on Africa like, “Exodus” and “War.” Not just Bob Marley, but former member of the Wailers, the legendary Peter Tosh, who had songs like “Mama Africa,” and “African,” where in the song, he states, “if you’re Black, you’re an African.” Reggae artists were making songs about South Africa during the Anti-Apartheid movement, from Black Uhuru making “Freedom Fighter,” to Jimmy Cliff making “Pressure on Botha.” Legendary English Reggae band Steel Pulse had an album called African Holocaust. Even Bob Marley’s children have made songs about Africa. As I mentioned before, there are plenty of African Reggae artists like Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono, Sonny Okosun, and Alpha Blondy. So, I can see why Buju is disappointed in not hearing Afrobeats songs about Africa. Also, keep in mind that Reggae music is rooted in resistance, liberation and social justice, due to the artists’ connection with Rastafarianism.

Many Reggae, Dancehall and Afrobeats artists responded. One notable response I noticed came from Ghanaian Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG where he talks about how he’s done Afrobeats music that were made for partying and ones with a clear, conscious message. He also talks about how Afrobeats music brings the whole African diaspora together and how the music is so spiritual, because of how the artists speak in their native tongues and how the music is allowing Africans to be proud of themselves and allowing Black/African Americans and Afro Caribbeans to reconnect with their African roots. He also brings up how the music helped generate money for Ghana and other parts of Africa. I definitely understand where Fuse is coming from, although I don’t agree with him thinking Afrobeats music is more “revolutionary Black music” than Reggae music. As far as Afrobeats connecting the African diaspora, I definitely agree with that…but…you can say the same thing with Reggae music and hip hop, especially with the Afrocentric movement of the 1980s and 90s.

Link to Fuse ODG response to Buju Banton:Fuse ODG schools Buju Banton on his limited knowledge about Afrobeats 💯

Looking at the comments section on social media, I see some people saying that Buju is hating or jealous. If you think Buju is just hating African musicians, that’s not true. In the interview, he shows his admiration for other legendary African artists who made songs that were socially conscious and were focused on social issues in Africa or uplifting Africa. He says, “The greatest musicians to come out of Africa were Fela Kuti [from Nigeria], Lucky Dube [from South Africa], we have Salif Keita [from Mali], we have Youssou N’Dour [from Senegal], we have Baaba Maal [from Senegal]. No one wanted to go beyond the pail of what those brothers were doing.” Keep in mind, before the criticism, Buju was asked by N.O.R.E what the difference is between Reggae and Dancehall music. Buju said how Reggae music is made for the soul and meant for enlightenment that brings redemption, while Dancehall is more sexualized. Oh yeah, he also has a song called “African Pride,” in which he sings about his love and admiration for Africa, so there should be no reason to think that Buju is jealous or bitter. In the interview, Buju also mentions that he has Igbo ancestry, which caught me off guard, but I was happy to hear…well, then again, many Black Americans and Afro Caribbeans have West African ancestry, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

There are definitely parts of the interview that I disagreed with. When Buju said that all Afrobeats music is fuckery, obviously that’s not true. There are Afrobeats songs that are conscious, that are sociopolitical, that focus on the struggles and the fight for change in Africa. Bruna Boy has plenty of songs about Africa like “20, 10, 20,” which was about the 2020 Lekki shooting. He also has songs like “Monsters You Made,” which cover different topics from Colonization to European standards taught in African schools. One of Wizkid’s most famous songs is “Ojuelegba,” in which Wizkid talks about his experiences growing up in Lagos. There are Afrobeats songs out there that focus on social issues and talk about Africa. They’re just not being played on the radio, compared to the type of songs that I mentioned and that’s a problem. There are also songs from Tems, Rema, Yemi Alade, Wizard Chan and King Perryy. They are out there, unfortunately the most popular Afrobeats songs focus too much on partying, girls, etc., like I mentioned.

As far as Afrobeats artists not connecting with Jamaica, I definitely felt like Buju meant “Spiritually” or “mentally” connecting, because if it was physically connecting, I’d have to disagree with that. At least from my Point-of-View, My personal favorite song from Wizkid is “Blessed,” which comes from his Made in Lagos album, in which he collaborated with legendary Reggae artist Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. That is definitely one of my go-to songs if I were to listen to Wizkid. Recently, I was also listening to a song from Yemi Alade. She has a song called “Peace & Love,” which also talks about wanting peace, love and unity in Africa. She collaborated with another legend, Ziggy Marley. Ghanaian Artist Stonebwoy also has collaborated with many Jamaican artists like Jesse Royal and Chronixx, and he has also done plenty of Reggae music himself. I also remember that an LP was released last year from Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was called Africa Unite, and it was a remix of many Bob Marley classics, with an Afro-fused twist. The remixed songs featured many Afrobeats artists like Rema and Arya Starr, along with other African artists like Stonebwoy, Nutty O [of Zimbabwe], Ami Faku [of South Africa], the album also featured Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip Marley. I know some people have mixed feelings about the LP. I know some didn’t like it, some felt the songs should’ve been left alone, but I liked the LP. I also thought it was a great opportunity to introduce the new generation of Africans, especially the young Afrobeats fans to Reggae music, and was a great way to connect Africa with Jamaica…plus, I always listen to Stonebwoy’s remix on “Buffalo Soldier” whenever I get the chance.

I think Buju also has to remember that there are multiple genres coming out of Africa. Afrobeats is definitely the most popular one, so I can understand why he singled out Afrobeats, but we also have Amapiano, there’s Afro-piano, there’s Afrofusion, there’s Afrosoul, there’s African heavy metal, Afrojazz, African hip hop, Highlife, there’s plenty of genres…and there’s still Afrobeat.

As mentioned earlier, I saw some of the comments section on Social media for both YouTube and Twitter and it made me shake my head. I saw Jamaicans talking s**t about Nigerians and Africans, I saw Nigerians and Africans talking s**t about Jamaicans, I saw Nigerians missing the point of what Buju Banton said, Jamaicans calling Afrobeats fans sensitive, both sides starting Diaspora wars, I saw some say that Reggae music didn’t have any impact for Jamaica or the world, and I see people thinking Reggae and Dancehall are the same thing and mistaking Afrobeat with Afrobeats. I saw Nigerians saying we already have conscious music and how we just wanna “vibe.” I saw others bring up how Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Fela Kuti and Lucky Dube made conscious music and ended up getting attacked and/or assassinated. I saw all types of comments. Of course, I also saw many agreeing with Buju, while many were also disagreeing, but at least giving good reasons why.

I do have to say this…Buju definitely wasn’t lying about Reggaeton. If anything, I feel that Reggaeton is more disrespectful to Dancehall/Reggae than Afrobeats ever will be, especially since Afro Latinos were pioneers of the genre, but they’re barely seen as the face of that genre. I remember some idiot on Twitter tried to disrespect Afrobeats by calling it “African Reggaeton.” Of course, the dummy got put in check, but I wanted to tell the dummy that if anything, Reggaeton is “Dancehall for Latinos”…plus, I mentioned how in my last blog about how the music industry has taken advantage of Reggae music, once it got bigger, so anyone saying that Buju is bitter, he has every right to be, seeing Reggae music taken advantage of, but that’s just how I feel.

Lastly, let me just say, although I love Reggae music, there are definitely a couple of Reggae songs that definitely are not conscious at all, like Pop Reggae band UB40 who remade Neil Diamond’s song “Red Red Wine.” Nothing conscious about drinking. I can think of plenty of Reggae artists that haven’t made any Reggae songs that were conscious or were about Africa, like Sean Kingston, or Bobby McFerrin, who made “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Growing up, hearing Dancehall music on the radio, or seeing it on TV, there was definitely no consciousness coming from Dancehall, although I have listened to some songs that were conscious, like Capleton’s “Don’t Dis The Trinity,” which he talks about Marcus Garvey, or Beenie Man’s song about “Steve Biko,” but overall, most dancehall music, (at least) what I’ve heard was f**kery…not to mention that both genres had problems with homophobic lyrics…and of course, the constant Reggae songs that are just about marijuana. I still remember the first time listening to Dancehall artist Red Rat as a kid. I thought he was Nigerian just because I heard someone play his music at a Nigerian party, and I was shocked to hear what he was singing about. Let me just say, it definitely didn’t fit under “conscious” music. Also, I know that Buju mentioned those great African musicians/artists that made an impact socially with their music, but we can’t talk about those artists and not mention the legendary Miriam Makeba, one of the artists who helped bring African music to the Western audiences, while speaking out for many movements.

These are just my opinions, but overall, I still fully agree with Buju Banton. Although I’m still happy with the rise of Afrobeats, we need some more conscious Afrobeats music, especially with what is going on in Africa. We need some music to inspire us to fight the injustices going on in Africa. There is unrest in Kenya, unrest in South Africa, The Congo, Sudan and South Sudan are still under attack, and of course with the unrest in Nigeria, there should be a soundtrack for the Africans rising up against the system. 

Let’s not forget that music played a part in many social movements with Black people, whether it be the Civil Rights movement, the Black Power movement, the Black Arts Movement, the Afrocentric movement, the Anti-Apartheid movement, even the Black Lives Matter movement. I understand that not all music has to be conscious or sociopolitical, we need songs to make us happy, or to make us dance, or be in a positive mood, but when it comes down to it, you can’t just dance your problems away, or dance your way to liberation. Those krump artists learned the hard way, dancing in front of those cops during the George Floyd uprisings in 2020. 

As Buju says, we need songs to uplift us and inspire us to fight for our continent. Don’t believe me, Fela said it too. “Music can’t be for enjoyment, music has to be for revolution.”

Like I said, that’s just me. What about you guys? Do you agree with Buju Banton? Do you think he was right about Afrobeats music? Can you prove him wrong and give us an Afrobeats song that can uplift us? Let me know.