Buju Banton's PR agents are falsely claiming he has apologised for these murderous lyrics. It is true that his record company put out an ‘apology’ some years ago, but Banton immediately denied apologising and even attacked his own record company for doing so. If he is sorry, why is Banton still performing Boom Bye Bye, re-releasing it, and making money out of it? (source)

OCTOBER 1999: Buju Banton, who told me himself a few years ago when I asked him about his 1991 hit Boom Bye Bye, a song that advocates killing “Batty boys”, or homosexuals, “Boom Bye Bye means judgement, do you understand? If I am 20, or when I'm older [reporters will still] ask me this question and the sentiments of this song [will] still remain the same. Nothing don't change because my feelings about family don't change. And the song has a [good] message.” (Fugues - Interview by Richard Burnett, September 20, 2001) (article)

MAY 2000: An interview, published in New Nation (a newspaper serving members of the black community), includes a reiteration by Banton of his homophobic views and a denial that he had ever recanted or changed these views.
(New Nation - May 29, 2000) • NOTE: I was unable to locate the article on the internet to bring Buju Banton's comment.

AUGUST 2004: OFFICIAL BUJU BANTON STATEMENT (found on a forum, dated September 7, 2004)
Again it has been brought to my attention that I , Mark Myrie, AKA Buju Banton, has been accused of inciting murder and violence against those that have different beliefs to that of my own. I would like to put it on record that I have never attacked anyone of any persuasion different to that of my own, nor do I seek to attack them. Like any normal film-maker who puts violence in his films, I do not expect actions in my lyrics to be carried out literally by the public. I personally, my music and lyrics do not intend to instigate or incite anyone to do so, as I do not believe in the murder or the killing of the innocent just because they are different in any way. The “Boom Bye Bye” recording using certain lyrics I understand, causes offence to some people in the community. This recording was made 12 years ago and this song is not performed on my live shows and will not be performed. I do however as an artist retain the right in a democratic society to express my art in any way I see fit. I will like any free man respect the right to life, freedom of expression, and liberty for all and I will fight for that right. With regards to the allegation that I allegedly assaulted 3 gay men in Jamaica, isn’t one innocent until proven otherwise in a duly constituted court of law in my homeland of Jamaica? I find it ironic that an organization that is fighting for justice and equality is at the same time acting as judge, jury and pre-empting the due course of law. As a Rasta artist who has contributed so much positive music to the world, which has resulted in being nominated twice for the prestigious Grammy Awards, whose album “Til Shiloh” was voted one of the best albums of the century by “Rolling Stone” magazine, it is a grave injustice to try and define my career with one song “Boom Bye Bye” done 12 years ago at the age of 18 years old. Mark Myrie, AKA Buju Banton (source)

AUGUST 2004: Buju Banton still perform the song 'Boom Bye Bye'. He performed it as recent as August 8, 2004, at the Smirnoff 96 festival in Negril Jamaica. (source)

APRIL 2006: According to Outrage! Buju played 'Boom Bye Bye' at a concert in Jamaica as recently as last year (2005) and refused to apologise for the lyrics in a recent BBC1Extra interview in April this year. BBC radio station, 1Xtra, was criticised last April after interviewing Banton. The song 'Boom Bye Bye', which featured in the broadcast, says, "The world is in trouble, anytime Buju Banton come batty boy get up and run, ah gunshot in ah head man Tell dem crew… it’s like Boom bye bye, in a batty boy head, rude boy nah promote no nasty man, them hafi dead". Five people complained about the BBC station using the anti gay star, real name Mark Myrie, after gay group Outrage issued a statement condemning the show. A BBC 1Xtra spokeswoman said an excerpt from the song was used to give context to the controversy in Banton’s career, the presenter said on the show "'Boom Bye Bye' was massive in reggae circles and there was a massive disruption... In 1991 Buju recorded 'Boom bye bye', the track caused outrage,” and then the excerpt was played. (Rainbow Network)

JUNE 2006: Buju Banton is offered another chance to apologise before his concert was cancelled, in one of Britain's most gay-friendly communities.
Simon Williams (Brighton Green city Councillor): "A performance by him in such a gay friendly city as Brighton and Hove would be inappropriate and damage community relations. This is not about censoring genuine creativity, but no artist with any humanity would want to sing these words. His words incite the shooting and murder of people because of their sexuality and he continues to sing them. "He will not retract them or express any personal apology. His lyrics create an environment where homophobia and hatred is given cultural approval and if he had sung these songs and referred to black people in place of gay people he would rightly be arrested for incitement to hatred." Mr Williams added: "There’s a popular misconception that he’s apologised for this song which was written in the early 1990s. This is not true. There's been no apology from Buju - only a reluctant apology issued by the record company which he has since disavowed while he continues to promote and perform this song." According to Outrage! Buju played ‘Boom Bye Bye’ at a concert in Jamaica as recently as last year and refused to apologise for the lyrics in a recent BBC1Extra interview in April this year. (PinkNews.co.uk) (Rainbow Network)
NOTE: This concert was the only one cancelled from his 25-concert Europeen Tour in June/July 2006.

JULY 23, 2007: IMPORTANT DOCUMENT SIGNED
On July 23, 2007, Buju Banton signed the 'Reggae Compassionate Act', in order to be able to perform at the Italian Rototom Sunsplash Festival and other Europeen venues. This document is not an apology to the LGBT community, but can be seen as the artist is willing to put his homophobic past behind him. The document stating that the artist will no longer performed or write songs that discriminate gays and lesbians. It also states that he will not re-issue past materials that incite discrimination or hatered towards gays and lesbians. Peter Tatchell: "The Reggae Compassionate Statement’s rejection of racism, homophobia and sexism is an important milestone. We rejoice at its commitment to music without prejudice. We are delighted that the Reggae Compassionate Statement* has been signed by Beenie Man, Capleton and Sizzla. Their disavowal of homophobia and other prejudices is a very welcome move. Although some artists did not stick to previous agreements, we accept that these three singers want to move on and put homophobia behind them. By signing the Reggae Compassionate Statement they are stating that, in future, they will not release new homophobic songs or authorise the re-release of previous homophobic songs. Moreover, they also agree that they will not make homophobic public statements.*In other words, they recognise that prejudice, hate and violence have no place in music – that singers should unite not divide, and uplift not put down, people of all races and sexualities. This agreement applies throughout the world – not just in Europe and the US, but also in Jamaica and the Caribbean". Rototom Sunsplash organiser: "We believe that these two letters are an extraordinary event. A great opportunity for all those who campaign for better reggae in a better world. We are conscious that they can retract everything, and of course we know that these documents will not make homophobic violence magically disappear from Jamaican society. Machismo, religious integralism and fanatism sink their roots in the island’s culture and society and will require many years to die out. But already the availability of two famous and important artistes to sign a clear and explicit document is, in our opinion, an extraordinary event: it is not only a great victory but also an opportunity of dialogue, that we cannot neglect."The very same day that Peter Tachell and The Guardian newspaper announced that Buju Banton had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, RadioJamaica.com was publishing on their website that Banton's manager was denying the news: "speaking with RJR news, Buju's manager Donovan Germaine dismissed the report out of hand. He added that the management team would not comment further on the issue as it was being used by the gay rights group to gain mileage for their cause". Peter Tatchell answer to these allegations was: "We are not sure whether this is a case of misreporting, spin by their management, or a genuine recantation," said Mr Tatchell. "What is absolutely certain is that these artists (Buju Banton and Beenie Man) have signed the Reggae Compassion Act, we have their signatures on the agreement. "The signatures have been authenticated as genuine. "Any attempt to deny that the artists have signed this agreement will just make them look dishonest, duplicitous and downright ridiculous." Mr Tatchell said that the deal had been brokered by reggae promoter Eddie Brown, of Pride Music, who knows the artists and flew to Jamaica to get their written agreement to the Act. "We have total confidence that Eddie Brown has got their signatures," Mr Tatchell said. "The insinuation that Mr Brown or anyone else forged the signatures is a mark of desperation, it reflects very badly on the character of the people making these allegations."
(picture of the Reggae Compassionate Act signed by Buju Banton) (The Guardian) (Peter Tatchell) (GayCityNews) (RadioJamaica.com) (PinkNews.co.uk)



ELEPHANT MAN
Elephant Man statement: “We (Jamaicans) know that this thing is not right and we are not going to uphold it. The Jamaican heritage is deep, we love God and we are not involve in certain things. From the time I was growing up, I learned that chi-chi man fi get bun. Until we dead pon earth, the fire nah come off dem. A just straight fire a bun dem out” (JohannHari.com)

In January 2004, Alona Wartofsky write: One can imagine discussions between Atlantic and VP executives and Elephant Man about leaving homophobic lyrics off "Good 2 Go," but Elephant Man plays down the whole issue. "When I go in the studio, I don't go in the studio to talk about those type of things," he says. "I go into the studio to make hit records for the fans, and for people to buy and for people to love. I don't go in the studio thinking about that guy living his life that way and to curse him out or to pass judgment on nobody. It's your life. Do what you want to do. We all have to answer to God one day, so live your life how you want to live it."(CribUpdate.com)

LATE 2005 OR EARLY 2006: Elephant Man issue a note of saying that it wasn't his intention to incite violence. He was probably forced to sign such a document in order to be able to performed in North America and Europe after the Stop Murder Music campaign has got the media attention. The date is unknown, but it might have been prior to Elephant Man's Europeen Tour in December 2005 or his North American tour in early 2006. (Elephant Man statement)

JULY 2006: Blabbeando comment the Riddim magazine interview with Elephant Man on his blog: 'Of the 2004 protests against "murder music" he is less forthcoming and, while there are no appologies, he does seem to indicate some sort of truce brought upon by the demands of being on a major music label: "I know why all that happen, but now we put it aside. We don't talk about them. We just do music, we happy, they happy. Nobody wanna go back to being a problem to nobody. Everyone's just taking it easy and being cool. If you'e on a major label, you can't think of saying those kind of things." (Riddim magazine No.4 (english edition), July 2006) (blabbeando.blogspot.com)

OCTOBER 2, 2007: Facing several protest and very bad newspaper coverage during his Canadian Tour, Elephant Man finally agreed to signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, but the press conference was cancelled at the last minute as the canadian coalition for the Stop Murder Music campaign refused acnowkledge the signature if it wasn't done in Jamaica. This new rule for the RCA appears after Beenie Man and Buju Banton, both signataries of the act having publicly denied their signatures. Now the three organisations resposible for the Stop Murder Music campaign, OutRage! (UK), J-FLAG (Jamaica) and Black Gay Men Advisory Group (UK), request that the signature for the Reggae Compassionate Act needs to be done on Jamaican soil, with a press conference where the artist targeted by the campaign must denounce homophobic violence. The press conference for Elephant Man signing the act was initially organised by the Carlton University Students' Association (CUSA) and would have take place on the university campus on October 3rd. The association was responsible for bringing Elephant Man at Ottawa's Kool Haus on October 4th. The show and the press conference were cancelled on October 2nd. According to Akim Larcher, spokesman for the Stop Murder Music campaign in Canada, signing the act outside of Elephant Man’s homeland, Jamaica would “not be worth the paper it’s signed on.”“It has to be [signed] in a Jamaican context,” he said. Larcher said that in the past, other artists, such as Beenie Man, signed the Reggae Compassionate Act outside of Jamaica only to later claim their signatures were forged. He said he believes Elephant Man would do the same thing, even if he signed the document publicly. Shelley Melanson, CUSA president said she disagreed. “We were planning to have all major media sources [at the press conference],” she said, and added there would be no way for Elephant Man to deny it afterwards. “He wanted to do this,” said Maynes. Larcher said he also felt CUSA rushed its decision to have the artist sign the act, and were not within their right to do so, as they did not contact members of the GLBT community of Jamaica. Maynes fired back. “They say it has to be signed in a Jamaican context, but what about a Caribbean context, and the rest of the world?” he said. An chance to combat homophobia, said Maynes, has now been wasted. “To have someone come out and actually say that being homophobic is wrong would have been a great opportunity,” he said. But the SMM remained steadfast in its stance. (The Charlatan) (Xtra)






VYBZ KARTEL
SEPTEMBER 5, 2004: VYBZ KARTEL BOWS TO GAY PRESSURE: Controversial dancehall DJ VYBZ KARTEL has succumbed to the intense pressure himself and other dancehall acts have been experiencing from the international gay community. KARTEL and fellow dancehall artistes have been feeling a serious dent in their pockets as the gays wage an all out war against them for their violent homophobic lyrics, forcing their removal from numerous international events. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) earlier this week, VYBZ KARTEL said he apologised for his lyrics. He stated that his homophobic days were behind him and he was now preaching a message of tolerance. "THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING, NOT JUST ME VYBZ KARTEL ALONE, BUT ALL THE ARTISTS, WE ARE TAKING THAT STANCE. WE WANT TO MOVE ON NOW"; he said. KARTEL's apology comes on the heels billed for the big UK reggae festival, Reggae In The Park, scheduled for Sunday, September 5, following intense lobbying by the gay rights group OutRage!. The concert was to have featured BARRINGTON LEVY, GREGORY ISAACS, MARCIA GRIFFITS, SIZZLA and VYBZ KARTEL.
NOTE: I was unable to find the article, but it was published before September 6. The following link seems to be a transcrip from the original: (O.J.36Records.com)

NOVEMBER 21, 2004: The Caribbean Reggae Fest 2004 in Miami, a concert that clearly state "No Apology"...Vybz Kartel who came on stage after the Fifth Element Crew of Richie Spice, Chuck Fender and Anthony Cruz had warmed up the crowd, was the first artist to state overtly to the audience, "No Apology" as he made his way onto the stage. And if people were still wondering what he was talking about, a few minutes into his set it became very evident, as he constantly commented that he didn't support certain lifestyles. (Rootz Reggae & Kulcha)

FEBRUARY 2005: Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man record the song BATTY BWOY FI DEAD on the Nookie riddim. Only available on DJ compilations, it was never officially released. Prior to that, both artists have recorded songs (seperately), in defiance of the OutRage! 'Stop Murder Music' campaign. Tha info was found in a December 2004 article. I wonder which songs they are refering to.





SHABBA RANKS
DECEMBER 1992: in an interview on Channel Four's youth series The World, Shabba Ranks supported Buju Banton's song Boom Bye Bye by saying: “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. If you break the law of God you deserve crucifixtion”. There was uproar in the audience. Mark Lamarr jumped on Ranks and told him “Thats absolute crap and you know it!”...Due to the power and influence of the gay lobby in the music business, in the wake of his statement, Ranks was dropped from a scheduled performance on the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno," and many of Shabba's live shows were accompanied by protests, just because of his support for "Boom Bye Bye". Under pressure, he later said that while homosexuality was wrong, he did not condone physical violence against anyone.

NOTE: as internet was not widely used in 1992/1993, very few information have been found regarding Shabba Ranks. The upper information is a collage from three different sources (Murder in the Dancehall) (The Great Chi Chi Man Debate) (Examining Gay Issues in Racial Settings)

Protecting Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks said in an interview: "In Jamaica, if a homosexual is being found in the community, we stone him to death" (Details Magazine, 1993)

DECEMBER 2004: There is a widespread belief in Kingston that when the argument about dancehall homophobia first erupted in the early 1990s, Shabba Ranks, then the biggest star in reggae, made conciliatory overtures to pro-gay pressure groups and thus ended his career overnight.
(The Guardian - December 10, 2004) (article)





T.O.K.
when I asked T.O.K. frontman Roshaun Clarke if the song Chi Chi Man is anti-gay, he fumes, “Ummm, no. We’ve moved on from there. There’s more to us than Chi Chi Man.” (Hour - Interview by Richard Burnett, August 23, 2004)

DECEMBER 2005: T.O.K. performed the song 'Chi Chi Man' at the Smirnoff Experience in Jamaica, on December 23, 2005. (Jamaica Observer)





SPRAGGA BENZ
Spragga Benz two weeks ago issued a statement condemning gays and [emphasized] that his anti-gay message will continue to go out.
(www.jahworks.org - Spring 2002 - Interview by Gregory Stephens)





NO APOLOGY (By Michael Barnett) - CARIBBEAN REGGAE FEST 2004 (Miami, Bicentennial Park, November 21, 2004)
NO APOLOGY! was definitely the reverberating theme of the night for the Caribbean Reggae Fest 2004, which featured artists like Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel, Spragga Benz, Lady Saw, Richie Spice, Chuck Fender, I-Wayne, Tanto-Metro and Devonte, Baby Cham, Assassin and too many more to mention. Just a few days before the day the show was to be held at Bicentennial Park on Sunday, November 21, it became known to many members of the press that some of the South Florida Gay Community were making concerted efforts to shut the show down. Of significance here is the fact that almost all of the main Dancehall Reggae artists who had been targeted by gay activists recently, particularly by the group Outrage hailing from England, were on the bill for the Caribbean Reggae Fest 2004, the key notable exception being T.O.K.

However, despite some agitation from the South Florida gay community, the venue, Bicentennial Park, and by implication the City of Miami, did not pull out of the show, giving the very ambitious Jamaican promoters the opportunity they desired to put on a Reggae-Dancehall show with a distinctly Jamaican flavor. There was supposed to be a major demonstration mounted by the South Florida gay populace in front of the venue, in public protest of the line up of the show, but when the day of the show arrived only a few demonstrators were reportedly spotted and they did nothing particularly newsworthy. When the show got underway, many of the artists it seemed wasted no time before venting their feelings regarding the ongoing gay onslaught against Reggae Dance-hall music. Vybz Kartel who came on stage after the Fifth Element Crew of Richie Spice, Chuck Fender and Anthony Cruz had warmed up the crowd, was the first artist to state overtly to the audience, "No Apology" as he made his way onto the stage. And if people were still wondering what he was talking about, a few minutes into his set it became very evident, as he constantly commented that he didn't support certain lifestyles.

A little after Vybz Kartel left the stage, Bounty Killer came on stage with a vengeance. "No Apology" were the first words to be uttered from Bounty's lips. After stating this, Bounty started to chase off his detractors even more aggressively than had Vibez Kartel. But probably the most interesting thing to develop for this writer was when Capleton bounced onto the stage immediately after Bounty Killer's departure, and went straight into his now famous lyrical repertoire of "Bun Out The Chi Chi." Apparently Capleton had agreed prior to many of his recent shows, not to perform any of his songs that might be construed as homophobic. However, it was clear to see that Capleton felt under no such restrictions on this show. After "bu'ning much fire pon de Chi-Chi Man," Capleton proceeded to explain that the fire he was bu'ning was not to be taken literally, in the sense that he was not advocating the literal burning of anybody, but rather a purification, or a purging. He said he meant "fire" in the context of purifying something, or purging it of its bad properties. (NOTE: the song also state "blood out di chi chi", among other violent content).

Sizzla who came on stage immediately after Capleton was another artist who notably started his set by stating: "No Apology", and he too then proceeded to lick out verbally against gay lifestyles. It became unavoidably clear and apparent that the gay backlash against Jamaican music was foremost on the minds of many of the Dancehall artists that performed that night, and the overwhelming response from them was "No Apology!" (http://www.rootzreggae.com/Rootz-view/NoApology.htm)





'NO APOLOGY' T-SHIRTS
The “no apology” stance has become something of a mantra in the ranks of dancehall’s hardcore following, with T-shirts now proclaiming the words as a stalwart defense of the artists and their license for inflammatory rhetoric. “No apology” T-shirts could be spotted being worn and sold at booths at the West Indian American Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn on September 6, the city’s largest outdoor gathering attended by an estimated 2 million revelers, most of Caribbean origin. (Nicolas Boston / www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_337/fridayprotest.html)





Fussin' & fightin' between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer
BOUNTY KILLER (on Beenie Man and the No Doubt video)
Note: Bounty Killer wrote the song Look Good, as an answer to Beenie Man's allegation that he is gay for being performing in the No Doubt video'Hey Baby', in which a poorly-timed edit shows a naked male member of the band cavorting as Bounty Killer chats about how he likes the way you shake it, etc. No doubt that No Doubt was aware neither of the implications nor the hyper-machismo and hyper-homophobia inherent in Jamaican culture. (www.reggae-reviews.com)

Beenie Man and me have feud from a long time and back in the days him used to sound like me and deejay bad man lyrics, but then him change and say him is the girls dem sugar and start deejay fi di girls dem. Bad man no like Beenie Man, Beenie is for the girls, nice guys like Beenie Man and him even act like girl sometimes. Him go pan Ru Paul Show and say him wi do anything fi him career, tell me what Ru Paul have fi do wid music, him is no celebrity, him have no fans, Beenie Man said him do it fi enhance him career. Him go pan Ru Paul show and hug him up...
and now him do a song that me a sing wid naked man, now tell me is when Gwen (Stephani from No Doubt) turn naked man, him mind too corrupt and fool, there is a naked man in the video but he ain't wid me and dat is a different scene. So me no know what him a chat bout.
(The Germaican Observer - Octobre 2001). Bounty Killer interview No.1
More on the video can be read in this interview: Bashment Vibes - 2002. Bounty Killer interview No.2
People oppinion on the NoDoubt video: Jamaica Gleaner - January 2002. Bounty Killer interview No.2



BEENIE MAN (on Bounty Killer and The RuPaul Show)
He's a faggot in disguise and people don't see that. I can see that because I can see him in the video with No Doubt with some freaky ring on is finger calling a naked man to dance for him. He always cusses me. I went to a Ru-Paul show and Bounty Killer cussed me off. All I did was shake Ru-Paul's hand - I didn't even talk to the nigger. But I was at his show. What the f**k am I supposed to do? Be like a pu**y? I didn't want to uphold the stereotype of an ignorant, illiterate Jamaican so I shook his hand. There's nothing wrong with that. Bounty Killer is a bad mind faggot. He tricks people and makes them believe he is this hardcore ni***r and his really not hardcore. Look at his video. Show me your friends and I tell you who you are - you see what I'm saying. I control my own image. How can you see a naked man in my video when I control my own image? It's crazy. (Club Vibes Magazine - February 2002). Beenie Man interview



BEENIE MAN (on Bounty Killer "riding on a h-o-r-s-e")
Jamaican reggae MCs Beenie Man and Bounty Killer narrowly avoided bloodshed between their opposing camps only after Beenie Man explained on radio that he had referred in a song to the Killer riding "on a h-o-r-s-e", and it wasn't his fault that the word is pronounced "a-r-s-e" in Jamaican dialect. (The Guardian - October 2002). Note: after researching the web for a while, I wasn't able to find the name of the song the reporte is refering to.