Buju Banton’s "Boom Bye Bye" beme a smash h 1992 wh lyrics advotg for the murr and torture of gay men. We asked five queer Caribbeans to unpack the song’s legacy and impact on their liv.
Contents:
- REGGAE SGER LILA IKé COM OUT AS GAY, SHAR SHE WAS RAPED & BLACKMAILED
- PRO-GAY REGGAE SGER FI JAMAIN HOMOPHOBIA
- SOME RASTA REGGAE ARTISTS ARE GAY, ACRDG TO TONY REBEL.
REGGAE SGER LILA IKé COM OUT AS GAY, SHAR SHE WAS RAPED & BLACKMAILED
* gay reggae artist *
One of the most popular was Buju Banton’s 1992 sgle “Boom Bye Bye, ” a track that followed a tradn of Jamain songs that poe vlence agast queer people — and one that beme lodged the memori of queer Caribbeans, makg clear that homophobia was alive and well our hom and muni. Origally wrten when he was jt 15 years old, “Boom Bye Bye” fds Banton llg for the murr and torture of “batty boys, ” a Jamain patois slur for gay men (whom the star nflat wh pedophil).
Though Banton would go on to break Bob Marley’s rerd for the most number one songs Jamai, the artist attracted protts om LGBTQ+ advot throughout his reer, leadg him to sign a 2007 pledge lled the Reggae Compassnate Act where he and other proment reggae artists agreed to stop performg songs wh homophobic lyrics.
Its populary and overt homophobia have helped to rerce queerphobic sentiments and ma harr for LGBTQ+ people to seek acceptance throughout the Caribbean. My mother tells this story about a time when her father and my nts and uncl were drivg to the village; he was potg out gay people, trans people, drag queens, and told them, “If any of y’all end up like this, I’m gog to shoot you.
PRO-GAY REGGAE SGER FI JAMAIN HOMOPHOBIA
Mista Majah P reb anti-gay sgers wh pro-LGBT songs * gay reggae artist *
Today, I see people om Jamai fightg the homophobia this song embodied. And my mom and my grandmother, ” she said another tweet before addg two more separate tweets- “I’ve been raped”, “Molted” nclud a tweet that she was gay.
Ground-breakg pro-gay Jamain reggae sger Mista Majah P, aka The Maverick and the Kg of Tolerance, has lnched a two-part stgg vio rebe to the homophobia and murr mic of Bounty Killer, Sizzla and other top Jamain reggae and dancehall sgers. In addn, his latt vio sgle Karma is a warng to the artists that the hate and vlence they sow will rebound on them; cg the personal disasters and disgrace that have befallen many of Jamai’s leadg anti-gay performers. Shabba Ranks reer went to ee fall after his claratn that lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people serve ccifixn.
He is now workg on a new album, Gays Belong In Heaven Too, which will be his third LGBT-affirmg album sce 2011. Tolerance (2011) was the world’s first pro-gay reggae album.
SOME RASTA REGGAE ARTISTS ARE GAY, ACRDG TO TONY REBEL.
It is not a secret the Reggae muny that Diana Kg is gay and Shenseea is a bisexual but acrdg to veteran artist, Tony Rebel * gay reggae artist *
Featurg rabow strip on the ver, the album clus 13 tchy tracks, varly support of same-sex marriage and adoptn rights for gay upl, as well as attacks on homophobic bullyg and the now funct US anti-gay ary policy, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The songs also feature direct swip at the anti-gay prejudic of reggae sger Beenie Man and of the former Jamain Prime Mister Bce Goldg.