Jamaica

Last Saturday, Mark Myrie aka Buju Banton performed at his first show since coming out of prison, the first time he had graced the stage in Jamaica in over a decade. Billed as Long Walk To Freedom, it was held at the National Stadium in Kingston, the same location that played host to the previous biggest show the island had seen – Bob Marley’s iconic Smile Jamaica show in the seventies.

The Playmaker Group and Brukout were in Jamaica giving us an insight on what went down on that historical night which included interviews and a show on BBC 1Xtra. As part of Brukout’s weekly article for The Voice newspaper, Ray Paul and Seani B give an exclusive overview of the huge return for Buju Banton.

“In over 20 years of documenting reggae professionally as a broadcaster and journalist, I have never witnessed anything like this. The mood was one of anticipation and promise mixed with a slice of celebration and joy.

All week I witnessed stars from the Jamaican music scene and the man and woman on the street sharing a feeling that seemed to have never been generated in other shows in living memory. This was coupled with an excellent management and carefully selected pre-promotions campaign which saw Buju say very little in the run up – all which built the anticipation even further. It truly was about to be a history moment.”