Where Will Buju Banton Perform First?

The countdown is on for the release of Grammy award-winning Reggae artist and living legend, Buju Banton.

As his 10-year sentence at the McRae Correctional Facility in Georgia winds down, fans are eagerly anticipating his December 8th release. Banton, born Mark Myrie, is undoubtedly excited to be a free man and his camp states he is in good spirits.

Speaking exclusively to JayBlessed.com, his publicist Ronnie Tomlinson shared, “I can say he is definitely upbeat, great spirits, ready and counting the days, as many of us are, to return to his family, fans and music.”

In addition to having the Gargamel touch home soil, everyone isn’t just waiting for his prison release but for the music he has locked up in his belly. One can only imagine the musical and written content Buju has been perfecting, while in solitude. His publicist chose not to disclose any album details.

The beloved artist will take a few months to be re-acclimated to his home, his family and a new world filled with bitcoins and Spotify before he kicks off his highly anticipated “Long Walk to Freedom Tour” in Spring 2019.

But is Buju’s first stop Trinidad?

“Long Walk to Freedom Tour” kicks off in Trinidad, in Spring 2019.

Initially revealed by his team upon the Love and Harmony Cruise early this year,  Buju’s camp stated that he would be kicking off his “Long Walk to Freedom Tour” in Trinidad. After drawing much ire from his Jamaican fans though, concert promoter, Glenroy Watson has since retracted that statement, saying that the Trinidad blurb was “unfortunately missppoken.” Now “”unfortunately misspoken” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not true.

Watson did confirmed that he has secured an April 2019 date for a concert in Trinidad, which will be headlined by Buju Banton. Uh…April 2019 was supposed to be the beginning of his tour. So, will this be Buju’s first concert or not? His camp is pretty tight lipped but hey, I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.

It remains to be seen if there would be major disappointment and maybe even backlash from Buju’s Jamaican fans if his first show is not on his home turf.

Buju’s legacy of being a conscious reggae artist was not only marred by his criminal conviction of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and other drug charges but further corroborated by video evidence released earlier this year, thus potentially weakening any claims of innocence by the artist.

Despite it all. I have no doubt that his time in prison did not go to waste. The greatest leaders and heroes have had to learn some hard lessons and overcome tremendous obstacles. We will all be following his triumphant release.

Leave a comment below with your take on where Buju should begin his “Long Walk to Freedom Tour” – Trinidad or Jamaica?

Cover photos: PR submission.