Barbados LGBT Group Calls Buju Banton To Publicly Denounce "Boom Bye Bye"

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual (LGBT) community in Barbados has called Buju Banton to publicly denounce his "Boom Bye Bye" song.

The dancehall and reggae artist who is fresh from US federal prison for drug-related charges outraged the Bajan LGBT community last week when the local promoters indicated that he would be performing on the island next year.

On Friday morning, Fas7Star Entertainment uploaded a poster with Buju Banton showing that he would bring his Long Walk to Freedom tour on April 27, 2019, during Barbados Reggae Festival.

The LGBT community immediately demanded that the reggae icon publicly denounce "Boom Bye Bye," or he will not be allowed to perform at the festival.

The spokesperson for Barbados LGBT community, Ro-Ann Mohammed is welcoming of Buju headling the 2019 Barbados Reggae Festival. However has also stated, “there is some merit to how some people feel with regard to the rhetoric surrounding some of his early music, particularly the Boom Bye Bye song.”

While speaking with Barbados Today, she expressed that "Boom Bye Bye" is still used to advocate violence towards LGBT people.

“And even today, it is a song that is used to advocate the literal death of LGBT people, based on sexual orientation, gender identity . . . and that is wrong; that is fundamentally wrong on every level. Even though Buju himself wrote that song as a teenager and he doesn’t perform the song anymore, the song is still used to discriminate against LGBT people and to cause harm and to perpetuate harm against LGBT people. So I think people are very valid in feeling unsafe considering it’s a time of uncertainty,” she said.

Mohammed told the Barbados Today that she will be attending the concert, but believe that Buju Banton should express his thoughts of "Boom Bye Bye" 30 years later.

“I think it would still be great if Buju himself was to make a statement against the song, even though he doesn’t perform it anymore and he signed that agreement with other dancehall artist not to promote hate or to promote violence against LGBT people. I think it would still be great if he would make some sort of statement, distancing himself from that song and that message because his portfolio after that song has been one of love and inclusion and tolerance and promoting acceptance and uplifting black people,” said added.

There is currently no clarity if the Barbados LGBT community will be protesting against Buju Banton's concert next year.