Buju Banton is a 53 year old singer/songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica who’s widely considered to be one of the most important figures in dancehall. His 4th album ‘Til Shiloh under Island Records however shifted towards a roots reggae direction & has been ranked amongst the greatest reggae music ever recorded. He would drop 6 more full-lengths until spending a majority of 2010s incarcerated, returning during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to release Upside Down through Roc Nation Records & the Def Jam Recordings-backed Born for Greatness. Now signed to VP Records after 2 decades, his 13th studio LP had me intrigued.
“We Nuh Play” starts us off with a dancehall intro talking about how he doesn’t fuck around including a nod to Michigan & Smiley’s hit single “Diseases” whereas “F.A.F.O. (Fuck Around Find Out)” continues from there getting more aggressive in tone & delivery. “Eye 2 Eye” hits us with more bashment vibes for a couple minutes speaking to an individual he views to be just before both “X Rated” & “Good Pum Pum” talk about still chasing pussy even at this stage in his life.
As for “Like You”, we have Buju incorporating elements of modern hip hop without trying to blatantly imitate it observing the beauty of a female he’s addressing directly while “Wild Woman” produced by DJ Khaled heads for a trap dancehall direction so he can sing about his love for a chick who acts crazy. “House Call” treads the ragga waters explaining that pretty girls need no reservation for his parties once more while “Satisfy Me” featuring Ari Lennox finds the 2 dialing up the romance.
“Butterflies” winds down Too Too Bad’s final act flipping “Real Rock” by Coxsone Dodd to sing about the potential he sees in the eyes of his lover while “Be Good” switches gears embracing a bit of a roots reggae flare instrumentally, pleading to be treated carefully. “Heavy Hitters” moves forward boasting his legacy as an icon in the dancehall scene prior to “Power” featuring Gramps Morgan sending off the album a political note taking it back to roots reggae for the closer.
People often view Too Bad to be a huge improvement above the mixed reception Unchained Spirit & Friends for Life both got, but the sequel in time for it’s 2 decade anniversary this upcoming fall surpasses the original & makes up for Friends for Life’s mediocrity to become maybe Buju Banton at his best since coming home. The production’s more ragga & trap dancehall-oriented as opposed to Born for Greatness’s prominent dancehall sound & Upside Down leaning towards the roots reggae side of things exploring topics ranging from politics to sex & partying.
Score: 4/5
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