CANCEL BUJU BANTON "RASTA GOT HATE" TOUR 2009

10/14/2009 9:00 PM at The big bad BUJU BANTON live in concert
3345 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, California 95407
Cost: $25.00

The Casbar
http://www.myspace.com/casbarontheave

Gay murder lyric singer Banton faces Bay Area call for cancellation

October 10, 4:20 PMSF Showbiz ExaminerRobert Sokol

In Buju Banton's 1988 and 1992 recordings of "Boom Bye Bye," the Jamaican-born reggae singer asks for his Uzi to shoot gay men, after which he plans to burn them with acid. It is therefore not surprising that the San Francisco LGBT Community Center just published an Action Alert calling for the cancellation of planned Banton concerts in three area venues.

Scheduled for an appearance tonight (October 10) at Shattuck Down Low in Berkeley, the club does not list the singer on their website but mentions his name in their recorded message at 510-548-1159. Rockit Room did not answer their phone but has him shown prominently on their website for an appearance on Monday, October 12. The Casbar in Santa Rosa is also promoting Banton on their MySpace page. The front desk staff at the Days Inn, which houses the Casbar, was aware of the protest but could not provide further information. A message left for Days Inn management was not returned by the time of this posting.

An email sent today by Rebecca Rolfe, the Center's Executive Director, called on the management of the three venues to cancel the shows as a sign of zero tolerance for hate speech. "On National Coming Out Day weekend, we invite them to join us in becoming advocates for full equality for all people. We invite Buton Banton, during his visit to the Bay Area, to visit the Center and discuss with us the impact of hate speech."

The email continues: "All across America this weekend, on the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's brutal murder, tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied individuals have gathered in Washington D.C. to celebrate National Coming Out Day and advocate for our full equal rights. Many have traveled from San Francisco to share a message that a better way is possible. So it may come as a shock to learn that three Bay Area music venues have recently booked homophobic Reggae singer Buju Banton to perform at the same time."

The email mentions multiple court charges made against Banton in the last decade for participating in anti-gay violence that were later dismissed for lack of evidence. It also makes note that Banton was allegedly part of a group of reggae artists who publicly agreed to stop singing songs with anti-gay lyrics in 2007, though Banton later denied having made any such promise.

Rolfe's email calls on the performer to explain why, over a decade later, he continues to perform and promote the incendiary number. "While Buju Banton's song collection is vast, and the lyrics many find most offensive were written years ago, his record label continues to profit from the sale of 'Boom Bye Bye.' More importantly, Banton has continued to perform it - in 2006 in Miami and as recently as 2007 at the Guyana Music Festival. While his manager's claim it is 'not a call to violence,' we must ask along with others, what exactly does Banton mean when he sings, 'faggots... have to die' and that he will shoot them in the head and 'burn them up bad?'

Banton is currently engaged in a U.S. tour and the outcry has followed him from stop to stop, resulting in concert cancellations in San Jose, Detroit, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and more cities. A website called Cancel Buju Banton tracks these activities and provides further details, including the reggae lyrics and a plain-English transliteration of the offending song.