Buju Banton Arrested On Drug Charges

Now this is too much!

Buju Banton

Reggae superstar Buju Banton was arrested December 10 on drug conspiracy charges involving the distribution of five kilos of cocaine.

The arrest is the latest in a wild series of events surrounding the singer, who remains a target of the gay community because of his 1988 song “Boom Bye Bye,” which advocated killing gay people. Gay activists became aware of the song following its unsanctioned reissue in 1992, when Banton became one of reggae’s most popular artists, breaking Bob Marley’s record for the most number one Jamaican singles in a year.

Since then, Banton has been known for performing socially conscious material, but charges of homophobia continued to follow him. He was alleged to be involved with a gay bashing in 2004, but charges were dismissed. In 2007, people claimed Banton signed a pledge to avoid homophobic material, but he denied it.

More recently, Banton met with gay activists in October, following the cancellation of several summer concert dates due to pressure from the community. But those talks did not have the desired effect, as he told the Jamaica Observer shortly after the meeting “there is no end to the war between me and faggot.”

After receiving a Grammy nomination for his latest album, a petition was circulated by Gay Men Of African Descent, the National Black Justice Coalition, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to protest the decision.

UPDATE: Even though authorities have started to outline their case against Banton, his reggae fans are claiming his arrest is the result of a gay conspiracy. SMH.