May 6, 2024
DJ Khaled celebrates Buju Banton’s return to Florida after having his visa returned.
Dancehall reggae legend Buju Banton is back in Florida after having his visa reinstated to the United States of America.
The Grammy Award-winning reggae sensation appeared in DJ Khaled’s Instagram Live on May 2, where the “Wild Thoughts” hitmaker celebrated Banton’s return to the Sunshine State, Jamaica Gleaner reports.
“This is legendary! I haven’t seen my brother and I don’t think you have seen my brother and it’s been about 15 years since you have seen him in Miami or what we call the United States. And I just want to say yow Buju Banton welcome back to your second home,” DJ Khaled said before panning the camera to introduce Banton.
The “Wanna Be Loved” reggae artist returned the love, telling Khaled how happy he is to return to Florida after years of being banned from entering the U.S.
“God is amazing my brother, I wanna say nuff love to all the people out there. This is Buju Banton, I want to say nuff love to you all, all my fans out there in all the states in the United States of America, Gargamel is back,” he said.
“Greetings my people, it’s a long time I haven’t seen you. It’s a long time these feet have not walked these shores. Let’s get music going.”
Khaled ended the video by sending love to Banton’s native country of Jamaica.
“This is a celebration. We are having lunch and we are celebrating with the Banton,” the DJ said. “Shout Out to Jamaica and to everybody in Jamaica. Buju Banton is officially in Miami.”
Banton, real name Mark Myrie, hasn’t been in Florida since he was sentenced to 10 years in 2011 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He served seven years before being released on December 7, 2018, from McRae Correctional Institute in Telfair County, Georgia.
Upon his release, Banton was deported back to Jamaica, where he was regarded as the “most eagerly awaited arrival in Jamaica since Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie touched down in April 1966.” He rose to prominence as a reggae artist in the 1990s and eventually passed Bob Marley’s record for No. 1 singles on the Jamaican music charts in 1992.
Since his release, Banton has returned to music, releasing two albums: “Upside Down” in 2020 and “Born For Greatness” in 2023.
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