Buju’s Freedom tour on track for 2019
AS the December 8, release date for incarcerated reggae artiste Buju Banton draws near, plans are moving apace for his post-prison performances.
Just this week, the team representing the Grammy Award-winning artiste, dropped confirmation that a tour is in the works following his release.
The team took to social media where they released a promo announcing The Long Walk to Freedom Tour set for the summer of next year, 2019.
There is no indication of where this tour will start or end and of the series of shows that will feature the artiste who is best known for tracks such as Not An Easy Road, Destiny, Champion, Driver, and Browning.
The deejay’s impending release and concerts sparked controversy in March of this year when it was announced that his first concert, post- release, would be held in Trinidad on April 22.
The announcement was made by the deejay’s team aboard the Love and Harmony Cruise. They further noted that this was the wish of the artiste. This drew the ire of the Jamaican audience who saw his decision to perform outside Jamaica after incarceration as a slap in the face for their support for the artiste.
The concert promoter, Glenroy Watson and his team subsequently retracted the statement adding that it was “unfortunately missppoken”.
Watson however, confirmed that he has secured an April 2019 date for a concert in Trinidad, which will be headlined by Buju Banton.
“I am just a bit bothered by the fact that the people of Jamaica and other parties with vested interest in Buju Banton, have been uneasy since the initial announcement was made. That, of course, was incorrect. There is absolutely no confirmation just yet as to where Buju will perform first. We have confirmed our date for the Trinidad and Tobago show in April but that is it. We could never say where Buju will perform first,” he is quoted as saying.
Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, is slated to be released from a US federal prison — Mcrae Correctional Facility in Georgia, where he is serving a 10-year sentence on drug-related charges.