Buju Banton And Pharrell Williams Confirm They Are Working On New Music
Social media was thrown into a frenzy yesterday when veteran reggae and dancehall entertainer, Buju Banton posted a photo of himself alongside renowned American record producer and artiste, Pharrell Williams. Fans didn’t have to think twice about the reason these two musical geniuses were standing together in one photo – it’s a no brainer, new music is on the way!
Confirming just that, Pharrell also shared a photo of the two, working in the studio, with the simple caption, “🇯🇲”.
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If there’s one thing fans know about the Gargamel is that he is quite strategic in what he shares with the media, meaning, when Buju Banton makes a post, all eyes ought to be kept open.
Supporters of both entertainers have been expressing eagerness for what’s to be released. It was announced recently that Buju will be dropping his 13th studio album in April of this year, and so many are speculating that a collaboration with Pharrell, whether it be in his capacity as a producer or an artiste will be featured on the project.
Jamaican producer, DJ Frass and British rapper, Stefflon Don both commented fire emojis, endorsing the partnership.
It has been 10 years since Buju’s last album. Before the Dawn was released prior to his conviction in 2010. It also won the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album at the 2011 Recording Academy ceremony.
Aching to share something new with his day one, as well as, new fanbase, Buju is looking to completely shift focus back to what he brings to the table musically and creatively.
News broke that the Not An Easy Road singer was working with Pharrell at the 2020 Jamaica Reggae Industry Association Awards (JARIA), held on Tuesday at Little Theatre in Kingston. His co-manager, Donovan Germain has even shared that the artiste has refrained from doing interviews until “the album is out… because at least there (will be) something to talk about other than prison.”
Proving his commitment to his new project, Buju was absent from the JARIA awards because he was busy working in the studio with Pharrell. He was honored with the Exceptional Contribution to Reggae Industry award in the songwriting category, accepted on his behalf by Germain.
Pharrell is not the only international star Buju has been solidifying connections with since his release. In 2019, he was one of three Jamaican artistes featured on the single, Holy Mountain, one of the tracks on DJ Khaled’s Father of Asahd album. The other artistes on the song were Mavado, Sizzla Kalonji and 070 Shake from the United States.
Buju also recently signed with Jay-Z’s music label, Roc Nation, highlighting that he is indeed at a critical point in his career and is looking to further cement his musical empire, on a more global scale.
He impressed fans with a new sound as well. The release of his single, Trust, tells all about that as he delivers head-bopping lyrics on a modern dancehall beat, a bit different from what he used to release in the days of Destiny and Wanna Be Loved.
Buju has simply reinvented the way he conveys his art and it’s keeping him relevant and trending, especially with the new generation of music lovers.