Buju Banton Hasn’t Gotten Back His US Visa, Germain Says

Reggae/Dancehall star Buju Banton will not be performing alongside Koffee in the United States this spring and he has not gotten back his US visa, contrary to some reports.

“If he had gotten back his visa, you would all know. Did you see ‘Buju’, or ‘Buju Banton’ being advertised? Those are two different people. As far as I know, he has not gotten back his visa,” Banton’s long-time producer, Donovan Germain, told the Jamaica Observer.

Early last week, reports circulated about Banton joining Koffee on a US tour after a flyer, she posted to her IG page, indicated that Ayra Starr, “Buju”, and Joeboy will be joining her on the tour from April 11 to May 27 this year.  Many wondered if it was Jamaica’s Buju Banton, which of course drew questions about his US visa being reinstated. 

However, ‘Buju,’ an acronym for  ‘Beauty Underneath Just Understood’, or ‘Bujutoyourears’, is actually an Afro-Fusion singer, songwriter, and record producer, who was previously signed to fellow Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s Spaceship Records.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, was deported to Jamaica after his release on December 7, 2018, from McRae Correctional Institute.  He had served close to 10 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine.

Some legal experts believe that there is a possibility that he could very well gain an opportunity to enter the United States as he’s an entertainer, and would not seek a visitor’s or immigrant visa. In this instance, they have suggested that he could get an O Visa.

An O visa is a classification of non-immigrant temporary worker visa granted by the United States to an alien “who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry”.