Buju Banton Drops Official Video For “Trust”
Buju Banton has delivered the official music video for his hit single Trust which was released on November 12th and produced in collaboration with the influential and notoriously obscure producer Dave Kelly. Watch it below. This is the dancehall legend’s second video released since his partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation was announced.
The new music video, which premiered today, marks the first anniversary of his release from prison and return to Jamaica after being originally sentenced to 10 years in 2011 for drugs and firearms possession in the United States. A judge subsequently tossed the illegal gun charge and he served 7 years.
The visual, which showcases a “new style” and “new flow” from the 46 year-old superstar was directed by Kieran Khan. In an interview with DancehallMag, Khan said Buju was very involved with the project but allowed him to explore new creative ideas. “Once the camera got rolling there is literally nothing stopping him from just being BUJU, he gets into this zone and I literally never had to direct him what to do”, he told DancehallMag. “On the initial phone call to discuss this track my deliverables was to shoot edit and turn over video within 72hr. I flew down to Jamaica, prep shot the video and turned it over within that timeline and here you have the end results”, he added.
Trust had claimed the top spot in the Billboard Reggae Digital Song Sales chart on debut after getting rave reviews from across the dancehall music industry and is set to go down as a classic of the genre. The hit song followed the release of Country For Sale and Steppa which peaked at No. 2 and No. 11 respectively.
The Trust video starts with a mini-film featuring, Jamaican model and actress Gabrielle Davis as she returns home and finds the phone of her significant other left unattended. Quick cuts leads to viewer to believe she then turned murderous upon discovering what was on the phone.
Buju Banton sings about a variety of Trust issues throughout the video as a group of dancers did their thing. He addresses rumors about him being involved with a friend, “Pictures a guh round, seh Simone, a mi wifey” with Gabrielle returning to play the role of Simone.
He expresses his paranoia stemming from the speed at which fake news circulates through “so called friends” via phones and online. The Steppa also gives warnings to not believe what you hear and not to trust your phone, “Me nuh trust phone, me nuh, me nuh trust phone”.
The message illustrated when Buju interrogates himself in one scene of the video is a personal one as he still says that he was the victim of entrapment orchestrated by American Federal law enforcement which led to his arrest and conviction in 2011.
Towards the end of the video we get a surprise cameo appearance from another dancehall legend, Sean Paul who displays his equal distrust of phones.
Buju Banton’s incredible career spans over three decades and includes many chart toppers and record-breaking sellers. His last album “Before the Dawn” which was released in 2010 won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album that following year.
His other singles Bagga Mouth, False Pretense, Country for Sale and Steppa released since his return may likely be part of his forthcoming, post-prison album. In between performances of his highly successful Long Walk To Freedom tour, the Gargamel had begun recording new music and his friend longtime friend and mentor, Donovan Germain had told the Jamaica Observer that an album is on the way. Speaking about Country For Sale, he said “It was my decision to release this song at this time. He actually recorded about four and I chose this one because I believe it showcases Buju in the best way possible. We are trying to get the album ready for this year.”
Trust is available for streaming here, and you can watch it below.