Buju Banton’s New Album ‘Upside Down 2020’ Is Out Now
Veteran artiste Buju Banton, who helped to shape the genre in the nineties with his brand of conscious dancehall, has released his 12th album today, the hugely anticipated Upside Down 2020. Listen to it below. His first album was Stamina Daddy all the way back in 1992.
Since then he’s become synonymous with positive vibes and since his release from prison in 2018, after serving ten years in the US for drug charges, he has been advocating for a more organized industry while acknowledging that dancehall music has changed. This is also his first release since his first since his Grammy-winning album Before the Dawn in 2010.
Buju Banton has been very vocal about this new album and has explained numerous times the ideology behind the name. Back in May of this year, Buju explained “well, if I listen to a song with other brethrens of mine, they will say to me, this song is bad. I think the song is good. Most of the things that we talk about, we ascribe a negative connotation to it. Bad becomes good. Right becomes wrong. Innocence becomes guilt. Guilt become innocence, true become else. Real become fake. Up becomes down. And we accept it all. Yes, I’ve been in prison. That’s not no f@$#ing secret, but I’ve come out of prison, find a nation of people sleeping,” he said.
His intention is to show everyone through the 20 tracks that the world around them is upside down and can only be corrected with 20/20 vision.
“Everything is upside down. Like I said to you earlier, listen, if right is wrong and good is bad, what does that tell you? If justice… If justice is tyranny and innocence is guilt and guilt is innocent and fake is real and real is true. And black is blue and blue is red. Everything is upside down. The album, like I said, 20 different tracks. Songs ranging from dance song to world event, I deal with all kind of issue, some social issues to geopolitical issues to issue… Everything,” he added.
Even though he’s tried to keep the focus on him he’s collaborated with some very popular American artistes. One of the songs he has already released, that will appear on the album, is Memories which features John Legend. Since it’s release in May the YouTube video has received over 500,000 views.
Another track, Cherry Pie, features Pharrell.
Also featured on this album is a track called Yes Mi Friend, with real life friend Stephen Marley, which was memorably performed live by the two on a Jamrock cruise. Stefflon Don rounds out the features with another track titled Call Me.
Blessed, released on June 11th, already shows that the deejay will be bringing some tough beats and will once again be relying on the heavier based dancehall riddims that were all the rage in the nineties.
Trust and Steppa, both released in late 2019, have already received the video treatment.
One thing is for sure fans will be happy to get a dose of the veteran’s thoughts through music, especially since they haven’t heard a full album from him in ten years.
Stream Upside Down 2020 below.
Here’s the Upside Down 2020 TrackList
- Lamb Of God
- Yes Mi Friend – feat. Stephen Marley
- Buried Alive
- Blessed
- Memories – feat. John Legend
- Lovely State Of Mind
- Appreciated
- Trust
- Cherry Pie – feat. Pharrell Williams
- Beat The Bath
- Good time girl
- Call Me – feat. Stefflon Don
- Moonlight Love
- Cheated
- Steppa
- The World Is Changing
- 400 Years
- Rising Up
- Helping hand
- Unity