Bounty Killer Explains Why He Couldn’t Diss Buju Banton For Vybz Kartel In 2002
Dancehall veteran Bounty Killer has said his respect for Buju Banton stopped him from dissing him after he slighted Vybz Kartel during a stage show in 2002. Killer rose to Kartel’s defense by scolding Banton, who had yanked the microphone from the then 26-year-old Worl’ Boss.
Bounty explains to some of his friends, in a video making the rounds on Instagram today, that even though he had to immediately give Buju a piece of his mind for his display of disregard for the Kartel back then, he had to ensure he did not do it in an unkind or harsh manner.
The Poor People Governor explained that he opted to reprimand Buju gently and respectfully as the ‘Til Shiloh singer was one of his most revered artistes.
“Nuff people nuh know. Das why me couldn’t diss Buju fi Kartel… becaw me idolize Buju tuh. And Kartel a mi soljah. Rock and a hard place; mi did haffi deal wid it moderately. Becaw any artiste grab weh di ike suh from mi artiste, arrogance a guh gwaan,” Bounty said.
“Buju have a lot fi duh wid mi success. Yeah man. Suh is a whole heap a history. Indirectly or directly a still help, becaw Buju help me indirectly. Shabba help me indirectly; Ninjaman help me physically,” the Warlord explained.
In clips of the Buju vs Kartel incident, Bounty is seen deejaying lines from his Gyal Clown duet with Kartel, after which he hands the microphone to the deejay for him to spit his verse.
After Kartel spews a few lines, Buju touches him on his arm, indicating that it was his turn on the microphone. However, Kartel turns to hand the microphone back to Bounty, ignoring Buju’s outstretched hand and muttering ‘hold on dog’.
However, as the words slipped from Kartel’s mouth, Buju yanked the microphone away from the now-incarcerated artiste’s hand and started deejaying as Bounty Killer froze briefly, in apparent shock.
Moments after Buju attempts to return the microphone to Kartel, who hesitates. Bounty grabbed the microphone instead and addressed Buju’s diss frontally, as the Stamina Daddy strode offstage.
“Gargamel no disrespect, but you can’t disrespect the young artist them like that, inna di eyes of di public” Bounty said. “You have to set example. See what me a say. Because him a sing a one tune and him a deejay for the people them and him naan overdweet. Him don’t even get in the chorus. Anyway no disrespect,” he said before he and Kartel continued the song.
Some dancehall fans expressed their gratitude to Bounty Killer for standing up for his obviously embarrassed protégé back then.
“Dancehall best friend Bounty Killer one General Alliance for life one voice,” one fan said, while another who hailed Bounty as a ‘don’ noted: “My respect to you Killer….u see teacha talent and bring him a road….but two bull couldn’t rail innah one pen.”
That incident aside, there are no hard feelings between Buju and Kartel. The Gargamel has constantly indicated that he had the highest regard for the Worl’ Boss as an artiste, and even a few months ago, said the Of Dons & Divas artiste, was “a good and extremely talented artiste” and was unquestionably, one of the most prolific hitmakers since the 1990s.
Prior to his own incarceration, Buju Banton had also dubbed Kartel as one of Dancehall’s finest.
“Vybz Kartel is a man, him stimulate mi heavens wid di music. If only him coulda realize weh him have,” he told Onstage host Winford Williams at the time, before adding that Kartel sought to do songs which were fit for airplay.
“Cause if yuh song can’t play pn di radio enhu, you missing yuh whole pension scheme enuh and yuh missing yuh initial revenue base enuh,” he had said.
Kartel himself had long said Buju was his idol in Dancehall and one of his main influences in music.
He had said in several interviews that he was captivated from the first time he heard Buju deejaying Stamina Daddy. In fact, the Waterford native initially bore the moniker Adi Banton before changing it to Vybz Kartel.