Audiomack Donates To Buju Banton Foundation After Charity Was Denied Registration
Audiomack has donated US$5,000 to the Buju Banton Foundation just days after the charity was denied registration in Jamaica, due to the Dancehall legend’s criminal history.
The New York based music streaming platform, in a statement today, said, “giving back to artists and their communities is a cornerstone of the Audiomack ethos. With that, Audiomack has linked up with the Buju Banton Foundation, donating $5,000 toward resources for underserved youth in Jamaica.”
Rosemary Duncan, Director of the Buju Banton Foundation, said in the statement “Given the economic moment and its impact on individuals and organizations, the Buju Banton Foundation salutes Audiomack for opening its heart and hands to vulnerable boys. The donation will be invested in resources that will prepare them for a better and brighter future. We thank Audiomack for giving a helping hand.”
Audiomack’s VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy, Jason Johnson, added, “Audiomack is not only about moving music forward but focused on helping to move forward the lives of those who are underserved.” He continued, “We are excited to partner with Buju Banton and The Buju Banton Foundation to help provide resources to the boys so they can have an opportunity to excel at the highest level.”
Audiomack’s show of support comes after the Charities Authority in Jamaica, on Friday, defended its decision to deny registration of the Buju Banton Foundation.
The Authority explained that Banton could not be permitted to act as a governing board member on the Foundation because he was not “a fit and proper person” since he was “convicted of an offence involving dishonesty.”
Erroll Gallimore, Head of the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies (DCFS), Charities Authority, added that “we are concerned whether or not having Mr. Myrie on the board of a Foundation would be in keeping with maintaining and protecting the public trust and confidence in charitable organizations, given the public knowledge of his conviction. So we don’t feel he has met that particular criteria.”
As an alternative, Gallimore said Buju Banton could be replaced as a governing board member of the Foundation. “In this particular reference case, one of the options which is available to anybody who is refused, is for the person to be replaced”.
Unveiled in January 2019, two months after Banton’s release from a US prison on a drug conviction, the Foundation has donated books, footwear, sports equipment, and other supplies to various children’s homes in Jamaica. Workshops were also facilitated with the aim of empowering youths to believe in their ability to succeed.
In 2020, Banton’s Foundation teamed up with American rapper Kanye West to donate computers to the Sunbeam Boys’ Home and the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home. Banton had also donated his J$3 million cash prize from the 2020 Jamaica Festival Song Competition, towards the construction of a poultry/egg layer project at the Sunbeam Home.