The more surprising detail buried in this chart update is not that Buju Banton is still on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, but that “Too Too Bad” is the first album he has released since 2006 that failed to crack the Top 5. His 2006 compilation “Toppa Di Top & Dirty Rhythms” peaked at number seven, and now “Too Too Bad” has slipped from its number eight debut down to number ten in its second week.
That makes it his 13th entry on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart overall, which is a run very few artists in any genre can claim. Released through Gargamel Music and VP Records, the album features collaborations with Gramps Morgan, Ari Lennox, and DJ Khaled, a lineup that clearly signals Buju reaching across genres to pull in different audiences.
Whether that crossover approach is landing with listeners the way it was intended is a fair question right now. A debut at number eight with a slide to ten in week two is not a disaster, but for an artist of Buju’s stature, it is a chart story worth watching closely.
Meanwhile, Bob Marley and the Wailers continue their almost surreal grip on the number one spot with “Legend,” now sitting there for 342 non-consecutive weeks. That number is so large it barely registers as a chart statistic anymore, it is more like a permanent fixture of the reggae landscape.
Elsewhere on the chart, Sean Paul is having a strong moment with two entries. The Trinity” re-enters at number three while his Grammy-winning “Dutty Rock” inches up to number five. Stick Figure also pulls off a neat double, with “Wisdom” at number six and “Set in Stone” climbing three places to number seven.
On the singles side, “Jamaican (Bam Bam)” by producers HUGEL and SOLTO continues to build momentum in a way that feels genuinely organic for a track now in its 26th week on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. It has climbed from number 11 to number seven, and separately jumped from number 67 to number 45 on the UK Singles chart. The song is a house and Afrobeats reimagining of Sister Nancy’s 1982 original “Bam Bam,” and the fact that it is still climbing this deep into its chart run says something about how well that source material translates into a new sonic context.
It is not all upward movement, though. On Billboard’s Warm Global Dance Radio chart, the track slipped back from number 11 to number 15, having already peaked at number four. On the Global 200, it moved from 42 to 36, and on Global Excluding US it stepped up from 20 to 13, so the picture is mixed depending on which chart you look at.
Over in Canada, Elaine Shepherd has taken the number one spot on the Rebel Vibez Top Ten Canadian Reggae chart with “Shine,” knocking things around at the top of that ranking. Tasha T’s “Ten Foot Wall” sits at number one on a separate Canadian chart, the Reggae North Canadian Top 20, while “Reggae Music Nice” by Legato holds the top spot for a second consecutive week.
Down in Florida, Protoje and Masicka’s “Ting Loud” has taken over the number one position on the Florida Reggae and Dancehall Top 20 Radio Singles chart, with Masicka’s “Slip N Slide” falling to number two right behind it. Buju’s own “Butterflies,” a former chart-topper, sits at number five on that same chart, which adds a small layer of context to how his catalog continues to perform even as “Too Too Bad” finds its footing.
