Buju Banton’s First US Tour Stops in Tampa

After a 15-year absence from the United States, Grammy Award-winning reggae artist Buju Banton is embarking on his first-ever stadium tour, including a stop in Tampa on August 25 at Amalie Arena.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 19.

“The Overcomer” tour also features guest artist Fridayy, the Haitian-American singer, songwriter and producer whose Grammy-nominated song “God Did” by DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and John Legend.

Born Mark Myrie, Banton grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and his mother gave him the nickname “Buju.” He rose to fame in the 1990s on the dancehall scene and broke Bob Marley’s record for No. 1 singles on the Jamaican charts in 1992, according to Tampa Bay Times archives.

Banton sparked international controversy with his violent and homophobic lyrics, leading to the cancellation of several concerts between 2005 and 2011. In 2007, he vowed never to incite “hatred or violence” again.

In 2011, he was convicted of federal drug offenses in a Tampa court and spent years in federal prison in one of the most high-profile cases tried at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse in downtown Tampa.

The trial began on February 14, 2011, the day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album for “Before the Dawn,” recorded before his arrest.

He was released in 2018 after serving his sentence in Georgia and returned to Jamaica.

How to get tickets for Buju Banton

Tickets range from $54.75 to $244.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 19 at ticketmaster.com.

The Times archives contributed to this report.